Some psychosocial aspects of nonlethal chondrodysplasias: II. Depression and anxiety.

Individuals with chondrodysplasias may have disproportionate short stature and in some cases a distinctive facial appearance. These physical signs have the potential of affecting parent-child interactions and those of the dwarfed person with broader society. Depression and anxiety are two psychological symptoms with potential for a major impact on a person's functioning within society. In this study depression and anxiety were assessed using the Beck Depression Inventories and the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventories. While in general depression did not appear more likely in dwarfs than in the general population, comparison of adult patients with their unaffected sibs did raise some concern. Also, having an unaffected parent or spouse appeared to be associated with higher depression scores. Adult trait anxiety levels appeared higher, especially among women, than normally expected in the general population and when compared with their unaffected sibs.