Does Scoliosis Have a Psychological Impact and Does Gender Make a Difference

Adolescents in Minnesota, with & without scoliosis, were examined in a population-based case-control study. Matched controls were randomly selected from school children without any medical conditions. The psychosocial impact of scoliosis on peer relations, body image, & health compromising behaviours such as suicide ideation, are described. Of the 685 adolescents with scoliosis & their control subjects, the adjusted odds ratio for having suicidal thoughts was 1.40 after adjustment for ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, & age. (28 refs.)