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School-age children's perceptions of their PICU hospitalization

Rhonda Board1

  • 1Northeastern University School of Nursing, Boston, MA, USA.

Pediatric Nursing
|August 3, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Critically ill school-aged children in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) often have limited coping strategies and average anxiety levels. Their experiences highlight the impact of hospitalization on children

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric critical care
  • Child psychology
  • Pediatric nursing

Background:

  • Limited research exists on the direct impact of pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) hospitalization on school-aged children's psychological well-being.
  • Understanding children's perspectives is crucial for developing supportive care strategies.
  • Previous studies have not focused on the self-reported experiences and coping mechanisms of this specific age group.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the effects of a PICU hospitalization on critically ill school-aged children (7-12 years).
  • To assess children's recollections of their PICU stay and their perceived effectiveness of coping strategies.
  • To evaluate anxiety levels in children post-PICU hospitalization using drawings.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional study involving 21 school-aged children (7-12 years) with no prior hospitalization history.
  • Data collection included open-ended questions about PICU experiences, measurement of coping strategy frequency and effectiveness, and drawing analysis for anxiety assessment.
  • Convenience sampling was used to recruit participants.

Main Results:

  • Most children recalled aspects of their PICU stay, remembering healthcare professionals positively but describing negative feelings.
  • Children exhibited very low scores for coping strategies, suggesting a limited repertoire.
  • Analysis of drawings indicated that most children had average levels of anxiety.

Conclusions:

  • PICU hospitalization may limit children's coping strategies, particularly when intubated.
  • Healthcare providers' behavior and responsiveness significantly impact children's experiences.
  • Further research into feasible coping strategies and therapeutic play for PICU patients is recommended.

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