Maladie chronique et enfance : image du corps, enjeux psychiques et alliance thérapeutique

Abstract: The child is an individual in constant development, dependent on his/her parents with whom he interacts everyday to open out, and in particular, to construct a dependable image of his body for growing up comfortably. Announcement of a disease, real traumatism for the whole family, upsets these exchanges and can often induce psychological difficulties masked by the therapeutic somatic stakes placed at the foreground of concerns of each one: child, parents and doctors. The child''s stakes are construction of a good image of the body (basis of his own) which can be deteriorated by the disease whatever it is (chronic disease, with relapse or vital prognosis engaged). The family''s stakes are the perception of the disease by the parents (distress, culpability, depression) and sibling''s reactions (aggressiveness, identification with the sick child, masked depression, functional troubles). Doctor''s stakes in the chronic disease is to obtain therapeutic alliance of the child and his family to allow the good progress of the treatments. In front of the chronic disease''s reality, it is essential to establish and maintain a multidisciplinary follow up. The child''s psychiatrist role will be to take care of the exchanges and listening among the doctors, the patient and his family are favoured. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]