Psychological Adjustment and Family Relationships in Children and Adolescents with Spina Bifida

Abstract In recent years, researchers and clinicians have been interested in identifying factors associated with psychosocial adjustment among children and adolescents with spina bifida. Spina bifida is a heterogeneous condition characterized by an incomplete development of the spinal column. Subtypes of spina bifida include spina bifida occulta, identified by an abnormal spinal opening without spinal cord or nerve damage, and spina bifida cystica, characterized by the presence of a protruding fluid-filled sac that encloses the meninges (meningocele) or the meninges and spinal column (myelomeningocele). Finally, lipomeningocele is a subtype of spina bifida characterized by the presence of a fatty mass that herniates through the spinal column and attaches to the spinal cord, tethering the cord and often the associated nerve roots (Fletcher et al., 2004).