Abstract

MOTTA, Alessandra Brunoro  and  ENUMO, Sônia Regina Fiorim. Playing at the hospital: child cancer and assessment instrument ofcoping with hospitalization. Psic., Saúde & Doenças [online]. 2002, vol.3, n.1, pp.23-41. ISSN 1645-0086.

Hospitalization may harm the development of the child with cancer. In order to deal with this situation, playing has worked as a coping strategy. Analizing the importance of playing in the hospital, this research has evaluated the coping strategies in hospitalization based upon 28 children who testified. These children ranged from 6 to 12 years old and they were signed up at the Oncology Ward of a public hospital in Vitória, ES. An instrument of assessment of coping with hospitalization was proposed: Assessment Instrument of Coping with Hospitalization, with 41 illustrative sketch boards split in sets: A - Coping with Hospitalization and B - Playing in the Hospital. The results indicated coping responses which were a lot more positive (playing, reading comics, praying) than negative ones (hiding, feeling guilty, emotional blackmailing). Playing was 78,6% of the answers related to what the hospitalized child would like to do, justified by its role as a learning tool. The instrument proved to be appropriate to the comprehension and psychological care during hospitalization.

Keywords : Child cancer; Coping strategies in hospitalization; playing at the hospital.

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