ABSTRACT
It has long been assumed that children with short stature have more social, academic, and psychological problems than those with normal stature (Drash, 1969; Gold, 1978; Money & Pollitt, 1966; Pollitt & Money, 1964). They were believed to experience low self-esteem, a high degree of social isolation, withdrawal, immaturity, and disturbances of body image. However, recent studies have shown that growth hormone deficient children had no greater occurrence of abnormalities in general psychological adjustment, sex role development, body image (Drotar, Owens, & Gotthold, 1980), anxiety, or locus of control (Stabler & Underwood, 1977). Although such children seem to have normal psychological adjustment, they represent less than 1% of the children with growth disorders (McArthur & Fagan, 1971). Growth hormone deficient children probably experience short stature differently from other short children, because their condition is being ameliorated by medical therapy. Most short children have constitutional short stature (Horner, Thorsson, & Hintz, 1978), which is characterized by (a) normal birth weight; (b) growth failure between 6 months and 3 years; (c) subsequent normal growth velocity; but (d) height below the 5th percentile for age throughout childhood. This condition is also referred to as constitutional growth delay and constitutional delay of growth and adolescence. Because the period of growth failure is associated with a deceleration in skeletal maturation, the potential for attaining normal adult height remains excellent. The onset of pubertal changes, including the growth spurt, is usually delayed. Children with constitutional short stature usually become adults of normal stature, but may suffer lasting psychologic effects from their previous short stature.
