Abstract
Many children experience a myriad of chronic medical issues that affect not only their physical, but psychological functioning as well. Internalizing disorders, such as depression, anxiety, and stress, in addition to coping and quality of life have been implicated in the initiation and exacerbation of many health outcomes. Poor social functioning with peers and family also may occur. Furthermore, the negative effects on academic achievement that are due to a variety of associated problems such as cognitive impact and resulting poor attendance also need to be addressed for these children. Research supports interaction of disease factors, child and family factors, and both medical and mental health outcome. A coordinated approach to care would include medical treatment as well as mental health support for the affected child and their family with consideration to the school context. Both primary and secondary coping strategies have been found to be helpful and may be delivered through a cognitive behavioral approach. Additional research is called for in the areas of assessment of coping ability as well as intervening to promote coping capabilities among children with chronic illness and the systems in which they function.
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Riccio, C.A., Maykel, C., Howell, M., Bray, M.A. (2018). Coping with Chronic Illness and Medical Stress. In: Forman, S., Shahidullah, J. (eds) Handbook of Pediatric Behavioral Healthcare. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-00791-1_19
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