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The role of childhood illness in shaping relationships through to young adulthood
Catherine M Olsson1,2, Christopher J Greenwood1,2,3, Stephanie R Aarsman1,2
1Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Centre for Adolescent Health, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Insights
Childhood physical illness, especially life-threatening conditions, can impact social skills and relationships. These effects, particularly parental disengagement, may persist into adulthood, affecting relational health.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatric Health
- Social Sciences
Background:
- Childhood physical illnesses can influence long-term psychosocial development.
- Understanding the trajectory of relational health in individuals with childhood health conditions is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how childhood physical illnesses affect relational health from childhood through young adulthood.
- To identify specific challenges faced by children with severe health conditions in their social interactions.
Main Methods:
- Utilized parent-reported data on child physical health (n=1895) during primary school transition.
- Classified childhood health problems using the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) framework.
- Assessed relational health via parent and self-reported measures across different age groups.
Main Results:
- Childhood illness correlated with lower self-control and cooperation in late childhood and adolescence.
- Life-threatening medical experiences were linked to increased disengagement and peer/social skill difficulties in late childhood.
- Parental disengagement extended into adolescence and young adulthood for those with severe childhood illnesses.
Conclusions:
- While most children manage well, life-threatening medical experiences pose elevated risks for relational difficulties.
- Social and peer interaction challenges are more pronounced in late childhood for severely ill children.
- Parental disengagement is a persistent issue, extending into later life stages for individuals with severe childhood health conditions.
Objective:
To explore how those with a physical illness in childhood are managing in relationships across childhood to young adulthood.
Methods:
On transition to primary school parents were asked about their child's physical health (n = 1895). Childhood health problems were classified using the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) framework. Relational health was assessed using parent and self-reported measures.
Results:
A total of 1347 parents reported their child had any physical illness between 5-8 years of age, with 143 reporting their child had been so ill they thought they might die. Having a childhood illness was associated with lower Self-control and Cooperation in both late childhood (|β| = -0.15 and -0.1, respectively) and adolescence (|β| = -0.14 and -0.12, respectively). For those reporting a health-related life-threatening experience, there was some evidence of higher disengagement across all age groups (|β|range = 0.20-0.24), and more pronounced problems with peers (|β|range = 0.31-0.41) and social skills (|β|range = 0.27-0.35) in late childhood.
Conclusions:
Children were generally faring well, however, there was elevated risk of a range of compromised relational difficulties for those with 'life-threatening' medical experiences. Risks mostly extended to late childhood; however, disengagement from parents extended into adolescence and young adulthood.
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