Psychological preparation for pediatric hospital admission: a short review

Abstract

The psychological preparation for hospital admission in children constitutes an intervention modality, that includes different procedures and techniques, recommended by professionals of health and pediatric psychology to be used with patients and families exposed to potentially stressing conditions. Some benfits may be highlighted as reduction of the stress effect associated to the hospitalization experience, increased adherence to the treatment and the development of better coping strategies to face the treatment. However, the literature still doesn't have a systematic methodology that would help to understand the functional relationship between intervention and effects. This study contains a bibliographical revision about the psychological preparation for hospitalization, points out some methodological principles involved in the intervention planning and execution, and proposes a psychological preparation model program for pediatric hospital admissions.