Psychosocial Aspects of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) in Childhood and Adolescence: a Review

This paper reviews the literature on the psychological and social aspects of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) and discusses the clinical implications of its impact on children and their families. Sickle Cell Disease is a family of blood diseases including sickle cell anaemia (SS), SC disease (SC), and sickle B thalassaemia (SBThal). Research on the psychological and social aspects of SCD, particularly in the UK, has been limited and of varying methodological quality. The psychosocial adaptation of children and adolescents with SCD and their families has been associated with the personality and developmental stage of the child, family attitudes and behaviour, socioeconomic status, and social and environmental support. Concerns about the quality of interpersonal relationships within families have also led to investigations of family characteristics and social networks, and some research studies have pointed to different ways of coping associated with specific network and family structures.