Abstract
Childhood is a time in which children are cared for and protected by their parents. Medical procedures involving children thus provide a paradoxical situation for children and their families. Nowhere else in their experience are children subjected to a planned event that is frightening and often painful, while the parents look on passively or even assist in restraining the children. This same paradox of adult presence without protection, which presents such a challenge to children and their families, allows a unique opportunity for the investigation of how children cope with anxiety-provoking and painful experiences. Because most elective medical procedures are planned in advance, children and their families’ responses to a procedure can and have been meticulously explored through observation, interview, self-report, parent ratings, and physiological assessment (Peterson, 1984).
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Azarnoff, P., & Woody, R. D. (1981). Preparation of children for hospitalization in acute care hospitals in the United States. Pediatrics, 68, 361–368.
Bachanas, P. J., & Roberts, M. C. (1995). Factors affecting children’s attitudes toward health care and responses to stressful medical procedures. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 20, 261–275.
Band, E. B., & Weisz, J. R. (1988). How to feel better when it feels bad: Children’s perspectives on coping with every day stress. Developmental Psychology, 24, 247–253.
Blount, R. L., Bachanas, P. J., Powers, S. W., Cotter, M. C., Franklin, A., Chaplin, W., Mayfield, J., Henderson, M., & Blount, S. D. (1992). Training children to cope and parents to coach them during routine immunizations: Effects on child, parent, and staff behaviors. Behavior Therapy, 23, 689–705.
Brain, D., J., & Maclay, I. (1968). Controlled study of mothers and children in hospital. British Medical Journal, 1, 278–280.
Brown, J. M., O’Keefe, J., Sanders, S. H., & Baker, B. (1986). Developmental changes in children’s cognitions to stressful and painful situations. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 11, 343–357.
Burstein, S., & Meichenbaum, D. (1979). The work of worrying in children undergoing surgery. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 7, 121–132.
Bush, J. P., Melamed, B. G., Sheras, P. L., & Greenbaum, P. E. (1986). Mother-child patterns of coping with anticipatory medical stress. Health Psychology, 5, 137–157.
Campbell, L. A., Kirkpatrick, S. E., Berry, C. C., Penn, N. E., Waldman, J. D., & Mathewson, J. W. (1992). Psychological preparation of mothers of preschool children undergoing cardiac catheterization. Psychology and Health, 7, 175–185.
Cassell, S. (1965). Effects of brief puppet therapy upon the emotional responses of children undergoing cardiac catheterization. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 29, 1–8.
Chapman, A. H., Loeb, D. G., & Gibbons, M. J. (1956). Psychiatric aspects of hospitalizing children. Archives of Pediatrics, 73, 77–88.
Chassin, L. A., Presson, C. C., & Sherman, S. J. (1985). Stepping backwards in order to step forward: An acquisition-oriented approach to primary prevention. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 53, 612–622.
Cicchetti, D., & Schneider-Rosen, K. (1986). An organizational approach to childhood depression. In M. Rutter, C. E. Izard, & P. B. Read (Eds.), Depression in young people: Clinical and developmental perspectives (pp. 71–134). New York: Guilford Press.
Cortez, V. L., & Bugental, D. B. (1995). Priming of perceived control in young children as a buffer against fear-inducing events. Child Development, 66, 687–696.
Dahlquist, L. M., Gil, K. M., Armstrong, D., Ginsberg, A., & Jones, B. (1985). Behavioral management of children’s distress during chemotherapy. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 16, 325–329.
Douglas, J.W.B. (1975). Early hospital admission and later disturbances of behaviour and learning. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 17, 456–480.
Eland, J. M., & Anderson, J. E. (1977). The experience of pain in children. In A. Jacox (Ed.), Pain: A source book for nurses and other professionals (pp. 453–473). Boston: Little, Brown.
Elkins, P. D., & Roberts, M. C. (1985). Reducing medical fears in a general population of children: A comparison of three audiovisual modeling procedures. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 10, 65–75.
Elliott, C. H., & Olson, R. A. (1983). The management of children’s behavioral distress in response to painful medical treatment for burn injuries. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 21, 675–683.
