Personal space as a measure of a dying child's sense of isolation

Used interpersonal distance measures to objectify the sense of isolation said to be present in a child with fatal illness as he nears death. When asked to place each of 4 significant figures (nurse, doctor, mother, father) at their usual place in a 3-dimensional hospital-room replica, 25 6-10 yr old leukemic children placed the figures at a distance significantly greater than did the matched control group of 25 chronically ill hospitalized children. Although the distance of placement increased with both groups in subsequent admissions, the leukemic children increased the distance significantly more than did the chronically ill, lending strong support to the hypothesis that the sense of isolation grows stronger as the child nears death. A final placement of preferred distance leads to the conclusion that the 6-10 yr old fatally ill child not only perceives a growing psychological distance from those around him but for whatever reason prefers it that way. (22 ref)