Psychological Interventions for Children with Chronic Physical Illness and Their Families

Abstract

The importance of and necessity for psychological interventions with children with chronic physical illness stem from several sources. First, chronic physical illness affects large numbers of children and families. Depending on how a chronic condition is defined, estimates of affected children vary from 5% to 30% (Newacheck & Taylor, 1992). For the purpose of this chapter, a chronic or ongoing health condition is defined as one that lasts a year or longer and requires specialized treatments, technologies and/or causes limitations of function, activities, or social roles, compared with physically healthy peers (Stein, Bauman, Westbrook, Coupey, & Ireys, 1993). Second, a chronic illness and its treatment place significant physical and psychological burdens on children and families that affect the quality of their lives, including their mental health. Although children demonstrate a wide range of psychological adjustment patterns to their chronic conditions (Drotar, 1981; Drotar & Bush, 1985), the heightened risk to the child’s mental health associated with chronic conditions is relatively well documented. For example, population-based studies such as the Ontario Health Study have reported a threefold risk of mental health and social problems among children with chronic physical illness, especially among those who also have physical disabilities (Cadman, Boyle, Szatmari, & Offord, 1997). Meta-analyses have also indicated an elevated risk for mental health disorders, especially internalizing problems, among children with a chronic illness (Lavigne & Faier-Routman, 1992).KeywordsMental HealthCystic FibrosisChronic IllnessPsychological InterventionMental Health InterventionThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.