Journal of child health care : for professionals working with children in the hospital and community
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J Child Health Care · Jun 2017
A two-week inpatient programme with a booster improved long-term management of severe chronic paediatric pain.
In the context of limited healthcare resources and increasing demands for more cost-effective healthcare solutions, this study assessed the short- and long-term clinical outcomes and resource utilization of a two-week inpatient, interdisciplinary, pain treatment (IIPT) including individual and group cognitive behavioural, occupational, physical and recreational therapy, education and family intervention and a booster in the chronic paediatric pain setting. Using a longitudinal design with a two-year follow-up, two-week IIPT resulted in sustainable improvements in mean and maximum pain intensity, physical functioning and internalization and reductions in the mean number of medical visits, school absence and frequency of pain medication at year 2 following IIPT. While pain-related disability scores did not improve, problem-focused coping became more prevalent, and patient and parent-assessed satisfaction as well as pain experience continued to improve throughout the study. Our results demonstrate that a two-week IIPT with a booster confers meaningful short- and long-term improvements in clinical outcomes and resource utilization among paediatric patients with severe chronic pain.
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J Child Health Care · Sep 2016
Randomized Controlled TrialThe effects of three different distraction methods on pain and anxiety in children.
This study aims to investigate of three different distraction methods (distraction cards, listening to the music of cartoon and balloon inflation) on pain and anxiety relief of children during phlebotomy. This study is a prospective, randomized, and controlled trial. The sample consisted of 6 to 12 years old children who require blood tests. ⋯ The distraction card group (2.33 ± 3.24) had significantly lower pain levels (p = .057) than the control group (4.53 ± 3.23). The procedural child anxiety levels reported by the observer showed a significant difference among the study groups (p = .032). All the forms of distraction significantly reduced pain and anxiety perception.
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J Child Health Care · Sep 2016
Anxiety, depression, and quality of life in Iranian mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is being more recognized and diagnosed in developing as well as developed countries. We aimed to investigate the frequency of anxiety, depression, and quality of life in mothers of children with ASD in Iranian families. We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study on demographic data and mental health characteristics of 127 mothers of children with ASD. ⋯ Duration since diagnosis of ASD positively correlated with maternal depression. Anxiety, depression, and low HRQOL are more common in Iranian mothers with autistic children in our study. Our findings have implications for further investigation in mental health status of mothers of children with ASD, and providing educational support and interventional strategies may improve the mental health status of the entire family.
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J Child Health Care · Jun 2016
Psychologists in preoperative programmes for children undergoing surgery.
This study aimed to verify whether psychologists and game activities could reduce preoperative anxiety and promote compliance in paediatric patients. More specifically, we sought to evaluate whether it would be better to propose contextualized games or just distracting activities. A total of 104 children undergoing surgery were assigned to the following 4 conditions of treatment: (1) contextual games and psychological accompaniment, (2) only contextual games, (3) distracting activities, and (4) only psychological accompaniment. ⋯ Children in the first condition (complete intervention - contextual games and psychological accompaniment) were less anxious and more cooperative in the preoperative period and during the induction of anaesthesia than in the other three conditions. In particular, contextual activities (second condition) were found to be more efficient than psychological accompaniment (fourth condition), whereas the worst condition was proposing only distracting activities (third condition). In order to help young hospitalized patients in paediatric surgery structures, it is necessary to propose games that can prepare them for what will happen as well as the support of a psychologist.
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J Child Health Care · Sep 2015
My dad's a 'barbie' man and my mum's the cooking girl: Boys and the social construction of food and nutrition.
Academics from a variety of disciplines claim that gender has an influence on men's and women's food choices and portion sizes at mealtime and snack time. While these socially constructed norms present health-related implications for both men and women, it is arguable that men have a greater risk of problems associated with overweight as a consequence of gendered food choices and dietary practices. ⋯ The voices of boys provide the opportunity to understand how gendered food choices, among males, emerge in contemporary Western culture. Such research can also potentially play a role in developing strategies to assist boys in making healthy food selection, which will ultimately assist their food-related health literacy as they move towards adolescence and adulthood.