Adolescent’s perception of hospital spaces

The article is devoted to the study of children’s and adolescent’s perceptions of hospital spaces. Before knowledge of the needs of children and adolescents was obtained from the adult’s feedback. Now this problem is solved by means of children’s reports. The study was carried out in several medical institutions of Moscow and aimed to examine the influence of hospital environment factors of teenagers’ psychological status and their recovery, as well as to study the patterns of their behavior at the hospital. The most important positive hospital factor for adolescents-patients in contrast to adults is communication with their peers, as well as the expression of individuality getting underway in things and clothing. They take less attention to therapy quality and to professionalism of medical staff. Knowledge of the adolescents’ needs allows to create the appropriate living conditions and therefore to improve their psychological well-being.

1. Agalarova, K.N. Sub’ektivnye parametry ocenki bol'nichnoj sredy i ih vlijanie na psihologicheskoe blagopoluchie pacientov. Special'naja i klinicheskaja psihologija, 2015, no 4, pp. 84–97.
2. Metodika na opredelenie sub’ektivnogo blagopoluchija.. Dissertacionnaja rabota Puchkovoj E.G. “Blagopoluchie kak faktor samoaktualizacii lichnosti”, 2003. Shkala sub’ektivnogo blagopoluchija / N.P. Fetiskin, V.V.  Kozlov, G.M. Manujlov / Social'no-psihologicheskaja diagnostika razvitija lichnosti i malyh grupp.. Moscow:  Izd-vo Instituta Psihoterapii, 2002, pp. 467–470.
3. Nartova-Bochaver, S.K. Psihologicheskaja suverennost' lichnosti: genezis i projavlenija.. Dis. … dokt. psihol. nauk. Moscow, 2005, pp. 45–55.
4. Nartova-Bochaver, S.K., Potapova, A.V. Vvedenie v psihologiju razvitija. Uchebnoe posobie. Moscow: Flinta-MPSI, 2011, p. 80–90.
5. Nartova-Bochaver, S.K. Teorija privatnosti kak napravlenie zarubezhnoj psihologii.Psihologicheskij zhurnal, 2006, vol. 27, no 5, pp. 28–39.
6. Aldiss, S., Horstman, M., O’Leary, C., Richardson, A., Gibson, F. What is important to young children who have cancer while in hospital? Children and Society, 2009, vol. 23, pp. 85–98.
7. Birch, J., Curtis, P., James, A. Sense and sensibilities: in search of the child-friendly hospital. Built Environment, 2007, vol. 33, pp. 405–416.
8. Birshop, K. Through children’s eyes: understanding how to create supportive healthcare environments for children and adolescents. World Health Design, April Issue, 2009, pp. 61–67.
9. Birshop, K. Through the eyes children and young people: the components of a supportive hospital environment. Neonatal, Paediatric and Child Health Nursing, 2010, vol. 13, pp. 77–101.
10. Carney, T., Murphy, S., McClure, J., Birshop, E., Kerr, C., Parker, J., Scott, F., Shields, C., Wilson, L. Children’s views of hospitalisation: an exploratory study of data collection. Journal of Child Health Care, 2003, vol. 7, pp. 27–40.
11. Clift, L., Dampier, S., Timmons, S. Adolescents’ experiences of emergency admission to children’s wards. Journal of Child Health Care, 2007, vol. 11, pp. 195–207.
12. Coad, J., Coad, N. Children and young people’s preference of thematic design and colour for their hospital environment. Journal of Child Health Care, 2008, vol. 12, pp.33–48.
13. Coyne, I. Children’s experiences of hospitalization. Journal of Child Health Care, 2006, vol. 10, pp. 326–336.
14. Curtis, P., James, A., Birch, J. Space to care: children’s perceptions of spatial aspects of hospitals. Swindon: ESRC End of Award Report, 2007, pp. 1–25.
15. Fletcher, T., Glasper, A., Prudhoe, G., Battrick, C., Coles, L., Weaver, K., Ireland, L. Building on the future: children’s views on nurses and hospital care. British journal of nursing, 2011, vol. 20, pp. 39–45.
16. Gibson, F., Richardson, A., Hey, S., Horstman, M., O’Leary, C. Listening to Children and Young People with Cancer. Centre for Nursing and Allied Health Professionals Research, Institute of Child Health, Great Ormond Street Hospital. London: Institute of Child Health, 2005, pp. 1397–1407.
17. Lambert, V., Coad, J., Hicks, P., Glacken, M. Social spaces for young children in hospital. Child: care, health and development, 2012, vol. 40, no 2, pp.  195–204.
18. Horstman, M., Bradding, A. Helping children speak up in the health service. European Journal of Oncology Nursing, 2002, vol. 6, pp. 75–84.
19. Hutton, A. Consumer perspectives in adolescent ward design. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 2005, vol. 14, pp. 537–545.
20. Norton-Westwood, D. The health-care environment through the eyes of a child – does it soothe or provoke anxiety? International Journal of Nursing Practice, 2012, vol. 18, pp. 7–11.
21. Wilson, M.E., Megel, M.E., Enenbach, L., Carlson, K.L. The voices of children: stories about hospitalization. Journal of Pediatric Health Care, 2010, vol. 24, pp. 95–10.