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Children's recall of medical experiences: the impact of stress
Insights
Children recalling stressful medical events (like voiding cysto-urethrograms) remembered more details than those recalling neutral events (pediatric assessments), but with less accuracy.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Psychology
- Child Development
- Medical Event Recall
Background:
- Understanding children's memory for medical events is crucial for improving patient care.
- Factors influencing recall, such as event type and stress, require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare children's recall of two distinct medical events: a voiding cysto-urethrogram (VCUG) and a pediatric assessment (PA).
- To examine the influence of event type and props on children's memory reports.
Main Methods:
- Twenty children (37-67 months) were interviewed 6-8 days post-event.
- Interviews involved recall of either a VCUG or PA, using dolls and props.
Main Results:
- Higher stress ratings were reported for the VCUG compared to the PA.
- Children recalled more correct information after the VCUG than the PA.
- Stress levels correlated with both accuracy and errors in recall.
Conclusions:
- Stressful medical procedures may enhance the quantity of children's recall, but potentially at the cost of accuracy.
- Differences in recall may also be influenced by the procedural nature of the event and familiarity with props.
Objective:
The study compared children's reports of two medical events, to assess the effects of the type of event on children's recall. Additionally, the study examined the effect of props on children's event reports.
Method:
Twenty children between the ages of 37 and 67 months were interviewed following either a voiding cysto-urethrogram (VCUG) or a pediatric assessment (PA) at a hospital. Interviews were conducted between 6 and 8 days after the event and included a doll and prop items.
Results:
Ratings of stress were significantly higher for children who underwent the VCUG than those who underwent the PA. Children who experienced the VCUG procedure reported more correct information than the children who experienced the PA. Age was correlated with the total amount of correct information reported. Stress levels were correlated with both errors and accuracy of information.
Conclusions:
Children who experienced a stressful medical procedure remembered more than children who experienced a neutral medical event, although this increase in amount recalled was at the expense of accuracy. These findings suggest that stress impacts negatively on recall: however, the unique and structured nature of the VCUG procedure compared to the PA, and the familiarity of the PA prop items to the children who experienced the VCUG procedure, may also have contributed to differences in recall of the two events.