The school-age traction patient: toward better behavior patterns.

Being confined to bed in traction is a decidedly frustrating experience for the pediatric patient. Following the initial adjustment of the trauma of the accident that precipitated the present limited environment, the patient assumes a behavior pattern that he thinks will enable him to cope with the predicament. One of the following three roles is usually exhibited: 1) reasonable independence, 2) problem dependency, 3) manipulation. The awareness and understanding of these patterns and their variations with a practical response from the hospital staff will help the patient to project his natural personality and to develop an acceptable level of self-sufficiency even during this time of physical restriction.