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Effects of hospitalization on young children: implications of two theories
Insights
Hospitalization impacts young children
Area of Science:
- Child Development
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatric Health
Background:
- Hospitalization presents unique challenges for young children's development.
- Understanding developmental trajectories is crucial for pediatric care.
- Existing research highlights the significance of early experiences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the effects of hospitalization on young children.
- To evaluate the applicability of two developmental models: critical periods and transactional.
- To demonstrate the utility of these models in managing hospitalized children.
Main Methods:
- Review and analysis of theoretical models of child development.
- Application of the critical periods model to hospitalization.
- Application of the transactional model to hospitalization.
- Utilization of existing study data on hospitalized children.
Main Results:
- The critical periods model highlights the potential for irreversible developmental deficits if key experiences are missed during hospitalization.
- The transactional model emphasizes the ongoing, dynamic interplay between the child and their hospital environment, influencing development.
- Both models offer valuable frameworks for understanding and intervening in the effects of hospitalization.
Conclusions:
- Theoretical models provide essential frameworks for understanding child development during hospitalization.
- The critical periods and transactional models offer distinct yet complementary perspectives.
- These models aid in the study and management of hospitalized children, informing clinical practice and future research.
Abstract:
In this article the effects of hospitalization on the young child are analyzed from the perspective of two theoretical models of development. The first model, the critical periods model, asserts that there is an hypothesized critical period for the development of certain skills and competencies. In this model early experiences are crucial to the skills which either cannot develop or develop with much difficulty after the critical period has passed. The second model is a transactional model of development which asserts that, although early experiences are important, each interaction of the child and the environment makes a difference in development and only through continuous assessment of these transactions can we determine how the child changes and evolves. Data from studies of the effects of hospitalization on children are used to illustrate the utility of these models in the study and management of children who are hospitalized.