Effects of Parent Presence on Children's Reactions to Injections: Behavioral, Physiological, and Subjective Aspects

Abstract

Observed 47 children ranging in age from 13 months to 7 years 9 months receiving injections as part of a regular visit to a pediatric clinic. Twenty-three children were randomly assigned to a condition with parent (mainly mothers) present and 24 to a condition with parent absent. During the medical procedure, the child's reactions were observed via videotape (for later behavioral coding) and physiological recording (to measure heart rates). Following the injection, data were collected on the child's preference of condition (either parent present or parent absent) for future injections. Older children (but not younger ones) showed significantly more behavioral distress when the parent was present. However, the oldest children's preference of condition for future injections was overwhelmingly that of parent present (86%).

Pediatric nurses view about parental presence during children's painful procedures

“…[8][9][10][11][12] Ayrıca ebeveynler gibi çocuklarında işlemler sırasında ebeveynleri ile birlikte olmak istedikleri yapılan çalışmalarla belirlenmiştir. [13][14][15] Ebeveynlerin işlemler sırasında çocuklarıyla birlikte olamamaları ebeveynlerin anksiyetelerini artırmaktadır. [16] Ağrılı işlemler sırasında ebeveynin çocuğunun yanında olması çocuğu için yapılan uygulamayı görmesini sağ-lar ve aile üyeleri ile sağlık personeli arasında güçlü bir bağ kurulmasına da yardımcı olur ve çocuğun stresi azalıp işleme uyumunu artırır.…”

Hospitalized children’s opinions about peripheral venous access process (PVAP)

“…Parental involvement with the child during painful process may increase pain tolerance 30,31 . Studies have indicated that children want their parents to be present with them during painful process 4,13,26,28,29,32 . Nurses should encourage the parents to be with the child during the process.…”

“…It has been found in Carmen et al that very painful medical process are the more stressful ones for children than the sickness itself 3 . In many studies, children's responses to painful and bothering medical process have been determined as anxiety, agitation, crying, rigidity and resistance in muscles, emotional withdrawal, escape behaviors and aggression [4][5][6][7][8] . 1 This paper was presented at the I. Additionally, the reactions of children to painful and stressful process and their refusal of these process can affect the performance and emotional state of the health personnel who perform these process.…”

Management of paediatric procedure-related cancer pain

“…There is little doubt that children may be more disruptive if their parents are present. 68,69 Observations of parent-child interactions during medical procedures suggest that parents may influence child distress by modelling distress behaviour, and/or that parents may differentially reinforce distress behaviours. For example, child distress has been observed to be greater when parents engage in behaviours that appear to communicate anxiety, such as agitation.…”