Social development of girls with a physical disability during adolescence: Parent perspectives.
Courtney S Streur, Jodi M Kreschmer, Mary E Crumbley and 4 others
PMID 40080606WHAT IT FOUND
Mothers of girls with physical disabilities reported that puberty amplified the gap between their daughters and peers.
Girls struggled to find friends who understood their daily medical routines. This led to increased self-consciousness and hesitancy to socialize, even for those who appeared to have good friendships.
Key findings
01Mothers identified that the physical and cognitive differences between their daughters and peers became more apparent during puberty, leading to increased self-consciousness in the daughters.
02A major barrier to friendship was the inability to find peers who could relate to specific disability-related experiences, such as bowel and bladder management programs or medical trauma.
03Even daughters who successfully made friends and met social milestones often felt isolated because they did not feel fully understood by their nondisabled peers.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study relies entirely on parent perspectives, which may differ from the adolescents' own experiences. Only mothers participated, so the findings may not reflect the views of fathers or other caregivers. The sample was small (21 participants) and drawn from specific institutions, limiting generalizability. Daughters' cognitive abilities were not formally tested but inferred from school placement and parent reports. Race and ethnicity were not assessed, potentially missing cultural factors that influence social development.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The study was part of a larger project investigating parental perceptions of sexual and reproductive health education.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that a patient who has friends is socially satisfied or free from distress. The study found that many adolescents with physical disabilities who appeared to have healthy social lives still struggled with deep feelings of isolation and a lack of understanding from their peers.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →