Relation between severity of chronic illness and adjustment in children and adolescents with sickle cell disease

Tested the relationship between illness severity and adjustment in 70 sickle cell patients, aged 8-16. Illness severity was measured by frequency of hospitalization and emergency room visits, frequency and intensity of pain crises, and duration of illness. Adjustment variables were IQ, self-esteem, social and personal adjustment, behavioral problems, school performance, and peer relations. Medical variables-associated illness patterns and type of hemoglobinopathy-were also considered. Sex and age were covariates. The hypothesis that illness severity would affect adjustment was generally not supported. Other factors such as SES, family structure, or support systems may affect adjustment and suppress the hypothesized relationship. The need for a more global intervention approach than using illness severity to measure need for psychotherapeutic assistance is suggested.