ABSTRACT

Knowledge of the treatment regimen has been identified as a prerequisite for the child

and family to manage the treatment-related tasks of a chronic illness (levers et al., in

press; Johnson, 1984; La Greca & Schuman, 1995; Rusakow et al., 1998). Nevertheless,

knowledge of the specific tasks of recommended treatments is not in itself sufficient for

successful management of illness-related medical tasks because other factors may impede

the ability of children with a chronic illness and their parents to adhere to the treatment

regimen (Johnson, 1984). Despite this, parents of children with chronic illnesses cannot

be expected to responsibly oversee the day-today administration of medical treatments for

their children unless they are fully versed in the specifics of what has been prescribed.