Abstract
The negative impact on psychological adjustment from the chronic strain of living with limb deficiencies appears to be mediated by perceived social support. A multifactorial investigation was conducted to identify empirically psychological adjustment correlates of perceived social support in 49 children with congenital/acquired limb deficiencies. A multiplicity of adjustment factors (depression, trait anxiety, self-esteem) was variously related to perceived parent, teacher, classmate, and friend social support. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses provide initial evidence of the potentially powerful effects of the social environment of the school setting, with perceived classmate social support the only significant predictor variable across depressive symptomatology, trait anxiety, and general self-esteem. The results are discussed as the first step in identifying the potential correlates of multiple perceived social support domains, which may provide empirical guidance for future intervention studies designed to modify adjustment factors in chronically ill and handicapped children.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alloway, R., and Bebbington, P. (1987). The buffering theory of social support: A review of the literature.Psychol. Med. 17: 91–108.
Barrera, M. (1986). Distinctions between social support concepts, measures, and models.Am. J. Commun. Psychol. 14: 413–445.
Beardslee, W. R. (1986). The need for the study of adaptation in the children of parents with affective disorders. In Rutter, M., Izard, C. E., and Read, P. B. (eds.),Depression in Young People: Developmental and Clinical Perspectives, Guilford, New York, pp. 189–204.
Bell, D. (ed.) (1989).Children's Social Networks and Social Supports, Wiley, New York.
Berndt, T. J., and Ladd, G. W. (eds.) (1989).Peer Relationships in Child Development, Wiley, New York.
Boren, H. A. (1985). Adolescent adjustment to amputation necessitated by bone cancer.Orthoped. Nurs. 4: 30–32.
Bruhn, J. G., and Phillips, B. U. (1987). A developmental basis for social support.J. Behav. Med. 10: 213–229.
Carey, M. P., Faulstich M. E., Gresham, F. M., Ruggiero, L., and Enyart, P. (1987). Children's Depression Inventory: Construct and discriminate validity across clinical and nonreferred (control) populations.J. Consult. Clin. Psychol. 55: 755–761.
Cauce, A. M., Felder, R. D., and Primavera, J. (1982). Social support in high-risk adolescents: Structural components and adaptive impact.Am. J. Commun. Psychol. 10: 417–428.
Cohen, J., and Cohen, P. (1983).Applied Multiple Regression/Correlation Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences, Erlbaum, Hillsdale, N.J.
Cohen, S., and Wills, T. A. (1985). Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis.Psychol. Bull. 98: 310–357.
Eisenberg, N. (ed.) (1987).Contemporary Topics in Developmental Psychology, Wiley, New York.
Greenberg, M. T., Siegel, J. M., and Leitch, C. J. (1983). The nature and importance of attachment relationships to parents and peers during adolescence.J. Youth Adoles. 12: 373–386.
Harter, S. (1985a).Manual for the Self-Perception Profile for Children, University of Denver, Denver, CO.
Harter, S. (1985b).Manual for the Social Support Scale for Children, University of Denver, Denver, CO.
Heller, K., Swindle, R. W., and Dusenburg, L. (1986). Component social support process: Comments and integration.J. Consult. Clin. Psychol. 54: 466–470.
Henker, F. O. (1979). Body-image conflict following trauma and surgery.Psychosomatics 20: 812–820.
Hollingshead, A. B. (1975).Four Factor Index of Social Status, Yale University, New Haven, CT.
Kashani, J. H., Frank, R. G., Kashani, S. R., Wonderlich, S. A., and Reid, J. C. (1983). Depression among amputees.J. Clin. Psychiat. 44: 256–258.
Kovacs, M. (1983). The Children's Depression Inventory: A self rated depression scale for school-age youngsters, Unpublished manuscript, University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, Pittsburgh.
Kovacs, M. (1985). The children's depression inventory.Psychopharmacol. Bull. 21: 995–998.
Lazarus, R. S., and Folkman, S. (1984).Stress, Appraisal, and Coping, Springer, New York.
Papay, J. P., and Spielberger, C. D. (1986). Assessment of anxiety and achievement in kindergarten and first-and second-grade children.J. Abnorm. Child Psychol. 14: 279–286.
Pearlin, L. I., Lieberman, M. A., Menaghan, E. G., and Mullan, J. T. (1981). The stress process.J. Health Soc. Behav. 22: 337–356.
Procidano, M. E., and Heller, K. (1983). Measures of perceived social support from friends and from family: Three validation studies.Am. J. Commun. Psychol. 11: 1–24.
Sandler, I. N. (1980). Social support, resources, stress, and maladjustment of poor children.Am. J. Commun. Psychol. 8: 41–52.
