Hospitalization Stress in Children: Sensitizer and Represser Coping Styles

To examine the effects of individual sensitizer/repressor coping styles on responses to hospital procedures, 56 children (mean age = 6.5 years) were observed during hospitalization for minor surgery. Although the sensitizer children, as classified by their mothers, did not differ from the represser children on baseline measures including hospital preparation, they were more talkative, expressive, and active during hospital play observations. During blood tests and preoperative injections, the sensitizers, compared with the repressers, were reported by their mothers to observe the procedures, to seek additional information about the procedures, and to show more protest behaviors. Finally, the sensitizer children required fewer hours of intensive care. Key words: hospitalization stress in children, sensitizer s, repressers