Toddlers’ adjustment to the stress of immunization in function of mothers’ general and specific coping tendencies

Abstract

The aim of this research is to assess the relative influence of mothers’ coping strategies in everyday life and mothers’ specific coping acts on toddlers’ adjustment behavior to pain and distress during a routine immunization. The population is 41 mothers with toddlers (23 girls, 18 boys; mean age, 22.7 months) undergoing a routine immunization in private pediatrician practices. Mothers completed questionnaires about their own coping tendencies and about their toddler’s preparation for the immunization. Toddlers’ emotional adjustment to the situation was assessed by pediatricians. Results show that children who were informed by their mothers beforehand about the immunization were less distressed. Mothers were more likely to inform their toddler when their general coping options were rather self‐oriented than child‐oriented and when they were not using avoidant coping strategies. Mothers’ own emotional regulation is thus related to coping with medical procedures in their young children.

Keywords:

• Immunization
• Mothers’ coping strategies
• Pediatric examination
• Toddlers’ distress

Notes

1. As a matter of convenience, we will refer to the child as he/his and to the parent as she/her as we often talk about mothers. There is a paucity of data regarding the father–child relationship in the medical context.

2. A French version of the scale was published by the same authors in 2000 (Favez et al., 2000).