Clinical Severity, Personality Characteristics and Maternal Attitudes in Hemophiliac Children
The interrelationships of severity of hemophilia, personality characteristics, and maternal attitudes were evaluated in 21 hemophiliac boys and 17 of their mothers. The 8 to 11 year old boys were given the Children’s Personality Questionnaire and those between 12 and 18, the Junior-Senior High School Personality Questionnaire. The mothers were administered the Mother-Child Relationship Evaluation which measured maternal attitudes of four scales; Acceptance (A), Overprotection (OP), Overindulgence (OI), and Rejection (R).Results were analyzed by comparing children with Factor VIII levels >1% (N=10) to those whose levels were <1% (N=ll) as determined on more than one occasion. There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of personality characteristics or maternal attitudes.Results were also analyzed by comparing those children (N=6) who had accepting mothers (A> 60, OI < 30, OP < 30, R < 30) with those of non-accepting mothers (N=ll). The children of the non-accepting mothers (mean Factor VIII levels 3.0%) were significantly more sober (P<.02), and internally restrained (P <.01) and tended to be less intelligent and less emotionally stable than the children of accepting mothers (mean Factor VIII level 1.5%).These findings suggest that personality characteristics may be more closely related to maternal attitudes than severity of disease. Future studies should identify and focus on determinants of maternal attitudes.