Faust, J., & Melamed, B. G. (1984). Influence of arousal, previous experience, and age on surgery preparation of same-day surgery and in-hospital patients. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 52, 359–365.
Faust, J., Olson, R., & Rodriguez, H. (1991). Same-day surgery preparation: Reduction of pediatric patient arousal and distress through participant modeling. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 59, 475–478.
Fawcett, S. B., Seekins, A., & Jason, L. A. (1987). Policy research and child passenger safety legislation: A case study and experimental evaluation. Journal of Social Issues, 43(2), 133–148.
Ferguson, B. F. (1979). Preparing young children for hospitalization: A comparison of two methods. Pediatrics, 64, 656–664.
Field, T. M. (1985). Attachment as psycho-biological attunement: Being on the same wavelength. In M. Reite & T. Field (Eds.), Psychobiology of attachment and separation (pp. 90–118). New York: Academic Press.
Fishman, B. E., Cook, E. W., Hammock, S. J., Gregory, B. R., & Thomas, J. P. (1989, April). Familial transmission offear: Effects of maternal anxiety and presence on children’s response to dental treatment. Paper presented at the Florida Conference on Child Health Psychology, Gainesville, FL.
Frank, N. C., Blount, R. L., Smith, A. J., Manimala, M. R., & Martin, J. K. (1995). Parent and staff behavior, previous child medical experience, and maternal anxiety as they relate to child procedural distress and coping. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 20, 277–289.
Frankl, S. N., Shiere, F. R., & Fogels, H. R. (1962). Should the parent remain with the child in the dental operatory? Journal of Dentistry for Children, 29, 150–163.
Gabriel, H. P. (1977). A practical approach to preparing children for dermatologic surgery. Journal of Dermatological Surgery and Oncology, 3, 523–526.
Gershen, J. A. (1976). Maternal influence on the behavior patterns of children in the dental situation. Journal of Dentistry for Children, 43, 28–32.
Gonzalez, J. C., Routh, D. K., Saab, P. G., Armstrong, F. D., Shifman, L., Gueria, E., & Fawcett, N. (1989). Effect of parent presence on children’s reactions to injections: Behavioral, physiological, and subjective aspects. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 14, 449–462.
Gross, A. M., Stern, R. M., Levin, R. B., Dale, J., & Wojnilower, P. A. (1983). The effect of mother-child separation on the behavior of children experiencing a diagnostic medical procedure. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 51, 783–785.
Harbeck, C., & Peterson, L. (1992). Elephants dancing in my head: A developmental approach to children’s concepts of specific pains. Child Development, 63, 138–149.
Hardgrove, C. B. (1980). Helping parents on the pediatric ward: A report on a survey of hospitals with “living-in” programs. Pediatrician, 9, 220–223.
Hubert, N. C., Jay, S. M., Saltoun, M., & Hayes, M. (1988). Approach/avoidance and distress in children undergoing preparation for painful medical procedures. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 17, 194–202.
Jackson, K., Winkley, R., Faust, O. A., & Cermack, E. (1952). The problem of emotional trauma in the hospital treatment of children. Journal of the American Medical Association, 149, 1536–1538.
Jay, S. M., & Elliott, C. H. (1990). A stressful inoculation program for parents whose children are undergoing painful medical procedures. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 58, 799–804.
Jay, S. M., Elliott, C. H., Ozolins, M., & Olson, R. (1983). Behavioral management of children’s distress during painful medical procedures. Unpublished manuscript.
Jensen, R. A. (1955). The hospitalized child: Round table. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 25, 293–318.
Johnson, J. E., Kirchoff, K. T., & Endress, M. P. (1975). Altering children’s distress behavior during orthopedic case removal. Nursing Research, 24, 404–410.
Kelley, M. L., Jarvie, G. J., Middlebrook, J. L., McNeer, M. F., & Drabman, R. S. (1984). Decreasing burned children’s pain behavior: Impacting the trauma of hydrotherapy. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 17, 147–158.
