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The impact of experience on children's understanding of illness
J Crisp1, J A Ungerer, J J Goodnow
1Faculty of Nursing, The University of Technology, New South Wales, Australia.
Insights
Children with chronic illnesses like cystic fibrosis or cancer show a better understanding of illness causes. This study highlights how illness experience, alongside age, shapes children's comprehension of health.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Child Health Research
Background:
- Children's understanding of illness is crucial for adherence to treatment and coping mechanisms.
- Previous research suggests cognitive development influences illness perception, but the role of direct experience is less clear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between the extent of children's illness experience and their understanding of illness causation.
- To compare children with chronic illnesses (cystic fibrosis, cancer) with those with acute, minor illnesses.
- To examine the influence of age and illness experience on illness comprehension.
Main Methods:
- Two studies were conducted, involving children aged 4.6 to 14 years.
- Participants completed the Bibace and Walsh Piagetian-based test of illness understanding.
- Cognitive functioning was assessed using tests of conservation (Study 1) and vocabulary (Study 2) to control for general cognitive abilities.
Main Results:
- Both age and the extent of illness experience were found to significantly contribute to children's understanding of illness.
- Children with experience of major chronic illnesses demonstrated a more advanced understanding of illness causes compared to those with minor acute illnesses.
- Illness experience appears to be a specific factor influencing illness comprehension, beyond general cognitive development.
Conclusions:
- Direct experience with significant illness enhances children's understanding of its causes.
- Future research should further explore the interplay between chronic illness, age, and cognitive development in shaping children's health beliefs.
- Interventions aimed at improving illness understanding in children may benefit from considering their personal experiences with sickness.
Abstract:
Reported two studies investigating the relationship between the extent of children's experience with illness and their level of understanding about the causes of illness. Both studies compared children with experience of a major chronic illness (cystic fibrosis in Study 1 and cancer in Study 2) with children whose illness experience was relatively minor and acute. The age range of the children in Study 1 was 4.6 to 10.6 years; in Study 2 it was 7 to 14 years. The measure of understanding of illness was the Bibace and Walsh (1980, 1981) Piagetian-based test. To determine the specificity of illness experience effects, performance on this test was considered against a second measure of cognitive functioning: conservation of amount and volume in Study 1; the Peabody Picture Vocabulary test-Revised in Study 2. Results point to both age and experience as contributing to children's understanding of illness. Methodological issues and implications for future research are discussed.