Comparison of child adaptation to epilepsy and asthma.

Self-concept, home behavior and school behavior of 128 children with epilepsy and 126 children with asthma were measured in order to compare and contrast differences in psychosocial adaptation. Results indicated that children with epilepsy were experiencing significantly poorer psychosocial adaptation (p less than .001) in all three areas. An exploration of gender differences across groups indicated that girls were more at risk for the home behavior problems of depression, somatic complaints, social withdrawal and hyperactivity than boys. Clinical implications for interventions with these two populations are discussed.