‘I had this Horrible Pain’: The Sources and Causes of Pain Experiences in 4- to 11-Year-Old Hospitalized Children

Abstract

Researchers have relied, almost without exception, on adults for qualitative information about children's pain. However, adults may provide only a limited view of children's pain experience. The purpose of this article is to describe the events considered painful by children. Forty-four children participated in the study. They had been admitted for different reasons into different wards of a university hospital. The data consisted of qualitative child interviews and was analysed using inductive content analysis. The pain experience of children came from four main sources: 1. pain as a symptom of a diagnosed illness, 2. pain caused by medical and diagnostic procedures and basic nursing, 3. pain caused by accidents and 4. inexplicable pain not caused by a particular illness or injury. Children are able to report and describe their pain. Children should be regarded as experts on their pain in order to maximize the options for pain management.

Developing Synaesthesia

“…The number and type of pains reported by children is influenced by their own past experience with pain, and by the pains they have observed their parents and siblings experiencing (Harbeck and Peterson, 1992;Franck et al, 2010), and the terms used to describe different types of pain become increasingly more specific through childhood (e.g., Gaffney and Dunne, 1986;Harbeck and Peterson, 1992;Crow, 1997). Moreover, children's judgments of the severity of pain are mediated by cues such as syringes, or their own crying or sweating (Kortesluoma and Nikkonen, 2004). All this evidence suggests that a large part of the ability to categorize the Frontiers in Human Neuroscience www.frontiersin.org quality, magnitude, and location of pains is improved and refined throughout childhood.…”

Living with pain: the experience of children and adolescents in palliative care

“…Although there are publications concerning the quality of life of children in pain under palliative care and their families, there is a scarcity of studies that analyze the experience from the perspective of children and adolescents under palliative care regarding the management of pain in their daily lives (13)(14)(15)(16)(17) .…”

“…Considering the increase in the frequency of chronic diseases in all age groups, it is necessary for nurses and other health professionals to understand through their own accounts the experiences of children and adolescents who are suffering from pain and are receiving palliative care, making it possible to act adequately in the evaluation, management and relief of pain (10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17) .…”

Be sweet to toddlers during needles: pilot randomized controlled trial of sucrose compared to placebo

“…1 Most children are afraid of needles, and rate needles as being the most distressing aspect of hospitalization. 2 Children's distress has a negative impact on their parents and increases the risk of avoidance of needles for immunizations and medical care. 3 Extensive high quality evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and systematic reviews demonstrate analgesic effects of sweet solutions in infants undergoing needle related procedures.…”