Internalizing and externalizing behaviors in chronically ill adolescents in the context of family system functioning

Marta Bogdanowicz , Agnieszka Trawicka , Aleksandra Lewandowska-Walter , Lidia Woźniak-Mielczarek , Dorota Janikowska-Hołoweńko , Magdalena Bilicka-Siewert

Abstract

Diagnosis of chronic illness, which constitutes a  lifethreatening situation such as in Marfan syndrome or disease with periods of remission and severity such as in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), leads to problems with the functioning of the adolescent and the whole family system. Therefore the aim of the study was to determine the differences in severity of internalizing and externalizing problems and in the perception of the family system between adolescents with Marfan syndrome, with JIA, and without chronic disease, as well as to determine whether characteristics of the family system are associated with externalizing and internalizing behaviors in those groups.