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Parents' assistance to children having immunizations
Mary Erickson Megel1, Rachelle Heser, Kim Matthews
1College Of Nursing, University Of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska 68198-5330,USA. mmegel@unmc.edu
Issues in Comprehensive Pediatric Nursing
|September 17, 2002
Summary
Parents use various strategies to help children during immunizations. Physicians are the primary source of information for parents on how to best support their child through vaccination.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Child Psychology
- Public Health
Background:
- Immunizations are crucial for child health.
- Parental support can mitigate child distress during vaccinations.
- Understanding parental strategies is key to improving vaccination experiences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify parents' natural assistive actions during childhood immunizations.
- To describe parental preparation strategies before immunizations.
- To document parents' plans for post-immunization support.
Main Methods:
- Descriptive study of 40 children (18 months-6 years) and their parents/grandparents.
- Interviews and audiotaped observations of parent-child interactions during immunizations.
- Descriptive data analysis with inter-rater reliability checks.
Main Results:
- Parents employed nine psychological preparation strategies before immunizations.
- Strategies used during immunizations included procedural information, distraction, and physical contact.
- Post-immunization support involved physical contact, praise, and rewards; physicians were the main information source.
Conclusions:
- Parents utilize diverse strategies to assist children during immunizations.
- Younger children (under 3) were less likely to receive preparation.
- Physician guidance is vital for empowering parents in managing childhood immunizations.