bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
How does the intervention of cardiac surgery affect the self‐perception of children with congenital heart disease?
Authors: Wray  , Sensky  
Published: March 2003

Background There is little published information about the self‐perceptions of children with chronic physical diseases and the ways in which self‐perceptions might change as a result of treatment. An innovative measure of self‐perception is described, suitable for use by children of widely varying ages as well as by parents. Methods The instrument used assessed eight constructs contributing to self‐perception, and also measured differences between perceptions of actual and ideal self. Children (n= 31; age 5–15 years) with congenital heart disease (CHD) were assessed prior to surgery and 1 year post‐operatively. Comparisons were made with children before and 1 year after bone marrow transplantation (BMT), and with healthy children. Results There were no differences between the groups in ideal self‐perceptions, but the CHD children rated themselves as weaker, more frightened and more ill than the healthy group. Given the differences in symptomatology and illness experience of children with cyanotic and acyanotic lesions, surprisingly few differences emerged in the self‐perceptions of these two groups, although differences were found among younger and older children assessed separately. Significant improvements were found in self‐perceptions of the CHD and BMT groups following treatment, and at follow‐up, no significant differences remained between the CHD and healthy groups. In the latter, self‐perception was largely unchanged between the two assessments. Conclusions Assessment of self‐perception should be an integral part of the assessment of health outcomes in childhood illness. The study demonstrated the significant improvement in self‐perception following surgery for CHD. The results also support the validity, reliability and sensitivity to change of the assessment measure.
The lifestyle assessment questionnaire: an instrument to measure the impact of disability on the lives of children with cerebral palsy and their families
Authors: Mackie P C , Jessen E C , Jarvis S N 
Published: March 2003

SummarySuitable measures of health and morbidity are less readily available for children than they are for adults. We present a measure, which is used to describe the impact of impairment and disability on the lives of children with cerebral palsy and their families. The development of this measure involved data collected from 691 children with cerebral palsy contained within the North‐East England Cerebral Palsy Register and born between 1960 and 1985. Uniquely, multidimensional scaling techniques were used to derive dimensions analogous with those described in the International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities, and Handicaps. We present the analyses undertaken to test the properties of the tool, which show that it is a reliable and valid measure of the disadvantages experienced by children with cerebral palsy.
Developing rational protocols for paediatric psychopharmacological prescribing
Authors: Gringras P. , McNicholas F. 
Published: March 2003

The number of child psychiatrists, paediatricians and general practitioners prescribing psychotropic medication for children in the UK is increasing. Medication is being used not just to treat children of normal intelligence with hyperkinetic disorder or depression, but also to modify behavioural problems in children with developmental disorders and severe learning difficulties. Literature reviews highlight the lack of robust randomized controlled drug trials on which to base clinical practice and the authors have found no appropriate existing protocols to help develop a systematized approach.Against such a background the authors have developed a comprehensive set of protocols covering prescribing details for individual drugs, and also addressing issues such as informed consent, long‐term monitoring and school liaison. All children referred to the authors’ clinics go through a standardized decision‐making process. This article describes both the protocols themselves and the philosophies that guided their development. The authors describe how such a system benefits the children, their families, general practitioners and schools, whilst also facilitating audit and research.
Crying patterns of Korean infants in institutions
Authors: Lee K 
Published: March 2003

SummaryThis study investigates whether the crying pattern of infants reared in institutions is different from those reared at home in the same cultural backgrounds. Ninety‐five institutional infants and 143 home infants, aged 2–18 weeks were studied through diaries, recorded by children’s care‐givers or mothers. Results showed that the crying duration of the infants in institutions was almost double that of infants at home (86 vs 45 min/day) and contact period with the care‐givers was half that of home infants (136 vs 279 min/day). In addition, the duration of periods when the babies were alone was much longer in the institution group (1089 vs 1002 min/day). There was a tendency for both groups of institution and home infants to cry more during the evening (from 18.00 to 24.00 h) but there was no definite peak of crying at any age except the slight increase of crying after 12 weeks for the institution group. When compared with research on Western infants, the daily crying durations of both institution and home infants fall short of those of their Western counterparts. The effect of care‐giving style on the crying pattern, including physical proximity, is discussed.
Risk factors for failure to thrive: a population‐based survey
Authors: Wright C , Birks E 
Published: March 2003

