Changing bodies: A scoping review and thematic analysis of family experience during serious childhood illness.
Emma Maynard, Megan Bennett
PMID 37028372WHAT IT FOUND
Serious childhood illness causes significant psychological distress, often exceeding physical pain.
Children create safe spaces and seek play to cope. Parents experience vicarious trauma. Consistent, age-appropriate information builds trust, while inconsistent communication causes fear. Technology supports engagement but cannot replace human interaction.
Key findings
01Psychological pain and fear of pain are reported as greater and longer lasting than physical pain for seriously ill children.
02Inconsistent information provided to parents leads directly to mistrust and suspicion of a poor prognosis, whereas consistent information enables trust in medical teams.
03Children actively create pseudo-safe spaces, such as retreating under blankets or identifying bathrooms, to manage feelings of exposure and fear during invasive treatment.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The review was funded by a tech company (Coggi Ltd) aiming to develop an app, which may bias the focus toward technology-related findings. Most included studies focused on children aged 5-12; findings for older children and adolescents are less robust. The review did not include stakeholder consultation beyond the funders. There is a lack of data on differences by gender, ethnicity, and nationality. The review synthesizes qualitative experiences, not clinical outcomes or intervention efficacy.
Declared interests
The review was subcontracted to the research team by Coggi Ltd, a health tech start-up, funded by Innovate UK. The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest, but the study was designed to inform the development of Coggi Ltd's app.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret this review as evidence that specific tech interventions or play therapies reduce clinical outcomes like pain scores or length of stay. It synthesizes qualitative experiences and perceptions, not efficacy data.