Effective Communication in Child Healthcare: A Psychosocial Approach

Communication is essential in all human interactions and is defined as an exchange of information between individuals through shared symbols and signs (Ruesch & Bateson, 1987). It encompasses not only verbal forms such as spoken words but also nonverbal forms which include facial expressions, body movements and gestures. Effective communication conforms to a person’s culture, ethnicity, age, psychological development and spiritual and religious beliefs in order to be understood properly. As today’s health care moves to a patient-centered approach, communication among nurses and patients is a top priority. This paper will focus on effective communication among children in the health care setting in relation to their psychosocial developmental

According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (2005), infants are defined as the age of birth to 12 months old, toddlers are defined as 12-36 months of age, preschoolers are defined as 3-6 years of age, school-age children are defined as 6-12 years of age and adolescents are defined as 12-18 years of age. In correlation with the defined age groups, Erik Erickson described the development of identity of the self through successive stages that unfold throughout the life span (Erickson, 1968, 1995; Erickson & Erickson 1998). He established Erickson’s theory of psychosocial development stating a person needs to establish trust in self, others and self-worth. Communication has a direct association with developmental stages due to the ability of the brain to process information as well as the context in which the patient can effectively communicate. Nurses need to be cognizant of the different stages in order to appropriately confer

Erickson defines their psychosocial stage as identity versus role confusion. At this stage the child restages through previous stages in their pursuit of identity. According to Edelman, “they would rather behave shamelessly in the eyes of their parents than be forced into behavior that would bring ridicule from their peers” (Lee, 2014). Because of these factors, they communicate by talking in-depth about themselves and their relationships with others (Gable, 2014). They want to understand who they are becoming and what others think and feel about them. To effectively communicate with this age group, they must be treated more as adults than children. Their privacy should be respected at all times. Information should be provided to them as they request it and they should be allowed to make decisions about their health care as long as it correlates with their guardian’s choices. Since they are unsure of themselves, a nurse should use problem solving to assist them in making choices (Potter & Perry,