Differentielle Unterschiede in der Krankheitsbewältigung von Familienmitgliedern in Familien mit chronisch kranken Jugendlichen

Abstract

Different perceptions of family coping among members of families with a chronically ill adolescent

Chronic illness in adolescents affects the entire family despite the fact that adolescents demonstrate increasing self-reliance in the management of their disease. The objective of the present study is an analysis of family coping styles. The sample consists of 52 families with an adolescent diabetic child. Data obtained by a family interview cover a period of 3 years. The statistical analysis relies on repeated measure MANOVAs with respondent and gender as independent factors, and on cross-informant intercorrelations. The results indicate that with increasing age of the adolescent family coping scores become less useful in evaluating family coping behavior. There is a growing gap between the ways parents and adolescents perceive family coping attempts. Moreover, mothers and fathers show increasing differences in their respective perception of family coping over time. Compared to fathers, mothers consistently report higher family coping activities.