Illness and treatment appraisal processes of healthy and hemophilic boys

The purposes of this study was to describe patterns characterizing appraisal processes of chronically ill and healthy school-age boys regarding illness and treatment situations. The specific aims were to describe (a) the domains representing the process of appraisal, (b) the relationships among the domains, and (c) the patterns of appraisal based on the interplay among the various domains. The sample included 18 healthy boys and 18 hemophilic boys. The two groups were matched on the basis of child's age and family socioeconomic level. A qualitative methodology was used to understand the ways in which boys appraise illness- and treatment-related stimuli. Findings showed that appraisal processes of school-age boys were comprised of four interacting domains: delineation of the context, fears related to the stimuli, the emotional response to the stimuli, and the final decision. The characteristics of these domains and the relationships among them resulted in two patterns of appraisal: amplification and minimization.