Eight families in which one child had ulcerative colitis were studied in conjoint family interviews and their interactional profiles presented. The investigators noted that these families were all severely restricted socially. The intrafamilial relationships were cautious and the repertoire of ways to deal with a variety of situations was limited. A feeling of despair and familial sameness was noted which was akin to Wynne's description of 'pseudomutuality'. Communication among family members was very indirect which prevented any direct confrontation or disagreement. But indirect communication was vivid in its assertion of the dangers of the outside world. It was also noted that there was an unusually high level of pathology in the siblings of the identified patient. The authors state that this early report is necessarily tentative and inconclusive. No controls were reported to see what effect a chronically ill child has on family interactive patterns.