Emotional Dangers to Children in Hospitals

In Child Guidance work one cannot but be impressed by the frequency of cases in which a spell in hospital at an early age has proved traumatic. Very often, children who had been happy and confident until they entered hospital come back in a disturbed frame of mind. The parents usually expect this to wear off soon, but the change often persists for years, if not for life. The child is over-dependent on his mother whom he will not let out of sight and it is a painful job to get him to school because it means separation from her. He may develop any nervous symptom like enuresis, poor sleep, a stammer or a tick, but the most serious consequence is the effect on the general disposition which expresses itself in a morbidly anxious and pessimistic outlook on Life. These children tend to worry disproportionately over small failures and shrink from anything unfamiliar, lacking in sense of adventure. It