A SURVEY OF PSYCHOSOCIAL ADAPTATION IN LONG-TERM SURVIVORS OF PEDIATRIC LIVER-TRANSPLANTS

We assessed 41 children and adolescents who had received liver transpl ants at least 4 years ago, for social, behavioral, and emotional adapt ation; physical function; and family stress. We compared their level o f adaptive functioning to published data from chronically ill and medi cally well children. On many measures, transplant recipients had equiv alent levels of function to the comparison groups. However, 6- to 11-y ear-old patients showed mild social and scholastic deficits. Patients' parents report less negative impact of the illness on the family than do parents of other chronically ill children. A listing of medication side effects and the degree to which they are problematic was obtaine d.