Psychosocial problems in children with thalassemia and their siblings

Beta-thalassemia is a chronic illness causing serious symptoms to children and a burden to families. The purpose of this study was to evaluate psychosocial problems in children with thalassemia and their siblings by using a semi-structured interview and the Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC). The stu...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Louthrenoo O., Sittipreechacharn S., Thanarattanakorn P., Sanguansermsri T.
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: 2014
Online Access:http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-0036690112&partnerID=40&md5=dfaaff5ee8655e9b60619cae6b8496e3
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12403208
http://cmuir.cmu.ac.th/handle/6653943832/2478
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Institution: Chiang Mai University
Language: English
Description
Summary:Beta-thalassemia is a chronic illness causing serious symptoms to children and a burden to families. The purpose of this study was to evaluate psychosocial problems in children with thalassemia and their siblings by using a semi-structured interview and the Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC). The study sample included 82 children with thalassemia, 20 siblings, and 50 control children without a chronic illness. With children and families demographically controlled, psychosocial problems were significantly more common in children with thalassemia than in those without chronic illness, 28.05 per cent vs 4 per cent (p=0.001), but there was no difference between siblings and the controls, 5 per cent vs 4 per cent (p=0.64). The mean PSC score in children with thalassemia was higher than that in the sibling and control group (18.34 vs 10.95 and 10.28, respectively; p<0.001). These findings suggest an increased risk of psychosocial problems in children with thalassemia that psychosocial intervention may be required to prevent major psychiatric disorders.