Klingman, A., Melamed, B. G., Cuthbert, M. I., & Hermecz, D. A. (1984). Effects of participant modeling on information acquisition and skill utilization. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 52, 414–422.
Knight, R. B., Atkins, A., Eagle, C., Evans, N., Finkelstein, J. W., Fukushima, D., Katz, J., & Weiner, H. (1979). Psychological stress, ego-defense, and cortisol production in children hospitalized for elective surgery. Psychosomatic Medicine, 41, 40–49.
Kohen, D. (1986). Applications of relaxation/mental imagery (self-hypnosis) in pediatric emergencies. The International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 34, 283–294.
Kuttner, L. (1989). Management of young children’s acute pain and anxiety during invasive medical procedures. Pediatrician, 16, 39–44.
Kuttner, L., Bowman, M., & Teasdale, M. (1988). Psychological treatment of distress, pain, and anxiety for young children with cancer. Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 9, 374–381.
LaBaw, W., Holton, C., Tewell, K., & Eccles, D. (1975). The use of self-hypnosis by children with cancer. The American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 17, 233–238.
LaMontagne, L. L. (1984). Children’s locus of control beliefs as predictors of preoperative coping behavior. Nursing Research, 32, 76–79, 85.
LaMontagne, L. L. (1987). Children’s preoperative coping: Replication and extension. Nursing Research, 36, 163–167.
Lazarus, R. S., & Lanier, R. (1978). Stress-related transactions between person and environment. In L. A. Pervin & M. Lewis (Eds.), Perspectives in interactional psychology (pp. 287–327). New York: Plenum Press.
Lumley, M. A., Abeles, L. A., Melamed, B. G., Pistone, L. M., & Johnson, J. H. (1990). Coping outcomes in children undergoing stressful medical procedures: The role of child-environment variables. Behavioral Assessment, 12, 223–238.
Manne, S. L., Bakeman, R., Jacobsen, P., Gorfinkle, K., Bernstein, D., & Redd, W. (1992). Adult-child interaction during invasive medical procedures. Health Psychology, 11, 241–249.
Manne, S. L., Bakeman, R., Jacobsen, P., & Redd, W. H. (1993). Children’s coping during invasive medical procedures. Behavior Therapy, 24, 143–158.
Manne, S. L., Redd, W. H., Jacobsen, P. B., Gorfinkle, K., Shorr, O., & Rapkin, B. (1990). Behavioral intervention to reduce child and parent distress during venipuncture. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 58, 565–572.
Melamed, B. (1982). Reduction of medical fears: An information processing analysis. In J. Boulougouris (Ed.), Learning theory approaches to psychiatry (pp. 205–218). New York: WileyInterscience.
Melamed, B. G. (1993). Putting the family back in the child. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 31, 239–247.
Melamed, B. G., Dearborn, M. I., & Hermecz, D. A. (1983). Necessary considerations for surgery preparation: Age and previous experience. Psychosomatic Medicine, 45, 517–525.
Melamed, B. G., Meyer, R., Gee, C., & Soule, L. (1976). The influence of time and type of preparation on children’s adjustment to hospitalization. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 1, 31–37.
Melamed, B. G., Robbins, R. L., & Fernandez, J. (1982). Factors to be considered in psychological preparation for surgery. In D. Routh & M. Wolraich (Eds.), Advances in developmental and behavioral pediatrics (pp. 51–72). New York: JAI.
Melamed, B. G., & Siegel, L. J. (1975). Reduction of anxiety in children facing hospitalization and surgery by use of filmed modeling. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 43, 511–521.
Miller, S. M., Roussi, P., Caputo, G. C., & Kruus, L. (1995). Patterns of children’s coping with an aversive dental treatment. Health Psychology, 14, 236–246.
O’Byrne K., Peterson, L., & Saldana, L. (in press). Predicting the selection of effective prehospital preparation programs: Pediatric hospital response to survey. Health Psychology.
Olson, A. L., Johnson, S. G., Powers, L. E., Pope, J. B., & Klein, R. B. (1993). Cognitive coping strategies of children with chronic illness. Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 14, 217–223.
