THE IMPACT OF EXPERIENCE ON CHILDRENS UNDERSTANDING OF ILLNESS

Reported two studies investigating the relationship between the extent of children's experience with illness and their level of understandin g about the causes of illness, Both studies compared children with exp erience of a major chronic illness (cystic fibrosis in Study I and can cer in Study 2) with children whose illness experience was relatively minor and acute. The age range of the children in Study 1 was 4.6 to 1 0.6 years; in Study 2 it was 7 to 14 years. The measure of understandi ng of illness was the Bibace and Walsh (1980, 1981) Piagetian-based te st. To determine the specificity of illness experience effects, perfor mance on this test was considered against a second measure of cognitiv e functioning: conservation of amount and volume in Study 1; the Peabo dy Picture Vocabulary rest-Revised in Study 2. Results point to both a ge and experience as contributing to children's understanding of illne ss. Methodological issues and implications for future research are dis cussed.