A study of children's concepts of their internal bodies: a comparison of children with and without congenital heart disease.

This study examined the following: (1) the knowledge children with and without congenital heart disease have about their internal bodies, (2) the relationship of this knowledge with age, disease severity, and previous health care experiences, and (3) how the differences between beliefs about the interior body and the value assigned to specific body parts differed between children with congenital heart disease and their unaffected peers. One hundred participants, 50 with cardiac disease and 50 comparisons, between 5 and 15 years of age, completed the inside the Body Test; the severity of the conditions of the children with cardiac problems was evaluated with the Permanent Impairment Evaluation Guide. Results indicated that there were no differences between the 2 groups on knowledge of body parts, body-part function, nor the values that were assigned. Implications for practice are discussed.