Cognitive maturity and the experience of fear and pain in hospital.

Children between 4 years 6 months and 13 years 5 months of age who had been admitted to the St Charles Hospital, London for tonsillectomies were interviewed prior to their operation. It was found that cognitive maturity is an important factor in determining how children understand their hospital experience and the way in which they conceive of strategies for coping with fear and pain. Furthermore, it is suggested that because the younger children lack the cognitive maturity to develop autonomous strategies, they might be less able than older children to accept medical intervention, even under the most favourable conditions of hospitalization.