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Development and evaluation of an intensive intervention program for children with a chronic health condition: a pilot
Debra Creedy1, Dianne Collis, Tracey Ludlow
1Research Centre for Clinical Practice Innovation, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia.
Insights
An intensive intervention program shows promise for improving psychosocial well-being in children with chronic health conditions (CCHC). The pilot study found significant increases in self-esteem and reductions in anxiety, depression, and parental-reported impact.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Pediatric Health
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Children with chronic health conditions (CCHC) face developmental risks impacting psychosocial well-being.
- Early intervention programs aim to enhance coping mechanisms for CCHC and their families.
- Effectiveness of interventions for pre-teen CCHC requires further demonstration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate an intensive intervention program for children aged 10-14 with CCHC.
- To assess the program's impact on children's well-being and parental perceptions.
- To explore the potential of targeted interventions for this age group.
Main Methods:
- A pilot study involving 12 children with CCHC.
- An 8-week intensive intervention program.
- Pre-post assessment with a three-month follow-up.
Main Results:
- Significant increase in children's self-esteem (p < .01).
- Reduction in reported anxiety and depression symptoms.
- Significant decrease in parental perceptions of the condition's impact on the child (p < .05).
Conclusions:
- The intensive intervention program is a promising strategy for improving psychosocial outcomes in CCHC.
- Further research with larger samples is needed to confirm effectiveness.
- The program shows potential for enhancing well-being in CCHC and their families.
Abstract:
A range of developmental risk factors threatens the psychosocial well-being of children with a chronic health condition (CCHC). Early intervention and prevention programs are emerging as an effective response to improving individual and family coping mechanisms. In particular, efforts to address individual and family coping throughout the important pre-teen transitional ages for CCHC have gained popularity although their effectiveness has not been adequately demonstrated. We conducted a pre-post intervention study to evaluate an intensive intervention program for CCHC aged 10-14 years that aimed to enhance well-being. Twelve CCHC participated in a pilot 8-week intensive intervention program. At three month follow-up there was a significant increase in children's self esteem (t = 3.39, p < .01). There was a decrease in mean scores for anxiety and depression symptoms. Parental perceptions of the impact of the condition on the child reduced significantly (t = 2.37, p < .05). It was beyond the scope of the present study to conclusively evaluate the effectiveness of the intensive intervention program, however results show that it was a promising strategy to improve a range of outcomes for CCHC. Further research using a larger sample is needed to determine the ways in which this program influences psychosocial well-being of CCHC and their families.