Severe Psychosomatic Illness in Children

Abstract

Observations of a pediatric ward's response to the repeated hospitaliza tion of an asthmatic child revealed a close parallel to the transactional pat terns described in families of children with psychosomatic illnesses. Char acteristics of such families include enmeshment, overprotectiveness, rigidity and resistance to change, lack of conflict resolution, and use of the child's sick role to relieve tension and discomfort within the family. In this article we have attempted to demonstrate the similarity of responses between these families and groups of hospital ward personnel. Resolution of the ward personnel's internal conflict was followed by changes in the coping abilities of the staff, with a successful outcome for a second child with a similar clinical condition.