skip to main navigation skip to main content

Impact of hospitalisation on children and adolescents

Impact of hospitalisation on children and adolescents



Long term illness and hospitalisation has the potential to negatively impact a child’s motor, cognitive, emotional and social development. The following section outlines the possible impacts on a child, preventative interventions and also provides external links to information on developmentally appropriate topics.

Age Group
Impact
Interventions
Infants / Toddlers
Perceptual development (when a child to start to interpret and understand sensory input). Lays foundation for further cognitive and perceptual motor skill development.
  • Hearing and vision may be impacted by treatment
  • Lack of stimuli in a sterile hospital environment can negatively impact
Motor development - ability to control and direct voluntary muscle movement
  • The influence of hospitalisation, and lacking mobility when ill, can hinder/delay the acquisition of motor skills.
Attaining Developmental Milestones
  • Hospitalisation may negatively impact a child’s ability to reach developmental milestones e.g. toileting, autonomy etc
Attachment
  • Separations between a child and caregiver due to hospitalisation can be distressing and impact on developing or maintaining secure attachment
  • Parents may use detachment from their child as a coping strategy
  • Changes in routine can alter sense of security
  • Exposure to loud noises, bright lights and sudden movements can be perceived as traumatic
Developmental Impact
  • Clear limits and boundaries help develop cognitive and emotional development.
  • Promoting socialisation with similar aged patients or family members
Attachment
  • Encouraging parents to be central in daily care activities even while hospitalised
Emotional/Behavioural issues
  • Increasing a sense of control over environment e.g. allowing choices- which sticker would you like?
  • Emphasising the importance of home rituals transferred to the hospital environment where possible
  • Limit setting to prevent discipline problems
Primary school-aged children
  • Children in this age group are sensitive about bodily changes caused by the disease and its treatment e.g. hair loss and resulting impact on self image and self esteem
  • Some children can regress in behaviour and become overly dependent on their parents.
  • Educational and social development can suffer as a result of frequent school absences
  • Using age appropriate communication about illness and treatment
  • Encouraging expression of thoughts and feelings through different mediums e.g. art, play
  • School involvement where possible for cognitive, emotional and social development
  • Providing age appropriate choices
Adolescents
  • Emotional reactivity- hormonally based versus psychologically based
  • A cancer diagnosis and consequent treatment may threaten an adolescents’ ability to develop their identity outside of ‘cancer’.
  • May impact on their ability to plan for the immediate future.
  • The demands of treatment interfere with the normal activities of adolescence, further interfering with social development and consequently this may result in depression and feelings of hopelessness.
  • Impact on compliance and ‘good’ decision making
  • While adolescent patients may understand all the implications of the disease and treatment, they may deny the seriousness of the diagnosis to justify poor compliance and risk-taking.
  • ‘Rebellion’ as a form of identity development may be impacted
  • Respect a young person’s privacy e.g. using ‘door signs’ to communicate preferences- sleeping etc
  • Communication that includes the adolescent as a decision making participant in their own treatment
  • Linking to peer support groups e.g. Canteen
  • Reinforcing behavioural limits
back to top