SELF-CONCEPT BEFORE AND AFTER 2 YEARS OF GROWTH-HORMONE TREATMENT IN INTRAUTERINE GROWTH-RETARDED CHILDREN

The objective of this study was to assess self-concept in children wit h short stature after intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR), before a nd after 2 years of growth hormone (hGH) treatment. We assessed 25 chi ldren before treatment, and 40 children after a 2-year treatment perio d. Seventeen of the 25 children of whom we had pretreatment data, were reassessed after 2 years of hGH treatment. All children had a birth l ength below the 3rd percentile, and did not show catch-up growth (curr ent height <P3). We compared the self-concept measures (Self-Perceptio n Profile for Children; SPPC) of the IUGR group with similar measures of a Dutch school sample. Four of the six SPPC mean scale scores of th e IUGR group prior to treatment were significantly lower than mean sco res of the school sample. Mean scale scores of the group children, ass essed after 2 years of hGH treatment, did not differ significantly fro m those of the school sample. In the group of 17 children who were ass essed before as well as after 2 years of treatment, the mean scale sco res of 'social acceptance' and 'general self-worth' were significantly higher at the second assessment (t = -5.93, p < 0.001 and t = -4.36, p < 0.001, respectively). From the present study we can hypothesize th at short stature after IUGR and a low self-concept are related.