Sistem yaklaşımı ve sosyal-ekolojik yaklaşım çerçevesinde oluşturulan kavramsal model temelinde kronik hastalığı olan çocuklar ve ailelerinde psikolojik uyumun yordanması
Özet
In line with the developments in medicine, the survival of children with chronic illnesses has increased progressively. However, chronic illnesses still have consequences in terms of the psychosocial well-being. Family Systems Perspective, brought about the realization that a chronic illness does not only impact the individual child, but also transmit its effects to the entire family system. Living with a chronic illness can be considered as an ongoing trauma both for the child and his/her parents. The present study aims to evaluate the psychological adjustment of families of children with chronic illnesses by investigating the emergence of depression and posttraumatic stress symptoms by utilizing a conceptual model. The model incorporates demographics, illness characteristics (objective and appraised), social-ecological variables and child characteristics as predictors of adjustment. The sample consists of 125children living with a chronic illness and their parents. The data has been gathered through the use of self-report questionnaires. Hierarchical Regression Technique was used to analyze the data. The results constitute an initial support for the validity of the proposed conceptual model in predicting depressive and posttraumatic stress symptomatolgy in children with chronic illness and their families. The results are believed to provide a useful framework to organize researchers? and clinicians? thinking about the psychological responses of the families living with chronic illnesses and thefactors that influence them. An improved understanding of the role of different predictive variables, functioning either as risk or protective factors, is expected to be helpful in designing psychosocial interventions for the families.