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Young children's behavioural responses to acute pain: strategies for getting better
1Children's Hospital, Health Sciences Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Insights
Young children in acute pain use distinct strategies like hiding, fighting, or making it good to cope. These behaviors increase with pain intensity, offering insights for pain assessment.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nursing
- Pain Management
- Child Psychology
Background:
- Hospitalized children often experience acute pain post-surgery.
- Understanding behavioral responses is crucial for effective pain management in pediatric patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine and describe the behavioral responses of young children experiencing acute pain.
- To identify coping strategies used by children during painful experiences.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative, naturalistic methodology.
- Participant observation and interviews with children and parents.
- Constant comparative method for data analysis.
Main Results:
- Children employed a 'getting better' process involving three strategies: 'hiding away,' 'fighting it,' and 'making it good.'
- Specific behaviors characterized each strategy.
- The frequency of strategy use correlated with pain intensity.
Conclusions:
- Behavioral responses to acute pain in young children are complex and strategy-based.
- These findings can inform the development of more sensitive pain assessment tools for pediatric populations.
- Recommendations are provided for healthcare professionals to better assess and manage childhood pain.
Abstract:
Behavioural responses of hospitalized young children in acute pain were examined and described. Eleven children, aged 24-79 months, who experienced acute pain in response to surgical intervention, and their parents, participated in the study. A qualitative, naturalistic methodology was used. Participant observation and child and parent interviews were the primary data collection methods. The constant comparative method of data analysis was employed to identify beginning behavioural response categories. Findings revealed that the children used the process of 'getting better' in response to pain. This process involved three strategies: 'hiding away', 'fighting it' and 'making it good'. Each of these strategies was characterized by specific behaviours. The more pain the children experienced, the more frequently these strategies were employed. Recommendations specific to assessing behavioural responses in young children experiencing acute pain are offered.