title: Child distress during hospitalization: implications for practice.
abstract: This paper investigates distress in 221 children admitted to a district general hospital for ENT surgery. Younger children (5 years and under) were rated by nurses as being most distressed, with girls more so than boys. Presence of a parent in hospital overnight is also found to be associated with higher levels of distress. It is suggested that preparation programmes designed to reduce distress should target younger children and that consideration be given to a preparation programme for parents.
authors.affiliation: Canterbury and Thanet Health Authority, UK.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bradford
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Spinks
mesh_terms: D000233:Adenoidectomy / Q000523:psychology; D000367:Age Factors; D000556:Ambulatory Surgical Procedures / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior; D002673:Child, Hospitalized / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008876:Middle Ear Ventilation / Q000523:psychology; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D013997:Time Factors; D014068:Tonsillectomy / Q000523:psychology