ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To determine how worrisome some situations are for school-age children and if parents can identify how worrisome the situation would be for their child. DESIGN: Descriptive. SETTING: Families' homes. PARTICIPANTS: 48 school age-children (7-11 years old), 40 mothers, 8 fathers. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The 27-item "What Worries You (Your Child) the Most" questionnaire. RESULTS: For the most part, parents were able to ascertain what would worry their child the most. However, they did underestimate the importance of pets to children as well as adequate family income. There were significant differences in child and parent perceptions of three items ranked among the most worrisome: "being asked to take drugs," being in a war," and "hearing parents quarrel." Age and gender of children were not significant factors in the distribution of scores. CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicate that considerable discrepancies can exist between what the parent and the child perceive as worrisome.
Subject(s)
Psychology, Child , Stress, Psychological , Age Factors , Chi-Square Distribution , Child , Female , Humans , Male , Parent-Child Relations , Parents , Psychology, Child/statistics & numerical data , Sex Factors , Social Class , Statistics, Nonparametric , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
Twenty-seven pregnant women (5-22 weeks gestation) participated in a study to determine the efficacy of SeaBands for the control of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy (NVP). NVP was reduced by 50% for these women. SeaBands are more effective if applied early in the symptom experience; less if applied late. SeaBands have considerable potential for a drug-free and noninvasive approach to control NVP.
Subject(s)
Acupuncture Points , Nausea/therapy , Pregnancy Complications/therapy , Pressure , Vomiting/therapy , Female , Humans , Incidence , Longitudinal Studies , Nausea/epidemiology , Pregnancy , Pregnancy Complications/epidemiology , Vomiting/epidemiologyABSTRACT
This is a report of a comparative study of body-related knowledge and concerns expressed by three groups of school-age children with (a) a diagnosis of cancer, (b) a chronic or acute orthopedic problem of the extremities, and (c) no serious health problem. Information was obtained from interviews using the Gellert index of Body Knowledge, a sentence-completion test, and a freehand drawing of a house. Data were examined using distributive and comparative statistics. The meaning and clinical usefulness of the findings are discussed.
Subject(s)
Attitude to Health , Body Image , Neoplasms/psychology , Patient Education as Topic/standards , Adolescent , Child , Female , Humans , Male , Neoplasms/nursing , Psychological TestsABSTRACT
This is part one of a programme of research directed toward the assessment of the Quality of Life (QOL) in chronically ill school-aged children. Phase I empirically derived QOL indicators of specific value to school-aged children. The ultimate purpose is to help health care professionals reduce or eliminate adverse consequences of chronic illnesses and their treatment in school-aged children through systematic identification and evaluation of these consequences as perceived by children. A convenience sample of 96 well children, aged 7 through 12 years, were interviewed to identify QOL indicators. Data collected included: demographic profiles of the child and parents; three wishes projective question (obtains data about the child's fantasies and wishes); semi-structured interviews (obtains information regarding the physical, psychosocial, and social development while focusing on the child's activities, family life, and home environment); and What Worries You (Your Child) the Most Questionnaire (lists 30 anxiety-provoking childhood experiences). Descriptive and nonparametric statistics will be used to describe the sample and compare the child and parent's responses, respectively. Data from the interviews will be analyzed to identify common themes. A category system was inductively derived to from the themes. The specific QOL indicators will be derived from the categories to provide a foundation for an instrument to psychometrically tested. This instrument will then be modified for use with children with chronic illness.