SummaryAim To identify whether differences exist between failure to thrive children and controls in either demographic characteristics or parental rating of their eating and other behaviour.Methods As part of an intervention study, 97 children with failure to thrive were identified by population screening and received a standardized assessment by their health visitor at a median age of 15.1 months. This included standard questions to parents concerning their perception of their child’s feeding history and behaviour. Their responses were compared with the parents of 28 normally growing children aged 16–18 months, systematically sampled from the same district.Results Cases had fallen through a mean of 1.69 weight standard deviation score and were markedly underweight for height. The case families had similar levels of deprivation, both to controls and city norms, and only four showed evidence of major neglect. Failure to thrive children had significantly more infancy feeding problems and were introduced to solids and finger foods later than controls; they were significantly more often described as variable eaters, undemanding and shy and less often as hungry. Cases liked most foods, but significantly less so than controls.Conclusions This suggests that the role of deprivation and neglect has been overstated and that undemanding behaviour, low appetite and poor feeding skills may contribute to the onset and persistence of failure to thrive.
Psychosocial impact of an X‐linked hereditary disease: a study of Alport syndrome patients and family members
Authors: Pajari H. , Sinkkonen J. 
Published: March 2003

SummaryA nationwide search for patients with Alport syndrome (AS), a hereditary nephritis with sensorineural hearing loss and occasional ocular anomalies, was performed. As AS is usually transmitted in an X‐linked fashion, its form is usually severe in male and mild in female patients. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 24 patients with AS and their family members from 17 families and 11 pedigrees. The emphasis was on psychosocial stress experienced in everyday life, as well as the influence of AS on family relationships, especially mother–son relationships. Special attention was paid to children’s reactions and feelings as well as the coping strategies of the family.Denial was the most common psychological defence found in our study. We found several cases where AS had led to chronic mental suffering. One of the patterns was a combination of maternal depression and an overprotective attitude toward an AS‐affected son. In other instances, depressive symptomatology and anxiety were seen in connection with complications and an adverse outcome of the disease.Families with any AS manifestations should be encouraged to discuss openly the past histories of family members, their fears, feelings of guilt, hopes and expectations. The role and empathic attitude of the clinician is crucial in this process. Mildly affected mothers who have sons with AS are especially in need of psychological support. Professional psychological help should be made available but not given routinely.
Dyslexia: a developmental language disorder
Authors: Simpson S 
Published: March 2003

SummaryThe acquisition of literacy in an alphabetic script such as English makes heavy demands on linguistic skills. The relation between spoken and written language however, is far from straightforward. This article reviews the research that suggests that phonological processing skills are crucial in the translation of symbols to sounds, and the development of rapid and automatic decoding skills. It examines research that indicates that children whose phonological processing skills are compromised in some way, are at‐risk of experiencing difficulties in the acquisition of literacy; it supports the suggestion that dyslexia can be viewed as lying on the continuum of developmental language disorders. It goes on to relate theory to practice and discusses the responsibilities of health care professionals in relation to the early identification of dyslexia, and makes suggestions regarding intervention. In particular, it looks at the responsibilities of speech and language therapy services in the care and management of children with dyslexia.
Matching short break services for children with learning disabilities to family needs and preferences
Authors: McConkey R , Adams L 
Published: March 2003

SummaryShort breaks or respite care is a much‐valued service by families and the demand for it is likely to exceed supply. It is all the more imperative that the services provided are matched to the needs and preferences of families. A census was undertaken within one Health and Social Services Board in Northern Ireland of families who received short break services for their child with disabilities during a 12‐month period. Information was also collected on pertinent child and family characteristics. This enabled profiles to be drawn up of the recipients of six types of short‐term breaks: (1) hospital‐based overnight care; (2) overnight stays in a residential home; (3) domiciliary service in the family home; (4) breaks provided in another family home; (5) residential holidays; and (6) breaks provided through leisure schemes organized after‐school or during holidays. A second study entailed interviews with families who were resident in one area served by a Health and Social Service Trust regarding their usage and preferences for each type of service noted above. This too identified variations in parental preferences and usage. This information gathered should assist commissioners in developing cost‐beneficial short break services although further research is needed to validate the possible predictors for each service.
Prevalence of imaginary companions in a normal child population
Authors: Pearson D , Rouse H , Doswell S , Ainsworth C , Dawson O , Simms K , Edwards L , Faulconbridge J 
Published: March 2003

