Stress And Illness |
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Illness at any stage is a powerful stressor, for both invalid and carer, but can be especially so during childhood. Any break from familiar routine, which illness represents, can cause stress, and it is sometimes difficult to explain to children why they are feeling unwell, or what the nature of the pain they are experiencing is.
Childhood illness can be even more stressful for parents, too. In the case of minor illness, it is not always easy to know when and if the doctor should be called: children are remarkably resilient and may recover very quickly, and some doctors have a tendency to label mothers as neurotic if they show signs of over-anxiety for their children's state of health.
In the case of serious illness requiring hospitalization, stress is often caused by the unfamiliar surroundings of the hospital itself, although fortunately in children's hospitals every effort is made to create a cheerful and relaxed, as well as caring, environment, to put the patients at their ease as far as possible. Many children's hospitals can offer parents overnight accommodation so that they do not have to leave their children, which can be a tremendous boon in helping to keep the stress down on both sides. The National Association for the Welfare of Children in Hospital does sterling work in this respect.
The stress of illness can nevertheless affect all the family; it may be difficult for other children not to be, or at any rate to feel, neglected while their parents are preoccupied - this also applies in the case of handicapped children who may require a lot of extra attention. It can be a real challenge to parents in these circumstances to find ways of compensating for this.
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