Self-concepts of chronically ill children

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Psychology
• Child Development
• Medical Sociology

Background:

• Chronic illnesses, such as blood diseases, can impact a child's psychological development and self-perception.
• Understanding the self-concept of chronically ill children is crucial for providing appropriate psychosocial support.
• Previous research has explored various aspects of child self-concept, but specific comparisons with chronically ill pediatric populations are less common.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate and compare the self-concept of children with blood disease to that of healthy children.
• To explore potential differences in self-concept based on illness status, age, and sex.
• To interpret findings within the framework of coping theory.

Main Methods:

• A projective drawing procedure was utilized to assess self-concept.
• The study included 54 chronically ill children (girls and boys) aged 3.5 to 12 years.
• A control group of 115 healthy children (girls and boys) aged 3.5 to 10.5 years was included for comparison.

Main Results:

• Few significant differences in self-concept were found between chronically ill children and healthy children.
• Sex and age differences in self-concept were observed within both the chronically ill and healthy groups.
• The findings suggest that children, including those with chronic blood diseases, may possess robust self-concepts.

Conclusions:

• Chronically ill children with blood disease do not appear to have substantially different self-concepts compared to their healthy peers.
• Coping theory provides a useful framework for understanding the psychological adaptation of chronically ill children.
• Further research can explore the specific coping strategies employed by these children to maintain a positive self-concept.