An information seeking disposition in child surgery patients

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Psychology
• Medical Coping Strategies
• Child Health Research

Background:

• Adult studies highlight information seeking vs. avoiding coping dimensions.
• Empirical evidence for this dimension in children is limited.
• Understanding children's coping is crucial for medical care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the information seeking coping dimension in children undergoing elective surgery.
• To validate this dimension using multiple raters and situations.
• To explore its relationship with prior information acquisition and stress responses.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Coping Strategies Interview to assess information seeking scores in child patients.
• Related scores to parent-rated variables (coping history, information preference, behaviors).
• Correlated scores with observed question-asking and discussion during medical procedures.

Main Results:

• Information seeking scores were strongly related to prior information acquisition.
• Scores correlated with parent-rated coping success and information preferences.
• High information seeking predicted more adaptive behaviors before procedures.

Conclusions:

• Cross-rater and cross-situation validation supports an information seeking dimension in children.
• This dimension is a useful consideration in pediatric medical research.
• Understanding children's information seeking can inform tailored medical support.