Psychological Factors in Childhood Illness

Abstract

The last several decades in pediatric medicine have been characterized by a number of major strides in health care and a dramatic decline in the incidence of childhood illness and mortality. Along with medical advances, demands have been placed on pediatricians to address the psychological aspects of children, particularly as they relate to illness. As a result, pediatric psychology has emerged as a rapidly expanding specialty area that attempts to merge the concerns of both clinical psychology and pediatric medicine into a more holistic approach to health care (Routh, 1975). The dramatic growth of the field during its 13-year history indicates that pediatric psychology has served a useful purpose in both medicine and clinical psychology. The present chapter attempts to present an overview of the current status of research in pediatric psychology. A brief examination of theoretical models of the psychology of illness is presented. In addition, a discussion of the factors that influence the child’s response to illness is accompanied by a consideration of the impact of illness on the lives of children and their families. Finally, a separate section describes a group of common childhood disorders and presents research on their associated psychological components. Hopefully, the reader will come to more fully understand and appreciate the complex relationship between the medical and the behavioral factors that are present in the chronically ill child.