Psychological adjustment and perceived social support in children with congenital/acquired limb deficiencies

The negative impact on psychological adjustment from the chronic strain of living with limb deficiencies appears to be mediated by perceived social support. A multifactorial investigation was conducted to identify empirically psychological adjustment correlates of perceived social support in 49 children with congenital/acquired limb deficiencies. A multiplicity of adjustment factors (depression, trait anxiety, self-esteem) was variously related to perceived parent, teacher, classmate, and friend social support. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses provide initial evidence of the potentially powerful effects of the social environment of the school setting, with perceived classmate social support the only significant predictor variable across depressive symptomatology, trait anxiety, and general self-esteem. The results are discussed as the first step in identifying the potential correlates of multiple perceived social support domains, which may provide empirical guidance for future intervention studies designed to modify adjustment factors in chronically ill and handicapped children.This research was supported by grants from the Shriners Hospitals for Crippled Children Research Fund and the Milo B. Brooks Foundation for Limb Deficient Children.