Special needs of the chronically ill child during middle childhood: application of a stress-coping paradigm.

The "tween years" are often challenging for both the children experiencing this period of development and their families. Adding to this challenge could be the stress of a chronic illness. This compounded dilemma can alter the achievement of normal developmental milestones and disrupt quality of life. This article addresses the special challenges of children with chronic illness during the tween years and proposes a conceptual framework based on a stress/coping paradigm relating chronic illness, coping resources for adaptation, and quality of life for research and practice.