Abstract
This study examined the appropriateness of siblings as controls in the psychological assessment of children with chronic illness or disability. Findings from 304 cases and 360 randomly selected controls were compared to findings from a subset of 206 casesibling pairs. Cases were children 6 to 18 years of age with cystic fibrosis, cerebral palsy, myelodysplasia, and multiple handicaps, selected from specialty clinics in two teaching hospitals in the Cleveland area. Results from both data sets were in agreement on major findings indicating that children with cystic fibrosis are not at increased risk for psychopathology, whereas children in the remaining three diagnostic groups show a substantial excess in Mentation Problems and Isolation. The comparisons with matched siblings underestimated pathology in the disabled children in RegressiveAnxiety and aggressive behavior.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Achenbach, T. M. Psychopathology of childhood: Research problems and issues.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1978,46, 759–776.
Breslau, N. Siblings of disabled children: Birth order and age-spacing effects.Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 1982,10, 85–96.
Breslau, N., Weitzman, M., & Messenger, K. Psychologic functioning of siblings of disabled children.Pediatrics, 1981,67, 344–353.
Demb, N., & Ruess, A. L. High school drop-out rate for cleft palate patients.Cleft Palate Journal, 1967,4, 327–333.
Drotar, D., Doershuk, C. F., Stern, R. C., Boat, T. F., Boyer, W., & Mathews, L. Psychosocial functioning of children with cystic fibrosis.Pediatrics, 1981,67, 338–343.
Gayton, W. F., & Friedman, S. B. Psychosocial aspects of cystic fibrosis: A review of the literature.American Journal of Diseases of Children, 1973,126, 856–859.
Gayton, W. F., Friedman, S. B., Tavormina, J. F., & Tucker, F. Children with cystic fibrosis: 1. Psychological test findings of patients, siblings, and parents.Pediatrics, 1977,59, 888–894.
Gould, M. S., Wunsch-Hitzig, R., & Dobrenwend, B. P. Formulation of hypotheses about the prevalance, treatment, and prognostic significance of psychiatric disorders in children in the United States. In B. P. Dohrenwend, B. S. Dohrenwend, M. S. Gould, B. Link, R. Neugebauer, & R. Wunsch-Hitzig (Eds.),Mental Illness in the United States. New York: Praeger, 1980.
Klein, S. D., & Simmons, R. G. Chronic disease and childhood development: Kidney disease and transplantation.Research in Community and Mental Health, 1979,1, 21–59.
Langner, T. S., Gersten, J. C., Greene, E. L., Eisenberg, J. G., Herson, J. H., & McCarthy, E. D. Treatment of psychological disorders among urban children.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1974,42, 170–172.
Langner, T. S., Gersten, J. C., McCarthy, E. D., Eisenberg, J. G., Greene, E. L., Herson, J. H., & Jameson, J. D. A screening inventory for assessing psychiatric impairment in children 6–18.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1976,44, 286–296.
Pless, I. B., & Pinkerton, P.Chronic childhood disorders promoting patterns of adjustment. Chicago: Year Book Medical Publishers, 1975.
Scheffé, H.The analysis of variance. New York: Wiley, 1959.
Schooler, C. Birth order effects: Not here not now!Psychological Bulletin, 1972,78, 161–175.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This study was supported by NIH grant No. HD16821, NIMH Research Scientist Development Award No. MH-00380, and by grants from the Cleveland Foundation, the Charles S. Mott Foundation, and the Easter Seal Research Fund.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Breslau, N. The psychological study of chronically ill and disabled children: Are healthy siblings appropriate controls?. J Abnorm Child Psychol 11, 379–391 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00914246
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00914246