Peterson, L. (1984). A brief methodological comment on possible inaccuracies induced by multimodal measurement analysis and reporting. Journal of Behavior Medicine, 7, 307–313.
Peterson, L. (1989). Coping by children undergoing stressful medical procedures: Some conceptual, methodological, and therapeutic issues. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 57, 380–387.
Peterson, L., & Harbeck, C. (1988). The pediatric psychologist: Issues in professional development and practice. Champaign, IL: Research Press.
Peterson, L., Harbeck, C., Chaney, J., Farmer, J., & Thomas, A. M. (1990). Children’s coping with medical procedures: A conceptual overview and integration. Behavioral Assessment, 12, 197–212.
Peterson, L., Mori, L., & Carter, P. (1985). The role of the family in children’s responses to stressful medical procedures. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 14, 98–104.
Peterson, L., & Oliver, K. K. (1994). Prevention of injuries and diseases. In M. C. Roberts (Ed.), Handbook of pediatric psychology (pp. 185–199). New York: Guilford Press.
Peterson, L., & Ridley-Johnson, R. (1980). Pediatric hospital response to surgery on prehospital preparation for children. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 5, 1–7.
Peterson, L., Ridley-Johnson, R., Tracy, K., & Mullins, L. L. (1984). Developing cost-effective presurgical preparation: A comparative analysis. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 9, 274–296.
Peterson, L., Schultheis, K., Ridley-Johnson, R., Miller, D. V., & Tracy, K. C. (1984). Comparison of three modeling procedures on the presurgical and postsurgical reactions of children. Behavior Therapy, 15, 197–203.
Peterson, L., & Shigetomi, C. (1981). The use of coping techniques to minimize anxiety in hospitalized children. Behavior Therapy, 12, 1–14.
Peterson, L., & Shigetomi, C. (1982). One-year follow-up of elective surgery child patients perceiving preoperative preparation. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 7, 43–48.
Peterson, L., & Starr, L. (1994, April). Coping with medical procedures and injury: Issues in children coping with medical proced ures. Paper presented at the 15th Annual Scientific Session of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, Boston, MA.
Peterson, L., & Toler, S. M. (1986). An information seeking disposition in child surgery patients: Some preliminary evidence. Health Psychology, 5, 343–358.
Pidgeon, V. (1981). Children’s concepts of illness: Implications for health teaching. Maternal-Child Nursing Journal, 14, 23–35.
Pinto, R. P., & Hollandsworth, J. G. (1989). Using video tape modeling to prepare children psychologically for surgery: Influence of parents and costs versus benefits of providing preparation services. Health Psychology, 8, 79–95.
Polister, P. (1988). Ambulatory surgery: Some issues and considerations. American College of Surgery Bulletin, 73, 26–29.
Poster, E. C., (1983). Stress immunization: Techniques to help children cope with hospitalization. Maternal-Child Nursing Journal, 12, 119–134.
Powers, S. W., Blount, R. L., Bachanas, P. L., Cotter, M. W., & Swan, S. C. (1993). Helping preschool leukemia patients and their parents cope during injections. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 18, 681–695.
Prugh, D. G., & Jordon, K. (1975). Physical illness or injury: The hospital as a source of emotional disturbances in child and family. In I. N. Berlin (Ed.), Advocacy for children in mental health (pp. 208–249). New York: Brunner/Mazel.
Prugh, D. G., Staub, E. M., Sands, H. H., Kirschbaum, R. M., & Lenihan, E. A. (1953). A study of the emotional reactions of children and families to hospitalization and illness. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 23, 70–106.
Rapoff, M. A., Christophersen, E. R., & Rapoff, K. E. (1982). The management of common childhood bedtime problems by pediatric nurse practitioners. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 7, 179–196.
Rasnake, L. K., & Linscheid, T. R. (1989). Anxiety reduction in children receiving medical care: Developmental considerations. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 10, 169–175.
Roder, R. E., Lewis, T. M., & Law, D. B. (1961). Physiological responses of dentists to the presence of the parent in the operatory. Journal of Dentistry for Children, 28, 263–270.