SummaryApproximately 1800 children between the ages of 5 and 12 years were randomly selected and asked whether they had present or past experiences of imaginary companions. It was found that 829 (46.2%) children reported experiences of imaginary companions. These findings were unexpected as previous studies had suggested that imaginary companions are generally experienced by fewer, much younger children. There were no significant differences in creativity scores between children who reported imaginary companions compared with those who did not. Imaginary companions were reported by more girls than boys, and were not restricted to very young children.
Infant motor development and equipment use in the home
Authors: Abbott A.L. , Bartlett D. J. 
Published: March 2003

SummaryForty‐three mother–infant dyads were recruited to determine the relationship between both total equipment use and the use of individual pieces of equipment and infant motor development. At 8 months of age, total and individual equipment use was determined by parental survey and infant motor development was assessed using the Alberta Infant Motor Scale. Statistically significant correlations were found for the relationships between total equipment use and infant motor development (r = −0.50, P = 0.001) and individual pieces of equipment [exersaucer (r = −0.58, P = 0.001), highchair (r = −0.32, P = 0.04), and infant seat (r = −0.32, P = 0.03)] and infant motor development. These findings suggest that infants who have high equipment use tend to score lower on infant motor development or that infants who have low equipment use tend to score higher on infant motor development. Limitations of this cross‐sectional study make it difficult to determine causality between these constructs. If equipment use is found to be causally related to infant motor development and predictive of later motor development in a future prospective study, parental education emphasizing the moderate use of equipment within the home environment might be warranted.
Bedwetting, behaviour and self‐esteem: a review of the literature
Authors: Redsell S A , Collier J 
Published: March 2003

SummaryAim The aim of this review was to examine the empirical evidence on the impact of bedwetting and its treatment on a child's self‐esteem and behaviour.Inclusion criteria The inclusion criteria for this review were empirical studies conducted on children, aged 5–16 years old, with primary nocturnal enuresis using measures of self‐esteem or behaviour. Studies utilizing psychological measurement scales completed by children were the main focus although those that used scales completed by parents were also included.Search strategies The electronic databases from 1981 to 1999 were searched, and hand searching of the literature dating back to 1973 was conducted using the reference lists of key papers.Research findings Fifteen empirical studies matched the inclusion criteria. There was only one randomised‐controlled trial and the rest of the studies were cohort, case‐control or cross‐sectional design. Evidence of sample bias predominantly due to the use hospital‐based and/or ‘volunteer’ subjects was found in five studies. A further five studies used birth cohort data, which excludes important variables such as the impact of treatment. Four studies used single parent‐reported measures, which may under or over‐estimate the problem. No large cohort studies were available which compare the self‐esteem of bedwetting children with matched controls. The most interesting line of enquiry is pursued by studies looking at whether self‐esteem improves with successful treatment. However, the use of self‐selected subject groups does not make the current evidence convincing and more work is required to determine outcomes for all children. There is empirical evidence for increased behavioural problems in bedwetting children. Studies conducted on younger children report less behavioural problems with more reported in studies conducted on older children with complex wetting disorders. This may point towards wetting being the primary problem, but more work is needed, as causation in any direction is difficult to ascertain from the literature.
Children's representations of pets in their social networks
Authors: McNicholas J , Collis G M 
Published: March 2003

AbstractObjectives To develop a child‐friendly methodology to study children's representations of social support available from their personal relationships; and to examine children's representations of support from their pets compared to support from human relationships.Design Participants were 22 year‐3 primary school children aged 7–8 years. They were asked to list all the people and animals important to them and then to select a ‘top 10’ of most special relationships. Using a story‐based methodology, children were asked who from their ‘top 10’ they would turn to if they were the child in the story.Results Consistency in the data indicated that the children could reliably discriminate between different relationships in terms of the support functions they serve. Pets were often ranked higher than certain kinds of human relationship, and they featured prominently as providers of comfort, esteem support and confidantes for a secret. Confidence in these findings is gained through pets not being nominated for functions they could not realistically perform.
Knowledge and attitudes in multicultural health care
Authors: Menon S , McKinlay IA , Faragher EB 
Published: March 2003

SummaryHealth professionals' knowledge of ethnic minority cultures and lifestyles was assessed to determine whether the respondents' cultural background and experience of working with ethnic minorities affected the health care delivered by them and to assess the need for training. Improving access to health services for ethnic minorities requires continuing education and training of all health professionals.
‘What is it?’: findings on preschoolers’ responses to play with medical equipment
Authors: McGrath P , Huff N 
Published: March 2003

