French, Lesley; (2000) Adolescent coping with sickle cell disease: The role of parental understanding. Doctoral thesis (D.Clin.Psy), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

The study aimed to investigate 1) the adjustment status of adolescents with sickle cell disease 2) whether pain coping strategies were significant predictors of adjustment outcomes and 3) the contribution of parental understanding to adjustment outcomes for adolescents. Fifty-one parent-child dyads participated. The study design was cross-sectional and questionnaire-based within a structured interview format. There was no evidence of increased psychological morbidity for adolescents with sickle cell disease when compared to population norms. Coping patterns of the sample were consistent with previous studies on adolescents with sickle cell disease. After controlling for age and frequency of pain, adolescents with high scores on Negative Thinking had more hospital admissions, more school absence, more adjustment difficulties and poorer quality of life. The construct of parental understanding was operationalised in the study from parental ratings of adolescent coping strategies. After controlling for age and frequency of pain, parental understanding significantly predicted adolescent outcomes across the four domains of hospital admissions, school absence, adjustment and quality of life. The findings highlight the importance of identifying parent-child patterns of communication in clinical work and strengthening the resources available within families that contribute toward successful adjustment of young people.

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