Ivan Farský*, Anna Zajacová**
* Comenius University in Bratislava, Jessenius Medical Faculty in Martin, Department of Nursing
** Comenius University in Bratislava, Jessenius Medical Faculty in Martin, Psychiatric Clinic
FARSKÝ, I. – ZAJACOVÁ, A. Hopelessness in child psychiatric patients. In Ošetrovateľstvo: teória, výskum, vzdelávanie [online], 2016, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 59-63. Available on: https://www.osetrovatelstvo.eu/en/archive/2016-volume-6/number-2/hopelessness-in-child-psychiatric-patients.
Aim: The goals of this paper were to identify level of hopelessness in pedopsychiatric patients, to compare differences in the level of hopelessness in a connection with sex, family background, drug abuse and the presence of comorbid disorder. We also determined the relation between hopelessness and age, disease duration and number of hospitalizations.
Methods: The sample consisted of 96 children who suffered from mental disorder and who were hopitalized in the Clinic of Psychiatry JFMED CU and UHM in Martin. There were 44 girls and 52 boys in the sample and average age was 13.5 ± 3.0 years. Children hopelessness scale was used to measure the level of hopelessness. The used scale was not validated Slovak version of original scale. The score can range from 0 to 17 and the higher score means the higher level of hopelessness.
Results: 34 % of hospitalized children showed medium level and 15 % children showed high level of hopelessness. There were non-significant results in hopelessness in a connection with sex, family background, drug abuse and also in a connection with presence of only one or more diagnosed disorders. The results indicated that there is also no relation between hopelessness and age, duration of disorder and number of hospitalizations.
Conclusions: Hopelessness represents a serious nursing problem in pedopsychiatry because it is connected with potential risk behavior such as suicidal tendencies or self-mutilation behavior. In our research there were no correlations between hopelessness and other variables and hopelessness wasn´t influenced by duration of affection, age or number of hospitalizations. Independent nursing interventions focused on reduction of hopelessness can be potentially more effective than other interventions focused on deal with nursing diagnoses which are more connected with an affection of patient.
Keywords: hopelessness, children, adolescents, psychiatric nursing
Mgr. Ivan Farský, PhD.
Ústav ošetrovateľstva JLF UK
Malá Hora 5
036 01 Martin
Slovenská republika
E-mail: farsky@jfmed.uniba.sk
Received: 3rd November 2016
Accepted: 21st November 2016