Impact of the therapist-child dyad on children' s pain and coping during medical procedures

This study examined the effects of physical therapists' behaviors on the levels of distress and coping of 32 children (19 males, 11 females; age range 2.6 to 9.1 years) during a painful medical procedure. This is the second study to assess children throughout rehabilitation following selective posterior rhizotomy and the first to assess the impact of physical therapists' behaviors. Results of the Child–Adult Medical Procedure Interaction Scale–Revised confirmed the hypotheses that: (1) children exhibit more coping behaviors and fewer distress behaviors over time, and (2) positive relationships exist between coping-promoting behaviors in physical therapists and coping in children, and distress-promoting behaviors in physical therapists and distress in children. Prompts for children to use a coping strategy, reassuring comments, and non-procedural talk by therapists explained 67% of the variance in children's coping. Criticism, reassurance, checking child's status, praise, and empathic statements by therapists explained 65% of the variance in children's distress. Older children and children with higher IQ scores exhibited more coping behaviors.