Psychological adjustment of mothers of children and adolescents with sickle cell disease: the role of stress, coping methods, and family functioning.

Assessed the psychological adjustment of 78 mothers of children and adolescents (7-17 years of age) with sickle cell disease. Support was provided for a transactional stress and coping model in delineating the processes associated with maternal adjustment. In particular, poor maternal adjustment was associated with use of palliative coping methods and high levels of stress related to daily hassles.

Role of child and maternal processes in the psychological adjustment of children with sickle cell disease.

In this study, 64% of children aged 7-12 years with sickle cell disease were found to have a parent-reported behavior problem, and 50% met the criteria for a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd ed.) diagnosis based on a structural clinical interview of the child. Internalizing types of behavior problems and diagnoses were the most frequent.

Parental bonding and depressive disorders in adolescents.

The present exploratory study was designed to determine whether a sample of depressed adolescents differed from demographically similar samples of normal and non-depressed psychiatric controls as a function of their perceived patterns of parental bonding. All research participants were recruited from the general population. Diagnoses were based on a structured diagnostic interview keyed to DSM-III criteria.