Risk-resistance adaptation model for caregivers and their children with sickle cell syndromes

This investigation examined the risk-resistance adaptation model for childr en with sickle cell disease and their primary caregivers. Participants were 55 children, ranging in age from 5 to 16 years with a mean age of 9 years 2 months, diagnosed with sickle cell disease and their primary caregivers, recruited from a university medical center Measures included adjustment (i. e. primary caregiver and child adjustment), risk factors (i.e. disease and disability, functional independence, and psychosocial stressors), resistanc e factors (i.e, intrapersonal health locus of control, social-ecological), and stress processing (coping). Primary caregivers' adjustment was associat ed with developmental coping, R-change(2) = .08, and child adaptation was a ssociated with an internal health locus of control, R-change(2) = .22. An i ndirect effect of primary caregivers' coping on child adjustment was found through influence on primary caregivers' adjustment, R-change(2) = .11. The findings support research among other chronically ill populations that sug gests an association between coping and disease adjustment. The results wer e interpreted to support the use of theoretically driven models in predicti ng the adaptation of children with chronic illness and adjustment in their caregivers.