Roskies, E., Mongeon, M., & Gagnon-Lefebre, B. (1978). Increasing participation in the hospitalization of young children. Medical Care, 16, 765–777.
Schultheis, K., Peterson, L., & Selby, V. (1987). Preparation for stressful medical procedures and person x treatment interactions. Clinical Psychology Review, 7, 329–352.
Shaw, E. G., & Routh, D. K. (1982). Effects of mother presence on children’s reaction to adverse procedures. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 7, 33–42.
Sheridan, M. S. (1975). Talk time for hospitalized children. Social Work, 20, 40–44.
Siegel, L. J. (1976). Preparation of children of hospitalization: A selected review of the research literature. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 1, 26–30.
Siegel, L. J. (1981, April). Naturalistic study of coping strategies in children facing medical proced ures. Paper presented at the meeting of the Southeastern Psychological Association, Atlanta, GA.
Siegel, L. J., & Peterson, L. (1980). Stress reduction in young dental patients through coping skills and sensory information. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 48, 785–787.
Siegel, L. J., & Peterson, L. (1981). Maintenance effects of coping skills and sensory information on young children’s response to repeated dental procedures. Behavior Therapy, 12, 530–535.
Simeonsson, R. J., Buckley, L., & Munson, L. (1979). Conceptions of illness causality in hospitalized children. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 4, 77–84.
Skipper, J. K., & Leonard, R. C. (1968). Children, stress, and hospitalization: A field experiment. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 9, 275–287.
Skipper, J. K., Leonard, R. C., & Rhymes, J. (1968). Child hospitalization and social interaction: An experimental study of mothers’ feelings of stress, adaptation, and satisfaction. Medical Care, 6, 496–506.
Smith, K. E., Ackerson, J. P., & Blotcky, A. D. (1989). Reducing distress during invasive medical procedures: Relating behavioral interventions to preferred coping style in pediatric cancer patients. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 14, 405–419.
Smith, K. E., Ackerson, J. P., Blotcky, A. D., & Berkow, R. (1990). Preferred coping styles of pediatric cancer patients during invasive medical procedures. Journal of Psychosocial Oncology, 8, 59–70.
Thompson, M. L. (1994). Information-seeking coping and anxiety in school-age children anticipating surgery. Children’s Health Care, 23, 87–97.
Venham, L. L. (1973). The effect of the mother’s presence on the child’s response to a stressful situation. Unpublished manuscript. University of Connecticut, Storrs.
Vernon, D.T.A., Foley, J. M., & Shulman, J. L. (1967). Effect of mother—child separation and birth order on young children’s responses to two potentially stressful experiences. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 5, 162–174.
Vernon, D.T.A., & Thompson, R. H. (1993). Research on the effect of experimental interventions on children’s behavior after hospitalization: A review and synthesis. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 14, 36–44.
Weisz, J. R., McCabe, M. A., & Dennig, M. D. (1994). Primary and secondary control among children undergoing medical procedures: Adjustment as a function of coping style. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 62, 324–332.
Wilson, A. M. (1982). A familiar face. Anaesthesia, 37, 1225.
Wolfer, J. A., & Visintainer, M. A. (1975). Pediatric surgery patients’ and parents’ stress responses and adjustment. Nursing Research, 24, 244–255.
Zastowny, T. R., Kirschenbaum, D. S., & Meng, A. L. (1986). Coping skills training for children: Effect on distress before, during, and after hospitalization for surgery. Health Psychology, 5, 231–247.
Zeltzer, L., & LeBaron, S. (1982). Hypnosis and nonhypnotic techniques for reduction of pain and anxiety during painful procedures in children and adolescents with cancer. Journal of Pediatrics, 101, 1032–1035.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1997 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Peterson, L., Oliver, K.K., Saldana, L. (1997). Children’s Coping with Stressful Medical Procedures. In: Wolchik, S.A., Sandler, I.N. (eds) Handbook of Children’s Coping. Issues in Clinical Child Psychology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2677-0_12
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2677-0_12
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-3269-3
Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-2677-0
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive