INFLUENCE OF HEALTH STATUS, GENDER, AND ANXIETY ON THE STRESS AND COPING PROCESSES OF HOSPITALIZED SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN (ILLNESS).
Contributors: University of California, San Francisco.
Published: 1990
Number of pages: 297
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Psychology, Developmental.
Description: This study investigated the influence of health status (acutely or chronically ill), gender, and trait anxiety on the stress and coping process of hospitalized children, ages 8 through 11. Two aspects were examined: (1) the specific events appraised as stressful and the coping behaviors used in response to the events, and (2) the appraised stressfulness of the global event of hospitalization and the perceived effectiveness of the coping process. Conceptualization of the study was guided by Lazarus' theory of stress and coping and Piaget's theory of the cognitive development of children.

The design was nonexperimental and cross-sectional. The convenience sample was comprised of 82 children admitted to a pediatric unit in one of six California hospitals. The children completed six self-report instruments.

Through content analysis, six categories of stressful events were identified: intrusive events, physical symptoms, therapeutic interventions, restricted activity, separation, and environment. Synthesis of prior research resulted in six categories of coping behaviors used by hospitalized children: cognitive processing, cognitive restructuring, cooperation, countermeasures, control, and seeking support. Based on these categories, analysis of the interviews indicated that of the six possible relationships between the dependent variables of health status, gender, and trait anxiety and the independent variables of stress appraisal and coping behaviors, only the relationship between health status and stress appraisal was statistically significant; chronically ill children identified more intrusive events and acutely ill children identified more physical symptoms as stressful.

Data pertaining to the global hospital experience were examined using path analysis. As a set, health status, gender, and trait anxiety accounted for 14% of the variance in the children's stress appraisal; trait anxiety alone contributed significantly to the model. Trait anxiety is positively related to appraisal of hospitalization as stressful. As a set, health status, gender, and trait anxiety accounted for 12% of the variance in perception of coping effectiveness; both health status and trait anxiety contributed significantly to the model. Acutely ill children perceive their coping as more effective than chronically ill children, and trait anxiety is inversely related to perception of coping effectiveness. Gender did not have a significant influence in any of the analyses.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 52-02, Section: B, page: 0746.

Thesis (D.N.S.)--UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO, 1990.

School code: 0034.