Date of Award

1997

Degree Name

Psychology

College

College of Liberal Arts

Type of Degree

M.A.

Document Type

Thesis

First Advisor

Marianna Footz

Second Advisor

Marc A. Lindley

Third Advisor

Pamela Mulder

Abstract

The study compares the differences in social interaction and play styles among children with chronic illness to those of well children. The sample consists of 34 children between the ages of three and five years. Subjects were recruited from local Head Start centers and outpatient clinics and participated on a volunteer basis. Seven subjects included children who had been diagnosed with some type of chronic illness (e.g. asthma, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, or spina bifida). The remaining twenty-seven subjects were children who had never been diagnosed with a chronic illness. Parents of all children completed questionnaires investigating variations that exist among the sample groups in the following areas: play preferences, activity type, and limitations present during play time. Attitude, initiation of play, and conflict resolution were also examined. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for children's development.

Subject(s)

Social interaction in children.

Play assessment (Child psychology)

Chronically ill children.

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