[Psychological Health of Children with Chronic Physical Illness and their Parents - Results from Meta-Analyses].

Psychological Health of Children with Chronic Physical Illness and their Parents - Results from Meta-Analyses The present paper summarizes results from meta-analyses on psychological well-being of children with chronic physical illnesses and their parents. At the beginning, we discuss potential reasons for psychological effects of a chronic physical illness on children and adolescents as well as their parents. We then summarize results of meta-analyses of studies that compared aspects of mental health of children with a chronic physical illness and their parents with families of healthy children. Depressive symptoms, anxiety, and internalizing symptoms in general were most elevated in children with chronic fatigue syndrome and chronic headache while externalizing symptoms were most elevated in young people with epilepsy, chronic headache, and cerebral palsy. Depression and anxiety was less elevated in the ill children than in their parents. Parents of children with HIV-infection/AIDS and cerebral palsy reported the highest levels of distress, followed by parents of children diagnosed with cancer and spina bifida. Conclusions are drawn for future research and practice.