It is advisable that parents are open and honest with the child at every point in time depending on the child’s cognitive development. It is already obvious to the child that something is wrong, and is already imagining worse things due to their pain threshold tolerance level. Concealing information from the child will only add to their fear and anxiety level. The parents need to be honest with the child as to the nature of their illness, and possible outcomes. Parents need to take time out to listen to the ill child share his or her feelings, fears, negative thoughts, questions about God and the future.
Parents need to encourage their children to express their feelings, tell them the truth when talking about their illness but they might need to modify their explanation in a way that fits the child’s cognition. Being open and honest does not necessarily mean the parents have to tell the child everything concerning his or her illness, but the child’s condition can be explained in a developmentally appropriate way. Situations in Which to Not Inform Child He or She Has a Serious Illness Children should be educated on the nature of their illness if they are developmentally able to understand.
Young aged children are in a way protected in that they do not understand the implication of the illness they have developed, but this also means that many of the treatment process will seem overwhelming and frightening, because it is difficult to reassure them with explanations. The child will tend to react to changes in their parents, and to whatever experience they go through at the hospital. They may get angry, be fearful and protest against examination and treatment or some children may remain quiet and say little.
The Essay on Is Daycare Beneficial For Children And Parents?
When you are a child, who takes care of you? Now, the cost of living is so high that many people under age twenty-five are moving back in with their parents. Young people are getting married later now than they used to. The average age for a woman to get married is about twenty-four, and for a man twenty-six. Newly married couples often postpone having children while they are establishing careers. ...
It is advisable to inform older children of the nature of their illness, they may overreact with shock, disbelief and protest. They may be waiting for someone to tell them their condition is not true, informing them will prepare them for the type of treatment they will receive, and become more cooperative with the treatment team and parents. Dealing with the Possibility of Death of a Child Due to Illness The most important person should be the child. Palliative care should be a way to provide comfort for the child; it addresses the psychological, social, and spiritual needs of the child and family.
Talking to the child about his or her own death is a very difficult step. When to tell the child about impending possible death or dying is a personal decision influenced by many factors. If the child’s illness is slowly advancing, there might be more time to decide what to tell the child, but if the illness develops rapidly, it might be advisable to talk the child immediately. No one knows the child better than his or her parents do; the parents are the best judge of what is appropriate to tell the child and when to say it.
Many parents believe they can protect their child by not telling him or her, the true nature of their condition. However, children with advanced illnesses already know or suspect that they are dying. They sense and can deduce the truth from listening to and watching the adults around them, and from experiencing the changes in their body. Openness and honesty is very important, allow the child to discuss and express his or her fears and questions. The feelings of anxiety and loneliness is eliminated if he or she knows what to expect and can count on their parents for love and support.
It is advisable for parents to talk about the child’s death in order to bring closure to his or her life by sharing memories, expressing love and saying goodbye. Preschool aged children are too young to understand the concept of death, but they fear separation, they need extra reassurance by frequent touches and hugs. School aged children are just beginning to understand death, but their understanding is not well developed, and they might view death as a separation or as a person becoming a ghost or angel.
The Essay on My Understanding of Parents-Children Relationship
During the past twenty years of my life, I was always regarding my parents as extraordinary and authoritative models of my life. I adored them so much as if everything they had done was not only right but also great. As for my parents, they paid much attention to setting a good example for me since I was a little girl. The situation lasts and I have never thought of any possible changes in the ...
Teenagers have a more adult like understanding of death, but this understanding directly challenges their feelings of immortality, and their growing need for independence. How a Child’s cognitive development Influences His or Her Understanding of Illness A child’s level of cognitive development influences his or her conceptualization of illness and cooperation with specific care procedures, reaction to and understanding life threatening illness, and capacity to comprehend health related communication. For example, a preschoolers understanding of life threatening illnesses, death and treatment differs greatly from those of an adolescent.
Piaget and Erickson developed a model of cognitive development, which is used to conceptualize children’s understanding of illness and health. Piaget, Bibace and Walsh (1980) categorized children’s understanding of illness into various stages. Prelogical thinking of children, ages 2 to 7 are characterized by phenomenon and contagion. Phenomenon invokes external concrete causes of illness that is temporally remote (e. g. , colds are from trees).
Contagion locates the cause of illnesses in objects, or individuals that are proximate to the child (e. g. how do people get colds? When someone gets near them).
At ages 7 to 11, concrete logical explanations of illness involve contamination and internalization types of explanation. At ages 11 to 12, formal logical explanations involve cause and effect relationships that are physiological. Children of different ages differ in the cognitive understanding of illness, none the less the best key factors is to have open communication with the child based on their level of understanding to keep them informed. Adults or parents around the ill children should be supportive and ensure that even though the child is going through physical pain, his or emotional needs should be taken care of also.
The Research paper on Understanding Adolescence: Current Developments In Adolescent Psychology
... Understanding psychological assessment. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers Freeman, J. (1985). The Psychology of gifted children: Perspectives on development ... through both systematic and cognitive behavioural approach. Through cognitive behavioural approach, the ... person is prone to some illnesses such as low self-esteem; ... Press. Jacoby, S. (2008). The age of American unreason. New York: ...
