Adolescent communication: perceptions and beliefs

Abstract

This article discusses the communication issues arising from one of the themes identified in a phenomenological study exploring young people’s perceptions of their involvement in healthcare decisions affecting management of their care (Kelsey et al, 2007). Communications were described in terms of ‘satisfactory’ and ‘poor’ experiences. Satisfactory experiences included being spoken to directly and asked to provide information, appropriate modification of technical language, good listening skills and demonstrating empathy. Poor experiences included inadequate non verbal communication, power imbalances, exclusion from conversation and judgemental attitudes. These experiences are depicted utilising extracts from the young people’s interviews and discussed in relation to current literature on adolescent developmental and communication theory. Implications for future practice are identified.

Communication between children and health professionals in a child hospital setting: a Child Transitional Communication Model

“…2006). Indeed, one barrier to children’s inclusion in decision‐making processes is lack of communication (Kelsey & Abelson‐Mitchell 2007).…”

‘Visible‐ness’: the nature of communication for children admitted to a specialist children's hospital in the Republic of Ireland

“…2005, Kilkelly & Donnelly 2006) and children’s experiences of participation in health care consultations and decision making (Runeson 2002, Hallstrom & Elander 2004, Coyne et al. 2006, Kelsey & Abelson‐Mitchell 2007). One dominant theme to emerge from these studies as a major concern for children of all ages was lack of communication.…”

Health dialogues between pupils and school nurses: A description of the verbal interaction

“…School nurses' dominance in conversations with pupils has also been reported in discussions of overweight and obesity with pupils both with and without parents present [12]. In encounters in Child health Care (CHC) professionals' verbal dominance has been described [26] as it has in other health care encounters with children and adolescents [27,28]. As Bergstrand [29] describes, when it is the professional who initiates the encounter there is a risk that he or she will lead the discussion based on his or her agenda.…”