Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 22, 2026

Measurement of Fronto-limbic Activity Using an Emotional Oddball Task in Children with Familial High Risk for Schizophrenia
13:08

Measurement of Fronto-limbic Activity Using an Emotional Oddball Task in Children with Familial High Risk for Schizophrenia

Published on: December 2, 2015

Young children's meaning making about the causes of illness within the family context

Caroline McIntosh1, Christine Stephens, Antonia Lyons

  • 1School of Psychology, Massey University, Private Bag 11 222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand. Caroline.McIntosh.1@uni.massey.ac.nz

Health (London, England : 1997)
|May 8, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Young children

Area of Science:

  • Child Psychology
  • Health Communication
  • Sociocultural Studies

Background:

  • Research on children's understanding of illness causality often overlooks knowledge acquisition.
  • A socio-constructivist perspective is needed to understand how children learn about illness.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore how young children's family contexts influence their understanding of illness causes.
  • To advance a socio-constructivist view of children's illness causality conceptualization.

Main Methods:

  • Qualitative study involving interviews with five four-year-old children and their families.
  • Analysis of narrative accounts to understand meaning-making processes.

Main Results:

  • Children's constructions of illness causality are significantly shaped by family illness experiences.
  • Illness prevention messages and behavioral rules within families influence children's understanding.
  • Family socio-cultural context is integral to children's meaning-making about illness.

Conclusions:

  • Acknowledging children's meaning-making within family context can improve health education.
  • Understanding family influences can enhance psychosocial support for children and families.
  • Health practitioners can use this insight to develop more effective health programs.

More Related Videos

Assessing the Coherence of Parents' Short Narratives Regarding their Child Using the Five-Minute Speech Sample Procedure07:56

Assessing the Coherence of Parents' Short Narratives Regarding their Child Using the Five-Minute Speech Sample Procedure

Published on: September 19, 2019

Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm06:35

Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm

Published on: April 28, 2016

Related Concept Videos

Factors Affecting Illness01:18

Factors Affecting Illness

When a person's physical, emotional, intellectual, social development or spiritual functioning is compromised, this deviation from a healthy normal state is called illness. Illness creates stress that in turn harms individuals. Irritation, anger, denial, hopelessness, and fear are behavioral and emotional changes an individual experiences in the phases of illness. A variety of factors influence a person's health and well-being.
For instance, risk factors are connected to illness, disability,...
Dimensions of Health and Illness01:21

Dimensions of Health and Illness

The factors influencing the health-illness continuum can be internal or external and may or may not be under conscious control. They are related to the following eight human dimensions, and each dimension is interrelated to one other.
Classification of Illness01:17

Classification of Illness

The meaning of illness is individualized to each person who experiences an alteration in health. In contrast, disease is a medical term indicating a pathological change in the structure and function of the body or mind. It is a condition that has specific symptoms and boundaries.
An illness is a response to a disease in which the person's level of functioning is changed compared with a previous level. The general classification of illness includes acute and chronic.
Acute illness is severe and...
Models of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention II01:18

Models of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention II

The person's health status fluctuates continually, varying from being in good health to becoming ill and returning to being healthy. To understand the concept of illness prevention, there are two models. First, the health-illness continuum model is a graphic representation of an individual's wellness. It states that a person is considered healthy in the absence of physical disease and the presence of good emotional health.
The agent-host-environment model states that disease results from...
Concepts of Health and Illness01:29

Concepts of Health and Illness

Health is a condition of the body, mind, and spirit where an individual remains free from illness. Similarly, wellness is an active state, including living a lifestyle that promotes physical, mental, and emotional health. Physical health is critical for the overall well-being and can be affected by lifestyle, activity level, diet, and behavior. The highest attainable standard of health is a fundamental and universal human right. Consider Lisa, a fifteen-year-old born with congenital...
Causality in Epidemiology01:21

Causality in Epidemiology

Causality or causation is a fundamental concept in epidemiology, vital for understanding the relationships between various factors and health outcomes. Despite its importance, there's no single, universally accepted definition of causality within the discipline. Drawing from a systematic review, causality in epidemiology encompasses several definitions, including production, necessary and sufficient, sufficient-component, counterfactual, and probabilistic models. Each has its strengths and...