The experience of suffering: stories told by hospitalized children

Abstract

The objective of this study was to learn about the experience of suffering in hospitalized school-aged children. The methodological strategy used was narrative inquiry, and the Model of Suffering as the theoretical framework. Participants were 14 children. Data collection was performed using semi-structured interviews, guided by the following question: Tell me your story about getting sick and coming to the hospital. Results show that hospital events comprise the child's experience of suffering, represented by five categories: knowing the suffering caused by the disease; enduring to survive the experience of being ill, relaxing from enduring to free their emotions, living the suffering, and floating between enduring and suffering. The suffering or enduring of the child is determined by the context of the experience and by the support or interactions that surrounds them. In conclusion, nurses have the duty to offer children opportunities to express themselves and make the suffering bearable.