Editing Pediatric Nursing – RN Flashcards (section)

== Growth, development, and psychosocial care ==

;Match Erikson's stage to each pediatric age band.
:Infant, trust versus mistrust. Toddler, autonomy versus shame and doubt. Preschooler, initiative versus guilt. School-age, industry versus inferiority. Adolescent, identity versus role confusion.

;How does the RN individualize hospital care to the toddler's developmental task?
:Support autonomy: offer limited real choices, preserve home rituals and comfort objects, allow the caregiver to stay, tolerate regression, and avoid unnecessary restraint. Expect protest behavior as normal.

;Why is the "detachment" stage of separation anxiety a red flag rather than a good sign?
:A toddler who stops protesting and behaves pleasantly toward all staff may have given up on the caregiver's return. It signals emotional withdrawal, and the priority is restoring caregiver presence.

;How does magical thinking change how the RN prepares a preschooler?
:Preschoolers may believe illness or a procedure is punishment for misbehavior. The nurse states plainly that the procedure is not a punishment, uses concrete simple language, allows play with equipment, and applies a bandage because the child fears the body will "leak out."

;Which pain scales match which pediatric ages?
:FLACC or NIPS for neonates and preverbal infants; FACES for roughly 3 to 7 years; a 0 to 10 numeric scale from about 7 years; revised FLACC with caregiver input for nonverbal children with cognitive impairment.