Bodily and Verbal Expressions of Postoperative Symptoms in 3- to 6-Year-Old Boys

The aim of this study was to investigate how small boys between 3 and 6 years of age describe bodily and verbal expressions of postoperative symptoms. The data collection was carried out at a large general hospital in Sweden and included both participant observations and semistructured interviews. The results provided a description of how 3- to 6-year-old boys bodily and verbally express postoperative symptoms. The results also showed that small children have difficulties in distinguishing pain, nausea, and anxiety and that postoperative discomfort was experienced in many different ways.