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Biomedical subjects

L S Walker

Publications and source records attributed to L S Walker.

47 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Recurrent abdominal pain in children: psychiatric diagnoses and parental psychopathology.

Approximately 12% of children report recurrent episodes of abdominal pain. In only about 10% of these cases, however, can an organic etiology be identified, and therefore it often is assumed that these children have emotional problems. To test this hypothesis, children with recurrent abdominal pain (RAP) with no identifiable organic cause were compared to children with an organic diagnosis for their abdominal pain, children with psychiatric disorders, and healthy controls. Both groups of children with abdominal pain had significantly more psychiatric disorders (predominantly anxiety and depression) than did the healthy group. Both RAP and psychiatric children had significantly higher Child Behavior Checklist internalizing scores; psychiatric children were rated as significantly more maladjusted on the Children's Global Assessment Scale. Mothers of RAP children were significantly more anxious than mothers of organic pain and healthy children. Psychiatric children were significantly more likely than the other three groups to underreport their psychiatric symptoms relative to their mothers.

Abdominal Pain↗
PubMed1989

Children with recurrent abdominal pain and their parents: more somatic complaints, anxiety, and depression than other patient families?

Patients presenting with abdominal pain were classified into two groups: the recurrent abdominal pain (RAP) group (n = 41), consisting of patients without identifiable organic etiology for abdominal pain, and the organic group (n = 28), consisting of patients with organic findings (primarily ulcer-related conditions). A control group of well patients (n = 41) also participated. RAP and organic patients had higher anxiety, depression, and somatic complaints than well patients, but did not differ from each other. Anxiety, depression, and somatization were greater in RAP mothers than well mothers. Father symptomatology did not differ for the groups. Results suggest that psychological distress does not discriminate between patients with and without identifiable organic etiology for abdominal pain. The high levels of anxiety and depression in RAP and organic patients suggest that they should be targeted in efforts to address "the new hidden morbidity" in pediatrics.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1989

The role of maternal employment and depression in the psychological adjustment of chronically ill, mentally retarded, and well children.

Used path analysis to test a conceptual model of the relationship among maternal employment status, maternal depression, and reported child behavior problems. Ss were 95 mothers of children in 4 conditions: cystic fibrosis, diabetes, mental retardation, and well. Regardless of child chronic condition or family SES, mothers not employed outside the home had higher levels of depression than employed mothers. Maternal depression, in turn, was associated with higher levels of reported child behavior problems. Controlling for SES and maternal depression, mental retardation was associated with more child behavior problems, but chronic illness (cystic fibrosis and diabetes) was not associated with more behavior problems. The findings underscore the need to examine the adjustment of children with chronic disorders in the context of their mothers' well-being, particularly when mothers are the principal informants regarding child adjustment.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1988

Functional somatic complaints in adolescents: relationship to negative life events, self-concept, and family characteristics.

While recurrent somatic complaints are commonly encountered in children and adolescents, occult organic disease is rarely found in patients with these complaints. Recent studies have confirmed the clinical impression that a relationship exists between functional somatic complaints and negative life events in adolescents. Our goal was to investigate additional psychosocial characteristics that may be associated with functional complaints. One hundred fifteen adolescents coming for the first time to an adolescent medicine clinic completed standard measures of negative life events, psychophysiologic symptoms, self-esteem, peer social comparison, and family functioning before an independent evaluation by a physician. Patients with functional somatic complaints (chest pain, recurrent abdominal pain, limb pain, and hyperventilation syndrome) reported significantly more negative life events, lower self-esteem, more psychophysiologic symptoms and a lower self-evaluation than did patients coming for physical examination or routine health maintenance. Functional somatic complaints in adolescents may be associated with poor psychosocial adjustment and reaction to negative life events. In addition to ruling out organic disease, physicians dealing with these patients should evaluate other areas, including stressful life events, peer relations, and self-esteem.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Functional illness and family functioning: a comparison of healthy and somaticizing adolescents.

