A research report published in the June 2002 issue of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics has confirmed what parents have known for years. Children who are hospitalized may have lingering psychological problems months after they return home.

"Children who were younger, more severely ill, and who endured more invasive procedures had significantly more medical fears, a lower sense of control over their health, and ongoing post-traumatic stress responses for six months" after hospital discharge, according to lead researcher Janet E. Rennick, R.N., Ph.D., of the Montreal Children's Hospital of the McGill University Health Care Centre, and the School of Nursing, McGill University.

Dr. Rennick and her colleagues followed 60 children, ages 6 to 17, who were admitted to the pediatric intensive care units (PICU) of two university-affiliated children's hospitals in Canada. Thinking perhaps that PICU patients were more traumatized than those in regular care units, the researchers recruited a child of a similar age and with a similar medical problem, but on a regular unit every time they enrolled a PICU child.

The team recorded the details of each child's hospital experiences, including the severity of his or her illness and the number of invasive procedures -- such as the insertion of a chest tube -- each received. The researchers evaluated each child's psychological well-being using a series of questionnaires six weeks after hospital discharge, and again six months after discharge.

They examined which children had lingering psychological problems after discharge, and why. At the six-week mark, their findings indicate that younger children and those who receive a higher number of invasive procedures are more likely to have medical fears, intrusive thoughts and avoidance behaviors. The children who are younger or more severely ill while in the hospital tend to have a lower sense of control over their health.

At the six-month mark, a decline in the number of persistent hospital-related psychological problems is evident. However, the younger children are still more likely to experience less of a sense of control over their health. They also are more prone to medical fears, as are the children who endure a higher number of invasive procedures.

There was no significant difference between the affect on children who were in regular units and those in specialized pediatric ICUs. These findings challenge the traditional belief that the experience of PICU patients is unique, Rennick noted.

Either way, the research shows, a hospital stay is a traumatic experience for children regardless of the type of unit they're in.