Explaining illness to children: advancing theory and research by determining message content

Numerous scholars have suggested the importance of explaining illness to children and empirical efforts have been made to determine effective illness explanation strategies. However, the studies have been few and provide little advancement of theory and practical advice for health practitioners. Much, if not all, of the theory and research in this area focuses on explaining the etiology and biology of illness to children. This practice, as argued here, may be the central factor inhibiting theory, research, and understanding of effective illness explanation to children. Specifically, children may find this knowledge of little use and may prefer explanations that adhere to psychosocial concerns. As such, suggestions for future research are offered.