Children with liver disease: maternal reports of their adjustment and the influence of disease severity on outcomes

Mothers of 45 children with a liver disease (biliary atresia) completed a questionnaire concerned with their child's health status and psychological adjustment. Emotional and behavioural problems were found to be common; 46% of children under 5 and 43% over 5 years of age scored above the cut-off on standardized measures of adjustment. Maternal mental health difficulties were present in 36% of the sample. The study examined factors that predicted child adjustment, results indicating that maternal perceptions of severity accounted for 40% of the variance in children's psychological adjustment. Neither maternal mental health, nor objective parameters of the child's health status contributed significantly to child adjustment. The findings are discussed in terms of Wallander's model of adaptation to chronic disease and the practical implications for clinical practice are discussed.