[Social integration in adulthood in a group of subjects with Turner syndrome]

The aim of the present study was to evaluate social integration in adulthood in a group of 48 subjects with Turner's syndrome. This was done by asking subjects to fill in a multi-choice questionnaire concerning their personal, social and working situation. The mean age (+/- SD) of the group was 24.8 +/- 1 and the reported stature was 142.2 +/- 1.4. The results obtained were compared with those formulated by ISTAT in 1990 for the entire Italian population. As far as regards education it was seen that 100% of subjects had completed primary school, 52% had attended secondary school, 29% had been to high school and 6% had attended university. It was therefore concluded that educational status, at least in this group, was higher than that of the Italian population in general. The cultural level of these subjects meant that most had found appropriate employment and only 6% were unemployed. 90% of the subjects were unmarried and only 5 were married (10%); the majority of those unmarried lived with their parents (83%). This underlines a prolonged dependence on the family nucleus and probable disorders regarding the subjects' own sexual identity and affective capacities. Among the parameters examined no substantial differences were found between subjects with a 45,X karyotype and those with chromosomic mosaicism. In the light of these findings it is apparent that efficacious medical and psychological strategies should be developed to enable a greater realization of interpersonal relations in the familial and social field.