The purpose of the study was to assess psycho-social differences between two groups. A review of the literature suggested psychologi cal and social factors may affect the onset and progression of malig nant disease. Comparisons were made between a group of 23 experi mental families with a leukemic child, and a group of control families with a normal child matched for child's sex, age, and number of siblings. Data. was gathered on th:ree quantifia'Qle measures; Coddington's Social Readjustment Rating Questionnaire; a spec~ally constructed Child's Questionnaire, and The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory.The leukemic children and their matched normal controls had approximately equal numbers, and similar types, of social events that had occurred within their present life span. This suggests that the occurrence of a specific stressful life event is not, in itself, a major precipitating factor in onset of leukemia.The leukemic children and their normal controls were likewise similar in their responses concerning self-reported aggressive be havior and attitudes toward expression of aggressive feelings. This implies that, other than the presence of disease, the-leukemic children respond to specific stimuli in a manner typical of normal children.The parents of the leukemic children however, were differenti ated from the parents of normal children, through the statistical method of stepwise discriminant analysis of MMPI responses. A combination of five variables, for each pair of parents, father's Sc 0 (Si) score, mother's Sc I (Hs) score, and father's Sc 9 (Ma), F scale, and Sc 3 (Hy) scores, had a level of significance. This finding pre sents evidence that parents of leukemic children differ from parents of normal children on personality characteristics assessed by the MMPI. Some possible interpretations of these results, and sugges tions for treatment and additional res earch, were offered.
TO THE OFFICE OF GRADUATE STUDIES:The members of the Committee approve the thesis of