Sandler, I. N., Miller, P., Short, J., and Wolchik, S. A. (1989). Social support as a protective factor for children in stress. In Bell, D. (ed.),Children's Social Networks and Social Supports, Wiley, New York.
Sarason, B. R., Shearin, E. N., Pierce, G. R., and Sarason, I. G. (1987). Interrelations of social support measures: Theoretical and practical implications.J. Personal Soc. Psychol. 52: 813–832.
Saylor, C. F., Finch, A. J., Spirito, A., and Bennett, B. (1984). The Children's Depression Inventory: A systematic evaluation of psychometric properties.J. Consult. Clin. Psychol. 52: 955–967.
Setoguchi, Y., and Rosenfelder, R. (1982).The Limb Deficient Child, Thomas, Springfield, IL.
Shukla, G. D., Sahu, S. C., Tripathi, R. P., and Gupta, D. K. (1982). A psychiatric study of amputees.Br. J. Psychiat. 141: 50–53.
Smucker, M. R., Craighead, W. E., Craighead, L. W., and Green, B. J. (1986). Normative and reliability data for the Children's Depression Inventory.J. Abnorm. Child Psychol. 14: 25–39.
Spielberger, C. D. (1973).State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children: Preliminary Manual, Consulting Psychologists Press, Palo Alto, CA.
Thoits, P. A. (1986). Social support as coping assistance.J. Consult. Clin. Psychol. 54: 416–423.
Varni, J. W. (1987, August).Stress, moderator variables, and psychological adaptation in pediatric chronic disorders. Invited address presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Association, New York.
Varni, J. W., and Setoguchi, Y. (1991). Psychosocial factors in the management of children with limb deficiencies.Phys. Med. Rehab. Clin. N. Am. 2: 395–404.
Varni, J. W., Wilcox, K. T., and Hanson, V. (1988). Mediating effects of family social support on child psychological adjustment in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.Health Psychol. 7: 421–431.
Varni, J. W., Babani, L., Wallander, J. L., Roe, T. F., and Frasier, S. D. (1989a). Social support and self-esteem effects on psychological adjustment in children and adolescents with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.Child Family Behav. Ther. 11: 1–17.
Varni, J. W., Rubenfeld, L. A., Talbot, D., and Setoguchi, Y. (1989b). Determinants of self-esteem in children with congenital/acquired limb deficiencies.J. Dev. Behav. Pediat. 10: 13–16.
Varni, J. W., Rubenfeld, L. A., Talbot, D., and Setoguchi, Y. (1989c). Family functioning, temperament, and psychological adaptation in children with congenital or acquired limb deficiencies.Pediatrics 84: 323–330.
Varni, J. W., Rubenfeld, L. A., Talbot, D., and Setoguchi, Y. (1989d). Stress, social support, and depressive symptomatology in children with congenital/acquired limb deficiencies.J. Pediat. Psychol. 14: 515–530.
Walker, L. S., and Green, J. W. (1987). Negative life events, psychological resources, and psychophysiological symptoms in adolescents.J. Clin. Child Psychol. 16: 29–36.
Wallander, J. L., and Varni, J. W. (1989). Social support and adjustment in chronically ill and handicapped children.Am. J. Commun. Psychol. 17: 185–201.
Wallander, J. L., Varni, J. W., Babani, L., Banis, H. T., and Wilcox, K. T. (1988). Children with chronic physical disorders: Maternal reports of their psychological adjustment.J. Pediat. Psychol. 13: 197–212.
Wallander, J. L., Feldman, W., and Varni, J. W. (1989a). Physical status and psychosocial adjustment in children with spina bifida.J. Pediat. Psychol. 14: 89–102.
Wallander, J. L., Varni, J. W., Babani, L., Banis, H. T., DeHaan, C. B., and Wilcox, K. T. (1989b). Disability parameters, chronic strain, and adaptation of physically handicapped children and their mothers.J. Pediat. Psychol. 14: 23–42.
Wolchik, S. A., Sandler, I. R., and Braver, S. L. (1987). Social support: Its assessment and relation to children's adjustment. In Eisenberg, N. (ed.),Contemporary Topics in Developmental Psychology, Wiley, New York.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This research was supported by grants from the Shriners Hospitals for Crippled Children Research Fund and the Milo B. Brooks Foundation for Limb Deficient Children.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Varni, J.W., Setoguchi, Y., Rappaport, L.R. et al. Psychological adjustment and perceived social support in children with congenital/acquired limb deficiencies. J Behav Med 15, 31–44 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00848376
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00848376