. Arulmani Thiyagarajan; . Bhagvandas M; . Kalpana Kosalram; . Sudip Bhattacharya
Volume 9, Issue 5 , May 2019, , Pages 1-6
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder which is one of the common geneticdisorders among children that is increasing worldwide.AIM AND OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to ...
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BACKGROUND: Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder which is one of the common geneticdisorders among children that is increasing worldwide.AIM AND OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify clustering patterns among thalassemia‑affectedfamilies based on their well‑being, transfusion interval, and risk factors using two‑step clusteranalysis (TCA).METHODS: The study design is a descriptive, analytical cross‑sectional study. The study sampleconsisted of 125 thalassemia children along with either one of the parents who referred to athalassemia treatment center of a pediatric hospital in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The parents andchildren were evaluated using the Ryff Psychological Well‑being Scale and Kidscreen Questionnairerespectively. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 16.0 software.RESULTS: Out of 125 parents, 86 were father (68.8%) and 39 were mother (31.2%). The meanage of parents was 38 years. Similarly, out of 125 thalassemia‑affected children, the mean age ofchildren was 13 years. Six clusters were deducted from the TCA. Parents’ well‑being variable doesnot have discriminating power to form cluster division. Three cluster formations were meaningful.CONCLUSION: TCA, in this study, helps in finding the clusters of families with thalassemia‑affectedchildren associated with poor well‑being and familial risks, which require attention for medicalcounseling.