The President Clinton crisis and the Starr report: children's perceptions and parents' awareness.

INTRODUCTION

The media have suggested that the President Clinton crisis, as publicized by the Starr Report, has had detrimental effects on school-age children. Parents, too, have been concerned that their children are confused about the presidential controversies involving dishonesty, mistrust, betrayal, infidelity, and misuse of authority. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions and reactions of school-age children to information surrounding the President Clinton situation, as well as parents' perceptions of their children's knowledge and reactions.

METHOD

A descriptive, qualitative design was used in this study. Data collection took place during the 2-week period following publication of the 1998 Starr Report. Fifty-one parents and 67 school-age children were interviewed using semi-structured interview guides with 5 open-ended questions addressing the President Clinton situation.

RESULTS

Major themes that emerged from children's interviews were lying, getting caught, infidelity, and role modeling. Parents' awareness of their children's knowledge regarding the President Clinton situation varied; few were aware of the depth of knowledge their children had, nor had they discussed this situation with their children.

DISCUSSION

Findings have relevance for nurse practitioners as they support parents in listening to and talking with their children about tough issues such as morality and sexuality in the context of real life events.