PEDIATRICS Vol. 60 No. 4 October 1977, pp. 609-615
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow P3Rs: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when P3Rs are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Boyce, W. T.
Right arrow Articles by Ramey, C. T.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Boyce, W. T.
Right arrow Articles by Ramey, C. T.

Influence of Life Events and Family Routines on Childhood Respiratory Tract Illness

W. Thomas Boyce M.D.1, Eric W. Jensen M.D.1, John C. Cassel M.D., M.P.H.1, Albert M. Collier M.D.1, Allan H. Smith B.Sc., B.Med.Sc., M.B.ChB.1, and Craig T. Ramey Ph.D.1

1 Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program, the Departments of Epidemiology and Pediatrics, and the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Respiratory illnesses account for nearly two thirds of the total illness in a community,1 account for as much as 40% of the problems seen in a pediatric practice,2,3 and are responsible for over one third of school absences.4 Despite major advances in the microbiology of respiratory disease, why and how a child becomes ill remain poorly understood. In over half of respiratory illnesses, complete cultures fail to yield an etiologic agent.5 Conversely, 30% of a school-age population can harbor group A streptococci without developing symptoms,6 three quarters of preschool children infected with Mycoplasma pneumoniae remain asymptomatic,7 and as many as 42% of upper respiratory tract cultures from well children yield pneumococci.8 Furthermore, there is no satisfactory explanation for the observation that certain children are predisposed to more frequent or more severe respiratory illnesses.9

The limited ability of microbiologic data to account for clinical experience has increased interest in studying the influence of social factors upon childhood disease. The family is undoubtedly the most important social context in which illness occurs, and many studies have documented the link between pediatric disease and family dynamics.10-18 Meyer and Haggerty reported a strong relationship between patterns of streptococcal illness and the degree of chronic family stress.19 Another group of observers found an accumulation of major family life events in the year preceding general pediatric hospitalizations.20 Others have demonstrated the prevalence of psychosocial problems in the families of children with repeated accidents and ingestions of poisons.21,22 There has, however, been little study of the general relationship between social environment and respiratory illness in children.

Submitted on August 2, 1976
Accepted on October 8, 1976




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 J Pediatr PsycholHome page
L. Greening, L. Stoppelbein, C. Konishi, S. S. Jordan, and G. Moll
Child Routines and Youths' Adherence to Treatment for Type 1 Diabetes
J. Pediatr. Psychol., May 1, 2007; 32(4): 437 - 447.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Health (London)Home page
K. Rudestam, P. Brown, C. Zarcadoolas, and C. Mansell
Children's Asthma Experience and the Importance of Place
Health (London) , October 1, 2004; 8(4): 423 - 444.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 Journal of Family NursingHome page
S. A. Denham
Relationships between Family Rituals, Family Routines, and Health
Journal of Family Nursing, August 1, 2003; 9(3): 305 - 330.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 Psychosom. Med.Home page
L. Musante, F. A. Treiber, G. Kapuku, D. Moore, H. Davis, and W. B. Strong
The Effects of Life Events on Cardiovascular Reactivity to Behavioral Stressors As a Function of Socioeconomic Status, Ethnicity, and Sex
Psychosom Med, December 1, 2000; 62(6): 760 - 767.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J Pediatr PsycholHome page
S. Markson and B. H. Fiese
Family Rituals as a Protective Factor for Children With Asthma
J. Pediatr. Psychol., October 1, 2000; 25(7): 471 - 480.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Journal of Early InterventionHome page
C. J. Dunst, D. Hamby, C. M. Trivette, M. Raab, and M. B. Bruder
Everyday Family and Community Life and Children's Naturally Occurring Learning Opportunities
Journal of Early Intervention, January 1, 2000; 23(3): 151 - 164.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
C. M. Weil, S. L. Wade, L. J. Bauman, H. Lynn, H. Mitchell, and J. Lavigne
The Relationship Between Psychosocial Factors and Asthma Morbidity in Inner-City Children With Asthma
Pediatrics, December 1, 1999; 104(6): 1274 - 1280.
[Abstract] [Full Text]

Home page
 Psychosom. Med.Home page
D. G. Dyck, R. Short, and P. P. Vitaliano
Predictors of Burden and Infectious Illness in Schizophrenia Caregivers
Psychosom Med, July 1, 1999; 61(4): 411 - 419.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Journal of Family NursingHome page
S. A. Denham
Part I: The Definition and Practice of Family Health
Journal of Family Nursing, May 1, 1999; 5(2): 133 - 159.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 Psychosom. Med.Home page
S. Cohen, W. J. Doyle, and D. P. Skoner
Psychological Stress, Cytokine Production, and Severity of Upper Respiratory Illness
Psychosom Med, March 1, 1999; 61(2): 175 - 180.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 West J Nurs ResHome page
B. Keltner, N. L. Keltner, E. Farren, S. M. H. Hanson, and N. L. R. Anderson
Family Routines and Conduct Disorders in Adolescent Girls
West J Nurs Res, April 1, 1990; 12(2): 161 - 174.
[PDF]