[Adolescence in patients with cystic fibrosis studied by Rorschach test]

The majority of patients with cystic fibrosis today reach adulthood. During adolescence, however, many ask themselves questions regarding their possible future realisation.

The aim of this study, which was performed using the Rorschach test, was to identify areas of particular problems in a group of CF adolescents monitored by the Pneumology Division of Regina Margherita Children's Hospital in Turin: 26 subjects aged between 14 and 18, including 11 females and 15 males.

The analysis of the test was based on the use of thought, interior resources, instincts and interpersonal relations. The type of intimate resonance was also taken into account and, lastly, a study of the contents was performed using a self-representation grid.

The results obtained show a dishomogeneous profile of the development and quality of intellectual processes faced with the intensity of anxiety, mainly loss anxiety, linked to the disease, even if unrelated to its severity. The integration of emotive and instinctual aspects is difficult: mental development towards adult life appears to be impeded by the predominance of regressive modalities.

On the basis of the study performed, it is possible to hypothesise the need for psychological help aimed at achieving a more evolved psychic organisation, possible as part of an overall management programme by the medical and nursing team.