FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL-PROBLEMS AMONG CHILDRENRECENTLY DIAGNOSED WITH BRAIN-TUMOR

Compared the psychological adjustment of 81 children with brain tumors to that of 31 control children with various malignancies not involvin g the central nervous system. Both groups exhibited significantly incr eased frequencies of elevations on one or more age- and gender-correct ed Social Competence and Behavior Problems scales of the Child Behavio r Checklist (CBCL) relative to normative expectations. Comparison of t he Brain Tumor and Cancer Control groups revealed no significant diffe rences on any CBCL scale. Among children diagnosed with brain tumors, stepwise multiple regression analyses revealed that low child IQ, resi dence in a single-parent family, moderate to severe disfigurement, low SES, tumor location, and severe functional impairment. were associate d with decreased Social Competence scores. Elevated Behavior Problems scores were associated with younger maternal age at the child's birth, tumor location, and residence in a single-parent family. Results rein force the need to consider complex relationships between demographic c haracteristics of the child's family, type of brain damage, and the co smetic and functional status of the child in determining acute psychol ogical adjustment of brain-damaged children.