Abstract
It is well known that the basis of positive self-esteem is a healthy body image. Treatment, with now available growth hormone, may also have psychological implications. We studied children with extreme short stature, 6 achondroplastic children and adolescents (ACH-I) (mean height±SEM 119.8±3.7 before and 128±4.5 cm after operation), who were hospitalized for leg-lengthening precedure (modification of Wagner's technique) and 6 (ACH-II) who were operated years before (mean height 138±4.2 cm), as well as a control group with normal height and growth rate (mean 139.3±6 cm). All patients and parents were interviewed. Body image was assessed using Fisher's draw-a-person test and Jourard-Secord's body cathexis test. The figure height in draw-a-person test was 7.7±3.3 cm before and 11.3±2.4 after the operation for ACH-I, 17.8±2.9 for ACH-II, and 23.9±2.2 for the control group. The mean body disturbance score was 4±0.86 in the ACH-I and 2.2±0.58 in the ACH-II. The lowest score was observed in the control group. The total body cathexis score was not different in the three groups. However, negative body cathexis was seen for some body parts in ACH-I.
Conclusion: ACH children show a certain improvement of their disturbed body image after the operation. The tests used are simple to perform, with no language limitation and give important information on the success of the treatment.
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Fenning, S., Ganel, A., Fenning, S. et al. 64 THE IMPORTANCE OF BODY IMAGE TESTING IN SHORT STATURE CHILDREN UNDERGOING CHANGE IN HEIGHT. Pediatr Res 24, 527 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198810000-00085
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198810000-00085