ANXIETY AND INTRAFAMILIAL STRESS IN CHILDREN WITH HEMOPHILIA AFTER THE HIV CRISIS

Objective: The 12-month prevalence of DSM-III-R anxiety disorders and intrafamilial stress ratings were determined in 23 children with hemophilia, 37 children with asthma, and 31 healthy children. Method: Diagnoses were made using the parent and child versions of the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (K-SADS), and intrafamilial stress ratings were obtained using the Index of Family Relations (IFR). Results: HIV-positive boys with hemophilia had significantly higher rates of anxiety disorders than did the other comparison groups (p = 0.05), mainly owing to a high rate of separation anxiety disorder. Intrafamilial stress ratings were highest in the asthma group, where 29.7% of the children and 24.3% of the parents reached clinically significant scores. Conclusions: Anxiety disorders appear to be common in HIV-positive children with hemophilia; however, they report little intrafamilial stress.