Pediatric Compliance and the Roles of Distinct Treatment Characteristics, Treatment Attitudes, and Family Stress

Abstract

Much research and clinical practice derives from the assumption that there is a set of psychological-social variables that commonly influence medical (non)compliance. This assumption may lead to overly general strategies for managing specific illnesses in children with chronic illness. With this concern in mind, a study was made of health provider ratings of compliance, treatment attitudes, and illness-related family stress for three pediatric cohorts (N = 75, ages 8 to 20 years): boys with hemophilia (n = 31), sickle cell disease (n = 22), or asthma (n = 22). Between-group differences were found on compliance and treatment attitudes (p < .05), with patients with sickle cell demonstrating greater treatment cooperation than their counterparts and boys with hemophilia expressing more positive outlooks on medical advice and about health outcomes (Newman-Keuls test, p < .05). Positive treatment attitudes were associated with specific compliance behaviors for boys with hemophilia (p < .045) but not for other groups.