ABSTRACT
Fifty four children were studied 1-14 (mean 5.6) years after fabrications of illness had been identified. Thirty of the 54 children were living in families with their biological mothers and 24 were with other family members or in substitute families. Further fabrications were identified for 10 children who had been living with their mothers and there were 'other concerns' for a further eight children. Thirteen children residing with mother and 14 not residing with mother at follow up had a range of disorders including conduct and emotional disorders, and problems related to school, including difficulties in attention and concentration and non-attendance. Overall, 20 children (49% of those successfully followed up) had outcomes that were considered to be unacceptable.
Subject(s)
Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy/psychology , Adolescent , Affective Symptoms/psychology , Child , Child Behavior Disorders/psychology , Child, Preschool , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Learning Disabilities/psychology , Male , Mother-Child Relations , Prognosis , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Fifty six children who had been victims of fabricated illnesses and 82 of their 103 siblings were studied. In addition to the index fabrication, 64% of index children had had other illnesses fabricated by their mothers. Twenty nine per cent of the index children had a history of failure to thrive and 29% a history of non-accidental injury, inappropriate medication, or neglect. Seventy three per cent of the index children had been affected by at least one of these additional problems. Eleven per cent of the siblings had died in early childhood, the cause of death not being identified. Thirty nine per cent of siblings themselves had had illnesses fabricated by their mothers, and 17% had been affected by either failure to thrive, non-accidental injury, inappropriate medication, or neglect.
