Parents' adaptation to early diagnosis of sex chromosome anomalies

Abstract

In 56 structured psychiatric interviews parents were asked to describe their experience as participants in the Denver prospective study of children with sex chromosome anomalies in order to assess its impact on attitudes toward the identified child and on family relationships. It was found that most achieved satisfactory understanding of the diagnosis with minimal disturbance, preferred early disclosure, denied its influence on parent‐child and parent‐parent relationships, and were reasonably comfortable in sharing diagnostic information with the child. Environmental and cultural factors did not correlate with the responses obtained. Emphasis directed toward obstacles in the adaptive process permitted evaluation of reported parental anxieties arising from faulty or delayed communication of the diagnosis, a child's adjustment to problems of growth and development, and, for parents of children with 45,X and 47,XXY chromosome constitutions, anxiety regarding anticipated difficulty in sexual maturation and fertility. The assessment interviews afforded additional opportunity for clinical discussion and counseling with parents on issues of concern to them.