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Abstract
This dissertation reports the results of three related studies on the psychosocial implications of Tourette Syndrome (TS), a neurological disorder characterized by vocal and motor tics. Children with TS are at risk for social isolation and teasing due to the overt symptoms of the disorder and associated problems. It was predicted that children with Tourette Syndrome would have a relative weakness in social skills and concomitant problems with self-esteem and social anxiety, in comparison to their typical peers.
Study one compared children with TS to their typical peers on several psychosocial outcome measures. Although it was predicted that children with TS would have significantly more problems than their typical peers, the results were more optimistic. Children with TS were found to have lower athletic self-esteem, and more likely to report that teasing made them feel bad or very bad. Within the group of children with TS there was variability in outcome scores as a function of disorder characteristics, such as a dual diagnosis of OCD or ADD, and whether the child was medicated.
Study two was a pretest/post-test control group experiment on the effectiveness of a video-based intervention on Tourette Syndrome in classrooms of typical children. At time one, pretest measures of attitudes toward disabilities and knowledge about Tourette Syndrome were collected. Following this, the class was randomly divided into control and experimental groups. It was found that children who watched the intervention video reported more knowledge and positive attitudes at the post-test than children who watched the control video.
In Study three, the video was presented in classrooms with a child with TS. The same measures were collected as in study two, and results across studies were compared. It was found that typical children who knew someone with TS showed a more significant change in positive attitudes after the intervention than naive children. Qualitative data showed that the intervention had a beneficial impact on the child with TS, including modest improvements in self-esteem, social anxiety and peer relations.
The results of this dissertation provide a hopeful message to families affected by the disorder. Directions for future research are discussed.
