Condition severity and psychosocial functioning in pre-adolescents with spina bifida: disentangling proximal functional status and distal adjustment outcomes

Abstract

Disentangling proximal functional status outcomes and distal adjustment outcomes is critical in studies of condition severity and psychosocial functioning. We discuss clinical implications.

Spina Bifida and Mobility in the Transition Years

“…Significant levels were set at 0.05 a priori. The groups were compared with respect to age using analysis of variance; with respect to body mass index using Kruskal-Wallis; and with respect to gender, race, functional motor level (which was divided as thoracic, lumbar, and sacral according to the work of Hommeyer et al 10 ), insurance type, and history of hydrocephalus using 2 analysis or exact statistics. Motor level and hydrocephalus were the only two factors found to be significantly related to mobility status.…”

Factors of biological risk and reserve associated with executive behaviors in children and adolescents with spina bifida myelomeningocele

“…It is recognized that examining the significance of interactions through multiple regression is problematic given the large number of biological risk factors being evaluated and the relatively small sample size. Therefore, the interaction effect was computed using a composite rating of overall "biological risk" that was based on a system previously developed by Hommeyer, Holmbeck, Wills, and Coers (1999). The biological risk composite calculated for the present study included the following parameters: 1) lesion level (1=sacral, 2=lumbar, 3=thoracic), 2) number of shunt revisions, 3) presence of seizures (0=no, 1=yes), 4) presence of shunt infection (0=no, 1=yes), 5) presence of Arnold-Chiari II malformation (0=no, 1=yes), and 6) number of oculomotor deficits recorded from the child's medical chart.…”

A Family Perspective: How this Product can Inform and Empower Families of Youth with Spina Bifida

“…Those with hydrocephalus often exhibit difficulties in certain areas of cognitive functioning and school performance (e.g., arithmetic, nonverbal cognitive skills; Fletcher & Dennis 2010). Such children are also more likely to exhibit attention and concentration difficulties in school settings and tend to score at the low end of the average range of intelligence (Fletcher & Dennis 2010; Holmbeck DeLucia et al in press; Hommeyer et al 1999). …”