The role of self-enhancement motives in factitious illness behavior by proxy

The Self-Enhancement Model of factitious illness behavior by proxy (FIB-P) suggests some parents may exaggerate a child's illness or seek health care for a child unnecessarily in an effort to boost their own self-esteem. This study examined the relation between self-enhancement motives and FIB-P in an ambulatory pediatric practice. Caregivers of 196 children under age 12 participated. Self-enhancement tendencies were measured via the MultiFactor Health Survey - Parent Version (MFHS-PV). FIB-P was measured through parent report of the child's health, physician ratings of the appropriateness of the index visit, and a review of medical records for the past 18 months. Results indicated that several self-enhancement mechanisms may be related to symptom reporting in the absence of verifiable illness, inappropriate health care utilization, and health care seeking behavior that is deemed excessive by physicians. These findings offer preliminary support for the Self-Enhancement Model of FIB-P.