Fears of school-age children during hospitalization and their coping strategies

Abstract EN

-Background: Hospitalization can produce stress, anxiety and fear among pediatric patients irrespective of the reasons for hospitalization.

Surgery can be both physically and psychologically threatening for school age children.

The preoperative period is considered a stressful, fear -filled time.

Hospitalized children often experience the highest anxiety prior to surgery that in turn can be a significant factor affecting recovery.

Hospitalization and surgery have many adverse psychological effects on school age children that may be prevented or minimized by psychological preoperative intervention procedures.

A convenient sample of 110 school-age children from medical & surgical units of University Pediatric Hospital at El-Shatby and Students Health Insurance Hospital in Alexandria were included in the study.

Data was collected through a socio-demographic and clinical data questionnaire, Child Medical Fear Scale (CMFS) and Schoolagers’ Coping Strategies Inventory (SCSI).

Results of the present study revealed that most feared items for hospitalized children are operating room, getting a shot, dying in hospital and failure in school .The most frequent coping strategies used by hospitalized children are praying, talking to someone, offending someone, crying and feeling sad.

A statistically significant relation was found between level of fears and sex.

An educational program is recommended to help the nurses to be oriented with children's fears in order to help them cope.