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Abstract
There are more than 100 different etiologies and physical characteristics attributed to children with short stature. The majority of research focuses on the childs ability to cope and adjust while relatively few research studies investigate the effects of a childs short stature on the family. The present study examined to what extent mothers of children with short stature possessed resiliency characteristics and proactive behaviors. Furthermore, the study investigated whether resiliency characteristics affect proactive behaviors in mothers. Mothers of children with short stature, who were members of the MAGIC Foundation (N=184), completed a survey consisting of a battery of instruments designed to measures resiliency, coping, perceived stress and proactivity. The findings of this study indicate that the mothers in the sample possessed a moderate level of resiliency and proactivity characteristics. In addition, stepwise regressions and correlational statistics indicated that resiliency characteristics are significant predictors of proactive behaviors. Implications for practice as well as the need for future research are presented.