This study examined the usefulness of the Circumplex Model of Marital and Family Functioning for discriminating between families of healthy adolescents and families of adolescents with functional somatic complaints. The findings did not support the expected curvilinear relationship between symptomatology and the FACES II family dimensions of cohesion and adaptability. Questions are raised regarding the degree of correspondence between the constructs of enmeshment and rigidity as assessed clinically and as measured by the Circumplex Model.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1987

Cystic fibrosis and family stress: effects of age and severity of illness.

Stress and adjustment in mothers of children with cystic fibrosis was compared with that in a control group of mothers of healthy children. Mothers of children in four age groups were included: preschool, middle childhood, early adolescence, and late adolescence. Mothers of children with cystic fibrosis did not report significantly higher levels of stress than did the control group mothers; nor did they report greater feelings of inadequacy as parents. However, mothers of children with cystic fibrosis in two age groups, preschool and early adolescence, scored higher on a measure of depression than did mothers of healthy children in the same age groups. The relationship of illness severity to maternal stress and adjustment was examined in the cystic fibrosis group. The mother's subjective rating of the child's illness severity was a better indicator of her reported stress than was the Schwachman clinical rating. It appears that many mothers are able to adapt to the presence of cystic fibrosis in the family, although certain periods in the child's life and perceived increases in illness severity are associated with increased maternal distress.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Stressful life events and somatic complaints in adolescents.

Although life stress has often been associated with recurrent pain in children and adolescents, level of stress has not previously been found useful in differentiating patients with functional pain from those in whom other conditions are diagnosed. In this study, a standard measure of stressful life events was systematically administered to 172 adolescents seen for the first time at an outpatient adolescent clinic. Patients with recurrent pain for which no organic etiology could be identified reported significantly higher life stress than patients being seen for routine checkup, acute minor illness, stable chronic illness, or pain with clinically diagnosed organic cause. Furthermore, patients referred for behavior problems indicated significantly higher life stress than all other patient groups. It is suggested that a measure of stressful life events may be a useful adjunct to the clinical interview and is of particular value in identifying specific stressors and planning treatment to address them.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1976

Self-disclosure in friendship.

An experimental investigation of the influence of self-disclosure on friendship was conducted by manipulating the level of self-disclosure. 65 same-sex pairs were randomly assigned to one of three treatment conditions, intimate self-disclosure, nonintimate self-disclosure and control (no disclosure); the treatment conditions were independently verified by judges' ratings. One member of each pair was randomly selected as the confederate or first speaker and was provided with a list of 7 conversation topics. There were no lists provided in the control condition. The dependent variable, level of friendship as measured by the Acquaintance Description Form (Wright, 1969), was rated before and after Ss engaged in self-disclosure, and the influence of the experimental conditions on friendship scores was assessed by analyses of covariance. The results showed that the general level of friendship increased as a function of intimate and nonintimate self-disclosure; however, intimate disclosure produced greater increases in friendship than nonintimate disclosure. The unique influence of self-disclosure on male friendship patterns is discussed.

Female↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Children's perceptions of peers with somatic symptoms: the impact of gender, stress, and illness.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate how illness characteristics influence children's responses to ill peers. METHODS: A sample of 363 4th and 5th graders responded to a vignette describing a peer with abdominal pain. In a 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 design, conditions varied by (a) evidence for organic disease, (b) presence of stress, (c) sex of vignette character, and (d) sex of respondent. Children rated symptom severity, liking for the peer, and whether the peer should be excused from normal responsibilities. RESULTS: Same sex preferences significantly influenced children's liking for a peer. Children viewed symptoms with an organic etiology as more severe than those without one. Under certain conditions, symptom severity judgments mediated the relation between the presence of organic disease and (a) liking and (b) granting relief from responsibility. The presence of stress had little effect on ratings of symptom severity, liking, or relief from responsibility. CONCLUSIONS: Gender and evidence of organic disease influence children's perceptions of and responses to symptomatic peers.

Abdominal Pain↗