Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40346607›Full record

ArticleBMC palliative care2025

Characteristics of child development in the context of serious illness: a scoping review.

Anne van Driessche, Leonie La Rondelle, Paul A Boelen, Julie Brunetta, Marijke C Kars, Mariken Spuij, Sanne L Nijhof, Jurrianne C Fahner

Abstract readScoping Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC palliative care, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Anne van DriesscheEnd-of-Life Care Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) & Ghent University, Laarbeeklaan 103, Brussels, 1090, Belgium. Anne.van.Driessche@vub.be.
Leonie La RondelleCenter of Expertise in Palliative Care Utrecht, Julius Center of Health and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Paul A BoelenDepartment of Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Julie BrunettaJulius Center of Health and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Marijke C KarsCenter of Expertise in Palliative Care Utrecht, Julius Center of Health and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Mariken SpuijChild and Adolescent Studies, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Sanne L NijhofDepartment of Pediatrics, Wilhelmina Children's Hospital, University Medical Center, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Jurrianne C FahnerDepartment of Pediatrics, Wilhelmina Children's Hospital, University Medical Center, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDespite evidence on the benefits for including children in their own (palliative) care, studies show that children are not sufficiently involved nor are their preferences sufficiently elicited in a developmentally appropriate manner. The aim of this scoping review is to provide an overview of characteristics of child development in the context of serious illness.

methodsA scoping review was performed using methods from Arksey and O'Malley and the Joanna Briggs Institute. A structured literature search was conducted in four databases: Medline, Embase, Psychinfo and CINAHL. Articles were included until October 2022. Thematic analysis was performed to present domains and key factors influencing child development.

resultsWe selected 24 out of 11,246 articles. We found different characteristics describing the ongoing development of seriously ill children in early to middle childhood, early adolescence, and middle to late adolescence. Key themes were: psychological/emotional aspects, general cognitive aspects, social aspects, coping strategy, conceptualization of illness, conceptualization of death, and communication about their illness. Several accelerators of ongoing development were found (e.g. cortical maturation, prior medical experience, social experience with adults) and several decelerators (e.g. stress, hospital admission, avoidance of illness-related communication in the family).

conclusionOur review highlights essential aspects to consider when discussing illness and healthcare preferences with children at various developmental stages. However, our findings also underscore a significant gap in understanding the factors that impact the development of children with a serious illness. It is recommended to monitor development throughout the illness trajectory to gather more evidence and utilize this information to support the child's engagement in their own healthcare in a developmentally appropriate way.

Indexed as

Child DevelopmentCritical IllnessAdolescentChildChild, PreschoolHumansInfantAdolescenceAge-appropriateChild developmentChildhoodCognitive aspectsDecision-makingDevelopmentally appropriateInvolvementPediatric advance care planningSerious illness

Identifiers

PMID40346607
PMCPMC12065231

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.