SummaryHaemophilic children's perceptions of their own social and school function and their concerns about illness and expectations for the future were compared with those of diabetic and healthy children of the same age and social background. All three groups had similar anticipations about making friends, getting married, finding satisfactory employment and having children. Haemophilic and diabetic children were no more concerned than healthy children about being ill in the future and worried less about passing an illness on to others. Haemophilic, but not diabetic, children felt they were less able to run and play than others. The small sub‐group of HIV‐positive haemophiliacs differed only in that none of them envisaged having child