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Psychosocial Adjustment of Children With Spina Bifida

Kinderklinik und Kinderpoliklinik der Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Germany

Thomas Homann, MD

Kinderklinik des Stadtkrankenhauses Worms, Germany

Christiane Schroeter, MD

Kinderneurologisches Zentrum/Institut für Soziale Pädiatrie Mainz, Germany

Hans Rothgerber, PhD

Kinderneurologisches Zentrum/Institut für Soziale Pädiatrie Mainz, Germany, Paediatric Medical Practice Mainz, Germany

Gerhard Hommel, PhD

Institut für Medizinische Statistik und Dokumentation der Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Germany, Paediatric Medical Practice Mainz, Germany

Johann August Ermert, MD

Kinderneurologisches Zentrum/Institut für Soziale Pädiatrie Mainz, Germany

It was the aim of the present prospective study to investigate the influence of age, sex, intellectual function, and school type as well as of hydrocephalus, the level of lesion, and of the degree of handicap on the psychosocial adjustment of children with spina bifida. Seventy-five patients with spina bifida, aged 6 to 16 years were assessed concerning their psychosocial adjustment and their intellectual function by use of standardized instruments. The findings were compared with those of nondisabled controls, matched for age and sex. Children with spina bifida showed a tendency to be at an increased risk for psychosocial maladjustment. Influencing factors were age, sex, and the degree of handicap. Twelve- to 16-year-old boys and girls displayed significant adjustment problems in specific areas in comparison with their controls. There was a tendency for children with spina bifida to be attending inappropriate school types according to their intellectual abilities. Perhaps the most striking finding of our study was that children with spina bifida who attended a school for disabled children, even though it might be an IQ-appropriate setting, had a higher rate of psychosocial maladjustment than the disabled children in mainstream schools. (J Child Neurol 1998;13:64-70).

Journal of Child Neurology, Vol. 13, No. 2, 64-70 (1998)
DOI: 10.1177/088307389801300204


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