School problems and teacher responsibilities in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) may cause a variety of school problems. Twenty-four children with JRA, 24 of their parents, and 14 of their teachers completed questionnaires regarding the frequency of 40 potential school problems and the extent of the teacher's responsibility in helping children deal with 28 medical, academic, or social issues. Though respondents viewed school problems as occurring infrequently, parents and children more frequently than teachers noted that problems occurred (p less than .05). Children felt problems with self-concept and peer relationships occurred most frequently, while parents and teachers emphasized physical health and activity-related problems. Children's ratings regarding extent of teacher's responsibility were lower than those of parents' or teachers' ratings (p less than .05). While parents and teachers viewed the teacher as responsible for helping children deal with psychosocial issues, children felt that teachers should deal primarily with academic areas. Children viewed teachers as being responsible for withholding information about arthritis from their classmates, and did not want their teacher to encourage peer interaction. Results indicate major differences exist between perceptions of children with JRA, and their parents and teachers, regarding frequency of problems and extent of the teacher's responsibility. Since children may resist assistance from teachers in psychosocial areas, their views should be considered before planning interventions to resolve such problems.