Doživljanje in razumevanje bolezni in hospitalizacije v zgodnjem in srednjem otroštvu

Tomažič, Tjaša (author), Prosen, Simona (mentor)

V magistrskem delu se ukvarjam z otrokovim doživljanjem in razumevanjem bolezni in hospitalizacije v zgodnjem in srednjem otroštvu. To področje je v Sloveniji še vedno velikokrat spregledano, posledično pa se otroci soočijo z boleznijo in predvsem s hospitalizacijo nepripravljeni, kar lahko v otroku povzroči stiske, ki negativno vplivajo tako na otrokov razvoj kot tudi na samo zdravljenje bolezni. V teoretičnem delu se najprej posvetim čustvom. Povzamem različne definicije in delitve čustev ter nakažem njihov razvoj. Nato definiram obdobje otroštva, podrobneje se posvetim zgodnjemu in srednjemu otroštvu ter spoznavnemu in čustvenemu razvoju v teh dveh obdobjih. Predstavim tudi otrokovo razumevanje in doživljanje bolezni ter otrokovo razumevanje in doživljanje hospitalizacije. Na koncu se dotaknem še preventive na področju otrokovega doživljanja in razumevanja bolezni in hospitalizacije. V empiričnem delu predstavim izsledke kvalitativne raziskave izvedene med 20 otroki v zgodnjem otroštvu in 21 otroki v srednjem otroštvu. Preko izvedbe polstrukturiranih intervjujev, pri katerih sem za pomoč uporabila slikovni material, sem se seznanila z njihovim razumevanjem in doživljanjem bolezni in hospitalizacije. V intervjujih sem se dotaknila tako otrokovega doživljanja in razumevanja lažje bolezni, preživete v domači postelji in pregleda pri zdravniku kot tudi težje bolezni, ki zahteva hospitalizacijo otroka. Zanimal pa me je tudi otrokov pogled na to, kako starši doživljajo situacijo, ko njihov otrok zboli ali je hospitaliziran. Pridobljene podatke sem kvalitativno analizirala in na podlagi tega napisala utemeljeno teorijo. Rezultati analiz pogovorov so pokazali, da otroci ob bolezni in hospitalizaciji najpogosteje doživljajo čustvo žalosti, na otrokovo razumevanje bolezni in hospitalizacije pa pomembno vplivajo otrokove izkušnje s takšnimi situacijami. Otroci, ki so se z izkušnjo bolezni in hospitalizacije že soočili, so za te in druge z njimi povezane pojme pogosteje uporabili pozitivne besede in prijetne občutke, medtem ko so otroci, ki se z boleznijo ali hospitalizacijo še niso srečali, pogosteje uporabljali negativne prizvoke in neprijetne občutke. Razlike so se pojavljale tako med starostnima skupinama, kot tudi znotraj posamezne starostne skupine. Pogovori z otroci v srednjem otroštvu so jasno nakazali, da se tej otroci nahajajo na višji stopnji spoznavnega razvoja, kot otroci v zgodnjem otroštvu. Njihovi odgovori so bili bolj kompleksni, otroci pa so jih obširneje podali. Ravno tako so izkazali boljše prepoznavanje svojih čustev, prisotnih ob bolezni, ter so lažje domnevali o čustvih svojih staršev. Otroci v zgodnjem otroštvu pa so svoje odgovore pogosteje pojasnjevali z nerealnimi opisi ter pri tem uporabili svojo domišljijo. Razlike znotraj posamezne starostne skupine pa so najpogosteje bile, pri obeh populacijah, posledica otrokovih preteklih izkušenj z boleznijo in hospitalizacijo. Bolj kompleksne odgovore so tako podajali otroci z bogatejšo zbirko izkušenj.

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: bolezen
• Work type: Master's thesis/paper
• Typology: 2.09 - Master's Thesis
• Organization: PEF - Faculty of Education
• Year: 2018
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-105509
• COBISS.SI-ID: 12224585
• Publication date in RUL: 10.12.2018

Secondary language

• Language: English
• Title: Experiencing and understanding the illness during early and middle childhood

Abstract

In my master's thesis, I deal with child's experience and understanding of illness and hospitalization in early and middle childhood. This area is still often overlooked in Slovenia and children are therefore unprepared to face with the disease and, in particular, by hospitalization. Both can can cause distress with a negative impact on child’s development and treatment of the disease. The theoretical part of my thesis is dedicated to emotions. I summarize different definitions and divisions of emotions and point out how the develop. Then I define the childhood itself, dedicating special attention to early and middle childhood and cognitive and emotional development in these two periods. I also present child's understanding and experience of illness and child's understanding and experience of hospitalization. At the end I speak about prevention in the area of child's experience and understanding of illness and hospitalization. In the empirical part I present findings of a qualitative research carried out on 20 children in early childhood and 21 children in middle childhood. Through the implementation of semi-structured interviews, helping myself by using image material, I became acquainted with their understanding and experiencing of illness and hospitalization. In those interviews I touched both the child's experience and understanding of easier illness, being cured in the home bed and checkups at the doctor, as well as the more severe illness that requires hospitalization of the child. I was also interested in the child's view of how his parents experience the situation of child’s illness or hospitalization. I analized the obtained data qualitatively and founded a theory on that base. The results of interviews analysis have shown that ill and hospitalized children most often experience the feeling of sadness. Child's experience with that kind of situations is significantly influenced by child's understanding of the illness and hospitalization. Children who have already experienced illness and hospitalization have more often used positive words and pleasant feelings with regard to these and other related situations. Children who have not yet experienced illness or hospitalization have more often used negative references and unpleasant feelings. Differences occured between age groups and also within an age group. Conversations with children in middle childhood clearly indicated that these children are at a higher level of cognitive development than children in their early childhood. Their responses were more complex and the children gave them with more details. They were also recognizing better their own emotions and were more likely to correctly assume emotions of their parents. Early childhood children oftenly explained their answers with unrealistic descriptions, using all their imagination. In both age groups, differences within a particular group were mostly a result of the child's past experience of illness and hospitalization. More complex answers were given by children with more or multiple experience.

• Keywords: illness