COGNITIVE ADAPTATION AND THE SCHOOLAGER WITH ASTHMA.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the interrelationships among the themes of Taylor's (1983) Cognitive Adaptation Theory for schoolagers with asthma. In addition, the influence of Taylor's (1983) themes on the children's social behavior was also tested. The three themes of Taylor's (1983) theory included A Search for Meaning, Restoration of Self-Esteem, and Gaining a Sense of Self-Mastery. Two components of A Search for Meaning included the Impact of Disease and the Cause of Disease. Relating Behaviors-Cooperating Behaviors was the index of social behavior. Forty-five Caucasian children between the ages of seven and ten years who had a diagnosis of asthma and did not have any mental disability were the convenient sample. Data were collected in the children's homes. Three questionnaires and two interviews were used to measure Taylor's (1983) themes and Relating Behaviors-Cooperating Behaviors. Descriptive statistics were used to answer the research questions and provide additional findings related to the conceptual framework. Two relationships among Taylor's (1983) themes were significant (p ≤ .05). Children who reported greater impact of asthma upon their lives (Impact of Disease) reported lower self-esteem (Restoration of Self-Esteem). Children who reported greater impact of asthma upon their lives (Impact of Disease) also reported a lesser internal locus of control orientation (Gaining a Sense of Self-Mastery). The Cause of Disease was the only concept which correlated significantly with Relating Behaviors-Cooperating Behaviors and thus, influenced this concept. Children who named a cause for their asthma reported more relating and cooperating skills. The Cause of Disease explained 6.5% of the variance for Relating Behaviors-Cooperating Behaviors. Characteristics of the children's asthma condition and their families were significantly related to the themes of Taylor's (1983) theory and Relating Behaviors-Cooperating Behaviors. Developmental differences were found from age group analyses. The classification of the children's responses for the cause of asthma and reliability and validity estimation for the HIIS were also reported. Five potential sources of error which may have affected the findings included design, instrument, subject, investigator, and specification errors. Suggestions for future research with the conceptual framework were discussed.