Survey of psychosocial problems in thalassemic children and their siblings

Beta-thalessemia is a chronic disease that can cause psychosocial problems in patients and their sibling. The purpose of this study was to determine psychosocial problems of thalassemic children and their sibling and compare them with control group.

This is a discriptive commparative study that conducted by structrual interview and PSC check list. The sample size was 572 children that 167 of them were thalassemic children between 4 to 16 years Old, and 166 of their sibling without chronic diseases in same age group and 239 of healthy children in similar age as compare group. The collected data were analysized with descreptive and analytic Ststistics by χ2, ANOVA and t-test.

Among all children, 20.4% of thalassemic, 12% of their healthy sibling and 7.9% of healthy children had psychosocial problems and these difference were significant.

Whether thalassemic children have psychosocial problems their sibling who live with them have more psychosocial problems than healthy children So due to this finding it is better in care plans to pay special attention to the sibling of thalesmic patients.