The symptom experience of hospitalised Chinese children and adolescents and relationship to pre-hospital factors and behaviour problems.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the symptom experience of hospitalised Chinese children and adolescents and examine the relationship of symptoms to pre-hospital factors and child behaviour.


METHODS
Data were collected at two hospital sites in Hong Kong (HK) and at five hospitals in the Chinese Mainland (CM). A total of 307 hospitalised children and adolescents (ages 2-18) and their primary caregiver (e.g., mother, father or grandparent) participated in the study. Children and adolescents completed an age-appropriate symptom diary on one evening and subsequent morning early in their hospital stay. Parents completed the diary for the children less than 6 years of age. Parents also completed an age-appropriate Chinese version of the Child Behaviour Checklist.


RESULTS
Over 50% of the children and adolescents reported some degree of pain, 75% of them reported evening tiredness, and 21% reported gastrointestinal symptoms. The intensity of symptoms varied by age and region and symptoms often co-occurred. Greater symptom burden was predicted by previous surgery, higher level of worst pain prior to hospitalisation, parent report of child behaviour problems, and co-occurrence of other symptoms.


CONCLUSIONS
Hospitalised Chinese children manifest symptoms of pain, tiredness, and gastrointestinal distress that vary based on pre-hospital factors and are associated with child behaviour problems. Further research is needed to identify causes and treatments for children's symptoms.
Franck
Linda S
LS
Institute of Child Health, University College London and King's College School of Nursing and Midwifery, UK.
Kools
Susan
S
Kennedy
Christine
C
Kong
Sarah K F
SK
Chen
Jyu-Lin
JL
Wong
Thomas K S
TK
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D002673:Child, Hospitalized / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D005221:Fatigue / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D006723:Hong Kong / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010146:Pain / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology