Differences between high and low coping children and between parent and staff behaviors during painful medical...

Coded behaviors of pediatric oncology patients undergoing bone marrow aspirations and lumbar punctures, parents, and medical staff using the Child-Adult Medical Procedure Interaction Scale. Children were grouped into high and low coping groups for three analyses. Results indicated that adults with the high coping children engaged in more coping-promoting behaviors than adults with the low coping children. Further, high coping children were more likely to respond with coping to coping-promoting prompts. However, both groups of children were more likely to respond by coping following coping-promoting antecedents than following distress-promoting or adult neutral antecedents. Both groups were more likely to respond with distress following distress-promoting antecedents. When interacting with children, staff engaged in a higher proportions of giving control to the child and apologies than did parents. Also, children were more likely to display coping than distress following staff's and parents' nonprocedural talk (distraction).