Quality of life, self-esteem of healthy short youth related to coping skills and social support

Difficult the idea that short stature negatively impacts children and adolescents’ self-esteem, a brand new study by researchers at Kid’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) has found that in otherwise healthy short youth, quality of life and self-esteem are related to coping skills and the way supported they feel and never the degree of their short stature. The findings were published in The Journal of Pediatrics.

There’s a notion amongst some parents and caregivers that short stature will negatively impact their children when it comes to self-esteem and social adjustment, in order that they hunt down growth hormone treatment within the hopes that making their children taller will make them happier. But our data show that self-esteem amongst short youth is tied to social support networks and adaptive coping strategies, not their stature. On condition that adolescence is such a critical period for identity formation, addressing short stature in otherwise healthy children and youths through a broader, psychosocial approach might need a more positive impact on self-esteem than specializing in increasing their height.”

Adda Grimberg, MD, senior study writer, pediatric endocrinologist and Scientific Director of the Growth Center at CHOP

Pediatric growth hormone (GH) treatment was initially intended for those with a hormone deficiency, offering metabolic, body composition and cardiovascular health advantages along with increased height. Nonetheless, its use has expanded to those with normal GH production who’re short for his or her age, with the only real aim of augmenting height, based on the premise that short stature is debilitating and that height increases result in improved quality of life.

Nonetheless, prior studies have found inconsistent associations between short stature and quality of life. Given the critical gap in understanding how patient and parent characteristics alter the potential impact of being short, the researchers conducted a prospective observational study to evaluate self-esteem and quality of life metrics of kids between the ages of 8 and 14 who were scheduled for provocative GH testing at CHOP between June 2019 and May 2021.

Sixty parent-child pairs were surveyed for the study, either over the phone or in person at or across the time of the appointment. Youth assessed their self-esteem, coping skills, social support networks, and parental support, while parents reported their perceived external threats and achievement goals for his or her child. Each reported on the youth’s quality of life. Among the many youth surveyed, 15 were female and 45 were male, and the ages broke down evenly between those that were prepubertal and people who were in early- to mid-puberty. Parents consistent of 55 females and 5 males, with a mean age of roughly 46. Youth within the study were otherwise healthy.

Using statistical models, the researchers found that amongst children and adolescents within the study, perceived social support and coping skills were related to quality of life and self-esteem, but youth height was not. Perceived social support, particularly from friends and classmates, was the factor most consistently related to how each parents and their child viewed youth self-esteem and quality of life.

The researchers also found a positive association between average parental height and youth self-esteem, with those with taller parents reporting higher self-esteem. The researchers suggest the association might be as a consequence of several aspects. First, children of taller parents could also be told their short stature is temporary, given the peak of the parents. Moreover, this finding might be as a consequence of selection bias. Short parents who view their very own short stature as non-problematic could also be less more likely to seek look after their child’s short stature, whereas short parents who’re unhappy about their very own height could also be more inclined to precise negative messaging about short stature and seek medical look after their child. Nonetheless, the researchers caution that this potential explanation warrants further investigation in longitudinal research, which is currently underway.

“This study shows that in otherwise healthy children, height is not an issue unless we frame it as such,” Dr. Grimberg said. “As a substitute, we must always concentrate on bolstering social connections and supports. Being socially integrated in a network of meaningful relationships not only helps children and adolescents cope successfully with life’s adversities, but it surely also encourages them to pursue life opportunities for growth and development.”

This study was funded by NIH grant 1 R01 HD097129 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Nonetheless, the NIH played no role within the design of the study; in the gathering, analyses, or interpretation of information; within the writing of the manuscript; or in the choice to publish the outcomes. Dr. Grimberg received a 2020 Growth Hormone Research Competitive Grant Program Award from Pfizer, Inc.