The psychological consequences of surgery in the first three years of life.
Item
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Title
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The psychological consequences of surgery in the first three years of life.
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Identifier
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AAI9009754
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identifier
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9009754
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Creator
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Lehr, Marijane Ann.
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Contributor
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Adviser: William King
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Date
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1989
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Psychology, Clinical | Psychology, Developmental
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Abstract
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This study was designed to investigate the persisting effect of an acute trauma, occurring during the first three years, on the latency age child, 6-10 years. The specific trauma was an acute surgical procedure, considered of benign or routine nature by parents and physicians. Typical procedures included hernia repair and tonsillectomy. These operations required only brief hospitalization, average stay was 2.8 days, without prolonged medical follow-up.;Children were selected from the New York Public Schools. Thirty-one children, including twenty-two boys and nine girls, constituted the surgical group. These children had all experienced surgery during the first three years. Nineteen children, made up of twelve boys and seven girls, comprised the non-surgical, control group.;The dependent measures were derived from, the Draw-A-Person Test (DAP); Thematic Apperception Test, Children's Apperception Test, Children's Apperception Test-Supplement, (TAT, CAT, & CAT-S); and the Rorschach Test. A brief interview was held at the conclusion of the testing session to elicit any memories surrounding the surgery.;All projective tests were scored using standard methods. Results were analyzed statistically, multiple independent two-tailed t tests were executed to test for differences between the surgical group and the non-surgical control group.;Results from the projective drawing test (DAP) and the apperception tests (TAT, CAT, & CAT-S) indicated that the surgical group of children produced significantly more anxiety indicators than the control group.;Significant differences between the control and surgical group were found for six of the twenty variables of the Rorschach, including human movement (M) and the weighted color sum ({dollar}\Sigma{dollar}C) responses. These findings were interpreted as manifesting increased levels of anxiety in the surgical children.;All test findings support the hypothesis of increased anxiety following an acute traumatic event within the first three years.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
