During times of trauma and uncertainty such as when undergoing medical procedures, children’s need for support is tied to their experiences of fear. Two recent Swedish PhD dissertations gave insight to the experiences of young children (3-7 years of age) with cancer.

The aim of this paper was to review the use of restraint with young children with cancer during painful medical procedures, as described in several recent Swedish studies.

Results showed that children felt ashamed, humiliated and powerless, having lost the right to control his/her own body. Nurses described the use of restraint as sometimes necessary due to logistical constraints but also as supportive to children. Parents helped restrain children and took part in painful and unpleasant procedures and treatments.  Lack of access to parents as protectors was experienced as traumatic by the child.

Restraint is never supportive from the young child’s perspective. Children require a sense of security to overcome fear. When the child seeks security in an adult, the adult’s response becomes extremely important. Children need to guide and be guided by adults, until they think: “I can manage this”. Adequate support enables a caring situation characterised by mutual trust. Parents ought to be involved to help alleviate fear, but strategies for collaboration and role definition for parents and health care professionals need to be reassessed.