Abstract

RODRIGUEZ GUTIERREZ, Armando Yosbel. Psychological characterization of schoolchildren suffering from Celiac disease. Rev Ciencias Médicas [online]. 2013, vol.17, n.3, pp.102-111. ISSN 1561-3194.

Introduction: celiac disease is a chronic gastrointestinal condition characterized by a permanent intolerance of gluten proteins. Objective: to characterize schoolchildren psychologically (6-10 years, 11 months and 29 days old) suffering from celiac disease, considering a list of socio-demographic features in this population. Material and Method: a study having a non experimental, cross-sectional and descriptive design which comprised 11 schoolchildren suffering from celiac disease in Pinar del Rio Province taking the period of June 2010 to March 2012. Results: the majority of celiac schoolchildren reside in rural zones, male sex and Caucasian race prevailed; the highest percentage was diagnosed after the two years old. They presented difficulties in the learning area; Intelligence Quotient (IQ) mainly in verbal and general scales, constituting the simple and complex sustained attention along with the estimation of time were the major difficulties found in these patients. Conclusions: psychological alterations were expressed in high levels of anxiety and fears, feelings of sadness together with abandonment, with low levels of tolerance to frustration, fears, and some patients made repeated references to physical punishments. At the same time they were emotionally oversensitive, shy and irritable. Most of them showed difficulties to follow the treatment based on a strict-food diet, a very essential element to the control of this disease and the quality of life for these children.

Keywords : Celiac disease [psychology]; Gastrointestinal diseases.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )