An integrated approach to the assessment of family adjustment to acute lymphocytic leukemia in children

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Abstract
This study evaluated psychological distress, social support and adjustment to the disease of 69 parents of 35 children suffering from acute lymphocytic leukemia. The study dealt with the initial phase of the disease. The following rating scales were used: the Symptom Distress Checklist-90, the Social Support Questionnarie and the Family Adjustment Scale. Psychological distress of the mothers was negatively correlated with their and their child''s adjustment to the disease. A similar trend was found for fathers but the correlations reached statistical significance only for fathers'' adjustment. Social support as evaluated by the 2 parents was positively correlated with their and their child''s adjustment to the disease experience.