Anxiety assessment tools in hospitalized children

• Published in: Acta paulista de enfermagem Vol. 33; no. 5; pp. 1 - 8
• Main Authors: de Campos, Fernanda Vieira, Antunes, Camila ni, Damião, Elaine Buchhorn Cintra, Rossato, Lisabelle Mariano, Nascimento, Lucila Castanheira
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sao Paulo Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Enfermagem 01-01-2020
• Subjects: Anxiety; Children; Children & youth; Emotions; Hospitalization; Mental disorders; Pediatric nursing; Pediatrics; Physiology; Validation studies
• ISSN: 0103-2100; 1982-0194
• DOI: 10.37689/acta-ape/2020AR02505

Objective: Identify existing tools for the assessment of anxiety in hospitalized children in the literature. Methods: An integrative review was undertaken. The searches took place from January to May 2017 in the following databases: PubMed, LILACS and CINAHL, using the descriptors anxiety, hospitalized child, inpatients, children, emotional responses, emotional manifestation, emotional reactions, validation studies, manifest anxiety scale and test anxiety scale. Results: After the selection, 33 articles were analyzed, in which 10 child anxiety assessment tools were identified. Eight instruments used the Likert scale in the answers, one used the analogue scale from one to ten and the only instrument that used a playful strategy, directed drawing, was the Child Drawing: Hospital. Conclusion: The translation, cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the CD:H is recommended. This study aims to contribute to pediatric nurses' knowledge in the management of child anxiety in pediatric wards, with a view to reducing their emotional suffering during hospitalization.