Rek. Stein et al., COMPARISON OF ADJUSTMENT OF SCHOOL-AGE-CHILDREN WITH AND WITHOUT CHRONIC CONDITIONS - RESULTS FROM COMMUNITY-BASED SAMPLES, Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics, 19(4), 1998, pp. 267-272
We assessed whether children in the 1990s who were identified as havin
g Chronic Conditions) were as well adjusted as children without chroni
c conditions, and whether selection factors or sociodemographic variab
les accounted for any observed differences. Random-digit-dial telephon
e surveys were conducted using two separate samples: one consisting of
1275 children in 654 inner-city households and the other of 1388 chil
dren in a national sample of 712 households. Children with chronic con
ditions had poorer parent-reported functioning on the Personal Adjustm
ent and Role Skills Scale total score and three of its six subscales (
Hostility, Dependency, and Productivity). Differences in two other sub
scales (Withdrawal and Anxiety/Depression) were significant only for t
he inner-city sample. The results were consistent when controlling for
other potentially confounding factors. These findings demonstrate tha
t mental health risks continue to occur among contemporary community-b
ased samples of children with chronic health conditions who are identi
fied by using noncategorical techniques. These risks have implications
for the care of those children.