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Attributions and coping in children's pain experiences

David A Langer1, Edith Chen, Janet D Luhmann

  • 1UCLA Department of Psychology, 1285 Franz Hall, University of California--Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA. dalanger@ucla.edu

Journal of Pediatric Psychology
|September 17, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Children who blame themselves for injuries experience more distress during medical procedures. Coping strategies significantly impact children's pain perception, with secondary-control coping being most effective post-procedure.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Psychology
  • Medical Sociology

Background:

  • Children's emotional and pain responses to medical procedures are influenced by various factors.
  • Understanding injury attributions and coping mechanisms is crucial for managing distress in pediatric patients.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between children's attributions of injury cause and their coping strategies.
  • To determine how these factors influence distress and pain perception during unplanned medical procedures like laceration repair.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 50 children with minor lacerations were evaluated from emergency department admission to discharge.
  • Data collection included assessing children's injury attributions and utilizing the Procedural Behavior Checklist to measure coping strategies and procedure-related distress.

Main Results:

  • Internal attributions of blame were associated with increased distress during procedures.
  • Primary-control coping strategies correlated with higher pain during the procedure.
  • Secondary-control coping strategies were linked to reduced pain perception after the procedure, unlike relinquished-control coping.

Conclusions:

  • Children's perceptions of injury cause and their coping styles are key determinants of their pain experiences.
  • Self-blame may exacerbate pain, while specific coping strategies can mitigate distress.
  • Adaptive coping strategies for unplanned procedures align with those found effective for planned medical interventions.
Abstract

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