The effect of therapeutic storytelling on pain, fear, and anxiety levels in children undergoing burn dressing.

Objective: The study was conducted as a randomized controlled trial to determine the effect of watching cartoon during treatment on anxiety and fear in children. Methods: A total of 92 children (43 in the cartoon group and 49 in the control group) were included in the study. The results of the study were obtained using Information Form, Children’s State Anxiety Scale, and Children’s Fear Scale. The children in the cartoon group watched their favourite cartoons during treatment. No distracting method was applied to the children in the control group during their routine treatment. Anxiety and fear levels in children in the cartoon and control groups were evaluated before and during intravenous treatment. Results: Watching cartoon during iv treatment is effective on reducing anxiety and fear in children. Conclusion: Fear and anxiety levels in children can be reduced through watching cartoon during medical procedures. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04127097. Keywords: child, anxiety, fear, treatment, nursing, distraction, non-pharmacologic

The Effect of storybook use in pediatric health services on children's fear and anxiety levels: A meta-analysis study.

Effects of two different ball types on pain and anxiety during venous blood draw in children: A randomized controlled study

The Effects of Cartoon Assisted Endoscopy Preparation Package on Children's Fear and Anxiety Levels and Parental Satisfaction in Turkey

The objectives of this study were to examine the levels of anxiety in hearing-impaired children with hearing aids or cochlear implants compared to normally hearing children, and to identify individual variables that were associated with differences in the level of anxiety. Large retrospective cohort study. Self-reports and parent-reports concerning general anxiety, social anxiety, and generalized anxiety disorder were used. The study group (mean age, 11.8 years) consisted of three age-matched subgroups: 32 children with cochlear implants, 51 children with conventional hearing aids, and 127 children without hearing loss. Levels of anxiety in children with cochlear implants and normally hearing children were similar. Early implantation was associated with lower levels of general and social anxiety. Remarkably, children with conventional hearing aids had higher levels of social anxiety, and their parents also reported more generalized anxiety disorder. The outcomes demonstrate that in their level of anxiety, children with cochlear implants might be more comparable to normally hearing children than to children with hearing aids. This positive finding can be the consequence of audiological factors or other aspects of the cochlear implant rehabilitation program.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of reading a preoperative preparation-themed storybook on children's preoperative fear and anxiety levels. The research design was a randomized controlled experiment. The research sample included 80 children (40 in the story group and 40 in the control group) who met the inclusion criteria. Data collection tools were collected through face-to-face interviews with the 'Survey Form', 'Child Fear Scale (CFS)' and 'Modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (mYPAS)'. In the research, the book named Elif Has Surgery was used as an intervention tool. In the story group, the preoperative preparation-themed storybook was read to the child in their room at the clinic by their mother within 10min. The control group received only clinical routine. The study was approved by the ethics committee. There was a statistically significant difference between the groups in the mean scores of the CFS and mYPAS scales in the control and story groups (p < 0.05). This study found that reading a preoperative preparation-themed storybook reduced children's fear and anxiety before surgery. It may be recommended to expand the use of preoperative preparation-themed storybooks in order to prevent fear and anxiety experienced before surgery in paediatric surgery clinics. Story reading is an effective, cheap, non-pharmacological intervention. The clinical trial registration number is NCT05478369.

The level and nature of school-related anxiety in primary and secondary school-age children were analyzed. On the basis of boarding schools,the data that the level of anxiety in children of primary school age is within the normal range were obtained, and in subjects of secondary school age this indicator is slightly increased. In children studying in the gymnasium, the level of anxiety is within the normal range. Statistically significant differences in the level of school anxiety among children studying in boarding schools and high school students were revealed.

