PSYCHOSOCIAL-ASPECTS OF CHRONIC ILLNESS IN ADOLESCENTS WITH THALASSEMIA MAJOR

The present paper aims to evaluate the impact of chronic illness, i.e. thalassaemia major, on the psychological functioning and social behaviour of adolescent patients. Ninety thalassaemics and 100 healthy subjects of comparable age, sex and geographical background completed an ad hoc questionnaire designed to analyse the network of social relationships (family, friends, partner), the degree of social integration, different aspects of self-concept and the coping strategies used by adolescents when facing stressful situations. The results showed that thalassaemic adolescents have normal psychological and social development, score even better than their healthy peers in tests concerning self-esteem and in self-description, and use functional coping strategies. The study would seem to support the hypothesis that chronic illness does not necessarily imply psychopathologies, but can strengthen adolescents' resources, contrary to the traditional stereotype view of the chronic patient as one with a poor psychological and social profile.