Temperament and pain in 3 to 7-year-old children undergoing tonsillectomy

J Pediatr Nurs. 2004 Jun;19(3):204-13. doi: 10.1016/j.pedn.2004.01.009.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among temperament, self-reported pain, parent's report of children's pain behavior and pain intensity, amount of pain medication received, and parents' attitudes toward use of analgesics in 3- to 7-year-old children undergoing tonsillectomy. Sixty-eight child/parent dyads participated in the study. Correlations were found between some temperamental factors and child's self-reported pain intensity in the hospital and at home as well as parents' report of pain behavior at home. There was a significant positive relationship between the child's self-reported pain intensity and analgesic administration in the hospital and at home.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adaptation, Psychological
  • Child
  • Child Behavior / psychology*
  • Child Behavior Disorders / etiology
  • Child, Preschool
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Iceland / epidemiology
  • Male
  • Pain Measurement
  • Pain, Postoperative* / complications
  • Pain, Postoperative* / psychology
  • Parent-Child Relations
  • Parents / psychology*
  • Psychology, Child
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Temperament*
  • Time Factors
  • Tonsillectomy* / psychology
  • Tonsillectomy* / rehabilitation