Abstract

SILVEIRA, Kelly Ambrósio; LIMA, Vanessa Laquini  and  PAULA, Kely Maria Pereira de. Stress, pain, and coping in hospitalized children: relations with family stress. Rev. SBPH [online]. 2018, vol.21, n.2, pp. 5-21. ISSN 1516-0858.

Child hospitalization causes intense experiences in the child and in the family, and it is important to identify stress indicators and strategies used to cope with adversity. This research analyzed the relationships between stress indicators manifested by children and their families, pain perceived by children and their coping with hospitalization, as well as personal and clinical variables. Data from a sample of 31 children between 8 and 12 years of age, hospitalized from the second day, and their caregivers, were collected in two public pediatric hospitals at Grande Vitória, ES. The relatives answered an identification questionnaire and the Inventory of Symptoms of Stress in Adults. Children answered the instruments: Pain Faces Scale, Child Stress Scale and a coping hospitalization assessment tool. About 60% of the caregivers and 33% of the children presented stress. There was no positive correlation between family stress and children stress. There were no significant correlations between family stress and perceived pain and maladaptive coping behaviors in children as well. Further studies are needed to address other variables related to stress caused by hospitalization, also using a wider variety of evaluative resources.

Keywords : children hospitalization; stress; pain; coping behavior.

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