Abstract
It was hypothesized that for the child with a birth defect, the accomplishment of certain specific tasks of confrontation of the defect is associated with the child's selfesteem and overall adjustment. These tasks include: (a) emotional confrontation, involving the awareness and free expression of negative feelings associated with the defect; (b) cognitive confrontation, involving the active seeking for an accurate and comprehensive understanding of the causes and manifestations of the defect; and (c) interpersonal confrontation, involving open communication with peers on the subject of the defect. Moreover, it was hypothesized that maternal confrontation of the reality of the child's defect is a factor in facilitating the child's accomplishment of his tasks of confrontation. To test these hypotheses, 35 pre and early adolescent children with birth defects and their mothers were each independently assessed by means of questionnaires and quantitative ratings of semistructured interviews. The results consistently support the hypotheses for cognitive and interpersonal confrontation, but not for emotional confrontation.
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This investigation was supported, in part, by a Research and Training Center grant (16-P-56815) from the Social and Rehabilitation Service, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Washington, D.C.
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Fishman, C.A., Fishman, D.B. Emotional, cognitive, and interpersonal confrontation among children with birth defects. Child Psych Hum Dev 2, 92–101 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01434642
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01434642