Shagena M M, Sandler H K, Perrin E C
Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37203.
J Dev Behav Pediatr. 1988 Oct;9(5):252-6.
Healthy children, children with seizure disorders, and children with orthopedic conditions, ranging in age from 5 to 16 years old, were questioned about their knowledge of disease etiology, treatment, and prevention, and their health locus of control beliefs, to explore the relationship between illness-related concept attainment and perceived control over health. Children who perceived greater personal control over health demonstrated a more sophisticated conceptual understanding of disease than did children with a more external orientation. Healthy children scored significantly higher on the illness concepts questions and expressed significantly more internal health locus of control beliefs than did their peers with a chronic physical illness. Perceived control over health appears to be one factor that mediates the relationship between illness experience and understanding.
研究人员询问了年龄在5至16岁之间的健康儿童、患有癫痫症的儿童以及患有骨科疾病的儿童，了解他们对疾病病因、治疗和预防的认识，以及他们对健康控制点的信念，以探讨与疾病相关的概念理解与感知到的健康控制之间的关系。与具有更外部导向的儿童相比，那些认为自己对健康有更大个人控制权的儿童对疾病表现出更复杂的概念理解。在疾病概念问题上，健康儿童的得分显著更高，并且与患有慢性身体疾病的同龄人相比，他们表达出更多的内部控制点信念。对健康的感知控制似乎是调节疾病经历与理解之间关系的一个因素。
