Author Identifier
Esther Adama
ORCID : 0000-0002-7771-2722
Diana Arabiat
ORCID : 0000-0003-2325-0398
Mandie Foster
ORCID : 0000-0002-3100-0885
Ebenezer Afrifa-Yamoah
ORCID : 0000-0003-1741-9249
Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Title
International Journal of Inclusive Education
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
School
School of Nursing and Midwifery / School of Science
RAS ID
32884
Funders
Edith Cowan University - Open Access Support Scheme 2021
Telethon Kids Institute
National Health and Medical Research Council
Grant Number
NHMRC Number : 1148793
Abstract
Living with a long-term medical condition is associated with heightened risk for mental health and psychosocial difficulties, but further research is required on this risk for children and adolescents with a rare disease in the educational setting. The aim of this study is to describe parents’ perceptions of the psychosocial impact of rare diseases on their school-aged children in Western Australia. A cross-sectional survey of 41 parents of school-aged children and adolescents diagnosed with a rare disease completed an online questionnaire. Questions related to their perceptions of health-related stigma, bullying, social competencies and mental health difficulties faced by their child. Results showed that stigmatisation was experienced by 75.6% of participants, and almost half (46.4%) reported their child was bullied. In this sample, parents reported high sensory (vision and hearing) abilities, but low to moderate self-care competence in relation to social activities and peer relations. Almost half of the respondents (43.9%) reported mental health difficulties among their children. Children and adolescents with a rare disease have unique psychological and social issues. These findings highlight the need for greater efforts to meet the diverse psychosocial, physical and emotional needs of children diagnosed with a rare disease who attend mainstream schools in Western Australia.
DOI
10.1080/13603116.2021.1888323
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Comments
Adama, E. A., Arabiat, D., Foster, M. J., Afrifa-Yamoah, E., Runions, K., Vithiatharan, R., & Lin, A. (2021). The psychosocial impact of rare diseases among children and adolescents attending mainstream schools in Western Australia. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 27(12), 1273-1286. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2021.1888323