2022 Volume 73 Pages 19-23
The acquisition of toileting skills is an important developmental task for toddlers and preschoolers. Sometimes, health problems related to elimination, such as functional constipation and voiding dysfunction, occurs when children learn to toilet. Furthermore, some parents feel that it is too burdensome to toilet-train their children. This study aimed to focus on child toilet learning to develop nursing intervention program, preventing, finding early and intervening in the health problems related to toileting of children and the parental difficulty of approaching children for toilet learning.
This is a collective case study informed by the transition theory. The longitudinal semi-structured interviews were conducted. The transition process in each case was identified based on the description of each case. After within-case analysis, an across-case analysis was undertaken to identify commonalities and differences in the toilet learning process and the parental perceptions and engagement in the child toilet learning process. The nursing intervention based on role supplementation was performed for some children and parents who had problem in this learning process. Effectiveness was evaluated for each case.
A total of 22 children and their mothers participated in this study. The children were aged 20–60 months. The data revealed the transition of the child toilet learning process and maternal care for it. The three phase of child learning facilitated the child’s transition: perceiving their body by sharing their sensuous experience, getting the knacks for using their body through trial and error, capturing the trimming to go to the toilet in daily life. The nursing intervention was conducted in eight of 22 cases. The cases were categorized into groups. Four cases needed nursing intervention to adjust the mother’s interpretation gap regarding their child and how the mother captured the child. Additionally 4 cases had problems with child bowel habits. Through nursing intervention, some mothers were aware that their child was not what they wanted to be. Some children noticed their sensation related to defecation, which led to work on elimination as their own.
The child transition of toilet learning consisted of three phases: to sensate their body, to use their body, and to be aware of the social expectations. With supplemental nursing intervention for children and parents, the environment of child learning was established by their significant others. This study provides some opportunities to gain perspectives about some of the resources on which toddlers and preschoolers acquire life skills through their bodies and how parents can take responsibility for child developmental transition.
