Common Reactions to a Sibling's
Hospital Stay
- Temporary changes in eating and/or
sleeping
- Withdrawn behavior
- Attention getting behaviors at home
or school
- Anger
- Regression of behavior such as bed
wetting or thumb sucking
Most of these behaviors are temporary
and will be resolved within a short
time. Not all children express
their feelings in these ways, but how
they respond is affected by several
factors including:
|
• |
Age |
• |
Length
of hospital stay |
| • |
Seriousness
of condition |
• |
Amount
of time separated from parents |
| • |
Quality
of explanations and answers to
child's questions |
• |
How
well their normal routine is able to
be maintained |
| • |
Past
hospital/health care experiences |
• |
Amount
of attention to the child's feelings |
Child Life Specialists can assist you
with questions relating to how your
healthy child at home is coping.
You can reach a Child Life Specialist at
the Penn State Children's Hospital at childlife@hmc.psu.edu
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