ATTITUDE OF PARENTS AND CHILDREN WITH IDIOPATHIC SCOLIOSIS TO THE DISEASE
Objective. To analyze emotional features and attitude of parents having children with idiopathic scoliosis towards the child’s illness, and to determine the relationship between the parent’s attitude towards the child’s illness and children’s attitude towards their own disease. Material and Methods. The study involved 30 mothers of children with Grade III-IV scoliosis, 28 mothers of children with Grade I-II scoliosis, and their children aged 11-17. The control group included 30 mothers with relatively healthy children aged 11-17. Results. Mothers raising teenagers with severe spinal deformity have higher rates of reactive and personal anxiety. Emotional and behavioral reactions of anxiety, concern, and nervousness in different situations are typical for mothers of children suffering from idiopathic scoliosis and requiring complex surgical treatment. There was positive dependence between such parameters of parental attitude towards the child’s illness, as “control activity“, “nosognosia”, “anxiety”, “overall tension”, and parameters of children’s attitude towards their own illness, care and hospital stay as a whole in the group of mothers of children with severe scoliosis. Conclusion. There is a need for measures aimed at improving the interaction of the medical staff with patients’ parents, which may increase the level of awareness among parents on various aspects of the care process, and remove excessive emotional tension caused by the illness and by a view of complex treatment for a child. Hir. Pozvonoc. 2014;(2):29-35.