Commentary: Are Children With JRA and Their Families at Risk or Resilient?

The articles in this series address a fundamental question in pediatric psychology—whether children with chronic illnesses are generally psychologically well adjusted (or at least no more maladjusted than their peers) or whether their illness places them or their families at greater risk for emotional or behavioral difficulties. As the rich literature reviews of these three articles highlight, many studies of- fer encouraging findings, suggesting that many children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis ( JRA) and their families adapt remarkably well to the challenges posed by a painful