Children's Acceptance Ratings of a Child with a Facial Scar: The Impact of Positive Scripts

Abstract

Children with visible pediatric conditions may be at risk for low peer acceptance. More knowledge is needed about how different types of information influence children's acceptance. For this study, we examined the influence of scripts emphasizing either positive information and/or medical information on young children's acceptance of a line drawing of a child with a facial disfigurement. Results indicated that type of script and gender of the perceiver influenced acceptance ratings. Positive scripts improved children's acceptance, while those describing medical information did not have an effect. Girls provided higher acceptance ratings than boys. Our findings indicated that it might be beneficial to describe ways in which a child's skills are similar to those of peers to improve acceptance of a child with a facial disfigurement.