Adjustment and homesickness in hospitalised children: A systematic review

Children can experience significant distress during hospitalisation, as a result of the treatment process and due to psychosocial factors impacting their adjustment to the hospital environment. Such factors can contribute to negative outcomes for the child. Despite this, limited research focus has b...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Clinical psychology review Vol. 110; p. 102431
Main Authors:	Demetriou, Eleni Andrea, Boulton, Kelsie Anne, Bowden, Michael Russell, Guastella, Adam John
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	United States Elsevier Ltd 01-06-2024
Subjects:	Adolescence Anxiety Childhood Depression Homesickness Hospital adjustment CARS Adolescence PSS-FA SMFQ WCQ RBPC BDI CDI VAS BUMP-R RYD-R LNS CMAS-R SCARED EASI Homesickness FACES-III, Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale SI Childhood CBCL Anxiety VPT ARSC BSQ PHBQ STAIC PPRS SRASP Depression SRCS CAK FFFS MCRE CSRS HPLS PIBS CPTS IES SEI MCTQ CAPHSS Hospital adjustment MSAS CHA MCPS
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Summary:	Children can experience significant distress during hospitalisation, as a result of the treatment process and due to psychosocial factors impacting their adjustment to the hospital environment. Such factors can contribute to negative outcomes for the child. Despite this, limited research focus has been placed on understanding the psychosocial factors that contribute to a child's distress to inform support strategies that can improve the experience of hospitalisation across paediatric conditions. The objectives of this review were to synthesise the qualitative and quantitative literature on psychosocial factors associated with hospital adjustment and to identify risk and protective factors that influence the adjustment process. The literature search (1980 to February 2024: CINAHL / Embase / Medline / PsychINFO and Web of Science databases) identified thirty-four studies. Poor hospital adjustment, anxiety, depression and homesickness, were reported by the majority of hospitalised children. Several demographic and psychosocial factors were identified in the quantitative synthesis to contribute to poor adjustment. Child age, temperament, attachment style, past negative hospital experiences, homesickness and fear cognitions, were all associated with adjustment to the hospital environment. Homesickness was identified as a particularly understudied and important construct. Theoretical and methodological considerations are discussed, and recommendations made for future research that can further support inpatient children and their families. •Hospitalisation experiences can be a major stressor, impacting on health.•Homesickness is a common and major concern for hospitalised children.•There is limited research on homesickness and factors that influence adjustment following paediatric admissions.•This review synthesises the literature and makes recommendations for the field.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-2 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-3 content type line 23 ObjectType-Review-1 ObjectType-Undefined-4
ISSN:	0272-7358 1873-7811
DOI:	10.1016/j.cpr.2024.102431