SummaryWhen young people enter a hospital they are exposed to a foreign world of unfamiliar people, medical equipment and language. Children diagnosed with leukaemia are particularly vulnerable to repeated exposure to these distressing hospital visits. Assessing a child's understanding of the stresses associated with treatment during hospitalization is now seen as a key element of caring for the paediatric patient. A population particularly vulnerable to the effects of the stress of intensive treatments during hospitalization are preschool children. In order to understand the impact on leukaemia preschool children of intensive hospital treatment it is necessary to have comparative information on healthy peers who have not been exposed to such treatment experiences. This article presents findings from recent qualitative research that explored the beliefs held by healthy preschoolers about what happens in hospital, what it means to be sick, their reactions to and knowledge of medical equipment and their level of knowledge regarding cancer and leukaemia. It is the hope and expectation that the findings will be used comparatively to contribute to a deeper understanding of the world of the child coping with leukaemia and related disorders.
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome — a defect in circulatory control?
Authors: Matthews T. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThe majority of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) infants die during sleep and especially during the overnight sleep period. Recent evidence from SIDS cases, which occurred while on a cardiorespiratory monitor at home, has suggested that the mechanism of death involves circulatory failure, with the development of a shock like state, associated with a progressive bradycardia in the presence of continued breathing movements. In this paper we explore the circulatory effects of sleep and in particular the down regulation of the baroreceptor reflex, associated with a reduction in vasomotor tone and a fall in central venous return, cardiac output and blood pressure. This sequence of events would be exacerbated by many of the known SIDS risk factors, namely the prone sleeping position, overheating and co‐sleeping. Poor central venous return, with diminished cardic distension could induce a progressive bradycardia as occurs in adults with neuro‐cardiogenic syncope. Alternatively a reduced cardiac output could result in the rapid onset of severe hypoxia through poor lung perfusion. The effects of sleep on circulatory control deserve further study in infants.
The school experience of the child with cancer
Authors: Vance Y. H. , Eiser C. 
Published: March 2003

SummaryObjective To review literature investigating school absence, behaviour problems and social relationships of children with cancer on return to school. Additionally, we reviewed interventions aimed at promoting successful school re‐entry for children with cancer, and increasing classmates and teachers understanding of childhood cancer.
Methods
Electronic searches were used to identify studies examining the effects of school re‐entry on children with cancer.
Results and Conclusions
School absences are higher for children with cancer than healthy children and those with other chronic conditions. Although there is mixed evidence about whether children have significant behavioural problems, studies involving social relationships generally conclude that children with cancer are more sensitive and isolated than peers, according to both peer and teacher report.
Communicating a diagnosis of developmental disability to parents: multiprofessional negotiation frameworks
Authors: Bartolo P.A. 
Published: March 2003

SummaryIt is a hard task for professionals to give and parents to receive the bad news about a child’s developmental disability. This study describes how findings about four preschool children, with difficulties suspected to lie within the autistic spectrum, were negotiated with parents by two multiprofessional groups, one in a Medical (Site M) and one in an Education setting (Site E). Each assessment was undertaken over half a day, the professionals jointly interacting with the child and family. All assessment discussions were audiotaped and each participant was interviewed after the assessment. Conversation analysis showed the activation of three major social‐interaction frameworks: professionals at both sites applied a parent‐friendly frame, but this was complemented by a hopeful‐diagnostic‐formulation frame at Site M, and a defocusing‐of‐bad‐news frame at Site E.
Facilitating factors and barriers to the implementation of intensive home‐based behavioural intervention for young children with autism
Authors: Johnson Emma , Hastings Richard P. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractBackground Although international interest in intensive home‐based early behavioural intervention for children with autism is increasing, there is little or no published research on the experiences of families conducting these programmes.Methods One hundred and forty‐one UK parents conducting Lovaas‐style interventions with their young child with autism were asked to identify factors that acted as facilitative factors and barriers to the implementation of these programmes. Parents responded to written questions contained within a questionnaire survey, and their responses were subjected to a content analysis procedure.Results Several of the facilitative factors and barriers were found to be similar. For example, a supportive therapy team was the most frequently cited facilitative factor, and problems recruiting and maintaining a suitable team was the most frequently reported barrier. Other factors seemed to be more independent constructs. For example, an important barrier was the lack of time and personal energy, but plenty of time and energy was not cited as a facilitative factor.Conclusions The practical implications of these results for families and for services supporting families engaged in intensive early behavioural intervention are discussed. In addition, more general implications for the designers of behavioural intervention programmes are identified.