Table I.
Characteristics of the Study Samples
| Characteristic | SB groupN = 37 | TD groupN = 37 | Statistical test |
|---|---|---|---|
| Child age in years: M (SD) | 16.1 (1.4) | 16.0 (1.5) | t(72) = 0.45NS |
| Gender: N (%) | |||
| Male | 16 (43.2%) | 15 (40.5%) | χ2(1) = 0.06NS |
| Female | 21 (56.8%) | 22 (59.5%) | |
| Child race: N (%) | |||
| Caucasian | 26 (70.3%) | 26 (70.3%) | χ2(1) = 0.00NS |
| Other | 11 (29.7%) | 11 (29.7%) | |
| Child ethnicity: N (%) | |||
| Hispanic | 8 (21.6%) | 7 (18.9%) | χ2(1) = 0.03NS |
| Non-Hispanic | 29 (78.4%) | 28 (75.7%) | |
| Not reported/missing | 0 (0.0%) | 2 (5.4%) | |
| Family income level | |||
| Median level | 6.0 (50–59, 000k) | 6.0 (50–59, 000k) | F(1) = 1.39NS |
| Categories: N (%) | |||
| <$29, 000 | 10 (29.4%) | 4 (10.8%) | χ2(3) = 5.77NS |
| $30, 000–49, 000 | 6 (17.6%) | 8 (21.6%) | |
| $50, 000–69, 000 | 3 (8.8%) | 9 (24.3%) | |
| >$70, 000 | 15 (44.1%) | 16 (43.2%) | |
| Family structure: N (%) | |||
| Two-parent intact | 25 (71.4%) | 27 (73.0%) | χ2(1) = 0.02NS |
| Not intact | 10 (28.6%) | 10 (27.0%) | |
| People in household: M (SD) | 4.5 (1.4) | 4.6 (1.6) | t(70) = −0.31NS |
| Pubertal development | |||
| Total score: M (SD) | 3.3 (0.5) | 3.2 (0.7) | t(70) = 0.55NS |
| Categories: N (%)a | |||
| Early pubertal | 1 (2.9%) | 4 (10.8%) | χ2(2) = 1.72NS |
| Mid- pubertal | 2 (5.7%) | 3 (8.1%) | |
| Late pubertal | 19 (54.3%) | 19 (51.4%) | |
| Post pubertal | 13 (37.1%) | 11 (29.7%) |
Notes. Pubertal status was measured using the combined gender score on the PDS (possible range = 1–4). Marital status was collapsed to intact versus not intact (i.e., mother/stepfather, single-mother, separated, other). NS = nonsignificant. PDS = Pubertal Developmental Scale; SB = spina bifida; TD = typically developing.
a
Early and mid-pubertal status categories were combined to perform Pearson chi-square test.