Examining Validity and Reliability of the Emotional Reactions Checklist with Hospitalized Children

The relation between psychosocial symptoms and parenting styles in hospitalized children

OBJECTIVE

Hospitalization is a serious experience affecting emotional, physical and developmental needs of the children. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between psychosocial symptoms and parenting styles in hospitalized children.

DESIGN AND METHODS

The sample of this cross-sectional descriptive study consisted of parents of hospitalized children between the ages of 6-12 years. The data collection tools included 'Scale for Diagnosis of Psychosocial Symptom for Inpatient children (SDPSIC)' and 'Multidimensional Parenting Assessment Scale (MAPS)'.

RESULTS

The highest scores for psychosocial symptoms belonged to anxiety (8.64 ± 2.03) and regressive behaviours (3.89 ± 1.59). The highest scores for parenting styles belonged to warmth (13.30 ± 1.98) and supportiveness (12.69 ± 2.33). Parenting styles were predictore of the hospitalized child's psychosocial symptoms and explained 23% of the variance in psychosocial symptoms. While a positive relation existed between lax control, hostility, physical control parenting styles and psychosocial symptoms like anxiety, regressive behaviours, communication difficulty; a negative relation occured between warmth, positive reinforcement styles and anger-aggression.

CONCLUSIONS

Focusing to the processes associating parenting styles and parenting practices with child outcomes will make the understanding of psychosocial symptoms of the child in hospitalization process easier.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Identification of psychosocial symptoms-related risk factors in hospitalized children will contribute to compliance of the child to disease and treatment as well.

Nurse Practitioner-Administered Chloroprocaine in Children with Postoperative Pain

BACKGROUND

Pain is a complex physical and emotional experience. Therefore, assessment of acute pain requires self-report when possible, observations of emotional and behavioral responses and changes in vital signs. Peripheral nerve and epidural catheters often provide postoperative analgesia in children. Administration of chloroprocaine (a short acting local anesthetic) via a peripheral nerve or epidural catheter allows for a comparison of pain scores, observations of emotional and behavioral responses and changes in vital signs to determine catheter function.

AIMS

The aims of this study are to describe the use chloroprocaine injections for testing catheters; patient response; and how changes to pain management are guided by the patient response.

METHODS

This study describes the use of chloroprocaine injections to manage pain and assess the function of peripheral nerve or epidural catheters in a pediatric population. We examined 128 surgical patients, (0-25 years old), who received chloroprocaine injections for testing peripheral nerve or epidural catheters. Patient outcomes included: blood pressure, respiratory rate, heart rate and pain intensity scores.

RESULTS

There were no significant adverse events. The injection guided intervention by determining the function of regional analgesia in the majority (98.5%) of patients.

DISCUSSION

Chloroprocaine injections appear to be useful to evaluate functionality of peripheral nerve and epidural catheters after surgery in a pediatric population.