Autonomy, coping, and self-care agency in healthy adolescents and in adolescents with spina bifida.

This study compared the behaviors of autonomy, coping, and self-care agency among 22 adolescents with spina bifida with those of healthy adolescents matched for age, gender, grade in school, and socioeconomic status. Responses on the Adjective Checklist (Autonomy scale), the Ways of Coping Check List (Problem-Focused Coping scale), and the Denyes Self-Care Agency Instrument were analyzed. Adolescents with spina bifida demonstrated significantly lower scores on autonomy when compared with healthy controls. The absence of differences in coping and self-care agency suggests that similar therapeutic approaches may be appropriate for adolescents with and without spina bifida.