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Social support in children with a chronic condition

M L Ellerton1, M J Stewart, J A Ritchie

  • 1School of Nursing, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The Canadian Journal of Nursing Research = Revue Canadienne De Recherche En Sciences Infirmieres
|January 1, 1996
PubMed

Insights

Children with chronic conditions utilize social support for daily and illness-related stress. Healthy children have larger support networks, while those with spina bifida have the smallest, impacting their coping strategies.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Psychology
  • Child Health and Development
  • Social Support Systems

Background:

  • Understanding social support is crucial for children managing chronic conditions.
  • Coping mechanisms in pediatric chronic illness require further investigation.
  • Social support networks influence adaptation to health challenges in children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe social support in children with chronic conditions.
  • To explore how children use social support to cope with daily and illness-related stressors.
  • To compare social support and coping strategies between children with and without chronic illnesses.

Main Methods:

  • Descriptive exploratory study design.
  • Inclusion of 62 school-aged children: 16 with diabetes, 16 with cystic fibrosis, 15 with spina bifida, and 15 healthy controls.
  • Data collection on social support networks, functions, satisfaction, and coping strategies in stressful situations.

Main Results:

  • Healthy children possessed larger overall and peer support networks compared to children with chronic conditions.
  • Children with spina bifida had the smallest networks, particularly peer networks.
  • Children with chronic conditions reported more stress and support-seeking in everyday situations than in illness-related ones.

Conclusions:

  • Social support network size and composition differ between healthy children and those with chronic conditions.
  • Children with chronic conditions face unique stressors, such as illness-related restrictions.
  • Findings inform the development of targeted social support interventions for pediatric chronic illness populations.

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