The Effects of a Therapeutic Play/Play Therapy Program on the Fear and Anxiety Levels of Hospitalized Children After Liver Transplantation

The effect of using DistrACTION® Cards (MMJ Labs, Atlanta, GA, USA) to distract children aged 6-10 during a skin-prick test on their levels of pain and anxiety was explored in this study. The study was conducted as randomized, controlled, experimental research with a total of 104 children presenting at a hospital for a skin-prick test, 52 of whom comprised in the experimental and 52 in the control group. DistrACTION® Cards (MMJ Labs) were employed in the experimental group of children to distract their attention during a skin prick test by observer nurse. The observer nurse asked each child to look at the pictures on the cards and answer her questions. The pictures on the cards portray various details. The children's pain and anxiety levels were independently assessed on the basis of the feedback provided by the children, the observer nurse and the parents. The children's pain levels were assessed with the Wong-Baker Pain Scale (W-BPS) and their anxiety levels with the Children's Fear Scale (CFS). No intervention was carried out for the children in the control group. It was found that the children's pain scores during (distraction group [D]: 0.57±1.14; control group [C]: 3.15±3.07) and after the procedure (D: 0.05±0.23; C: 2.32±3.42) were significantly lower than those of the control group. It was seen that the anxiety scores of the experimental group during (D: 0.63±0.97; C: 2.69±1.26) and after the procedure (D: 0.11±0.37; C: 1.82±1.53) were significantly lower than those of the control group. It was observed that the use of DistrACTION® Cards (MMJ Labs) during a skin prick test was effective in reducing children's pain and anxiety levels.

The effects of playing digital games on children's pain, fear, and anxiety levels during suturing: A randomized controlled study

Effect of therapeutic play using a toy nebulizer and toy mask on a child's fear and anxiety levels

Paediatric fractures are highly prevalent and are most often treated with plaster. The application and removal of plaster is often an anxiety-inducing experience for children. Decreasing the anxiety level may improve the patients' satisfaction and the quality of healthcare. Virtual reality (VR) has proven to effectively distract children and reduce their anxiety in other clinical settings, and it seems to have a similar effect during plaster treatment. This study aims to further investigate the effect of VR on the anxiety level of children with fractures who undergo plaster removal or replacement in the plaster room. A randomized controlled trial was conducted. A total of 255 patients were included, aged five to 17 years, who needed plaster treatment for a fracture of the upper or lower limb. Randomization was stratified for age (five to 11 and 12 to 17 years). The intervention group was distracted with VR goggles and headphones during the plaster treatment, whereas the control group received standard care. As the primary outcome, the post-procedural level of anxiety was measured with the Child Fear Scale (CFS). Secondary outcomes included the children's anxiety reduction (difference between CFS after and CFS before plaster procedure), numerical rating scale (NRS) pain, NRS satisfaction of the children and accompanying parents/guardians, and the children's heart rates during the procedure. An independent-samples t-test and Mann-Whitney U test (depending on the data distribution) were used to analyze the data. The post-procedural CFS was significantly lower (p < 0.001) in the intervention group (proportion of children with no anxiety = 78.6%) than in the control group (56.8%). The anxiety reduction, NRS pain and satisfaction scores, and heart rates showed no significant differences between the control group and the intervention group. Subanalyses showed an increased effect of VR on anxiety levels in young patients, females, upper limb fractures, and those who had had previous plaster treatment. VR effectively reduces the anxiety levels of children in the plaster room, especially in young girls. No statistically significant effects were seen regarding pain, heart rate, or satisfaction scores.

Impact of preanesthetic information on anxiety of parents and children

Invasive procedures are important causes of pain and anxiety during hospitalization. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of 3 different distraction methods on the pain and anxiety levels of children during venipuncture. This was a randomized controlled trial conducted with 180 children of 6 to 10 years of age; data were collected in the months of August to November 2016. Participants were randomized in 4 groups; the children in group 1 watched cartoon movies (CM), the children in group 2 played video games (VG), the children in group 3 were distracted by their parents' verbal interactions (PI), whereas no distraction method was used on the children in group 4 (control group). The levels of anxiety and pain perception were evaluated independently based on the feedback from the children, the nurse observer, and the parents. The Children Fear Scale was used to evaluate anxiety levels and the Wong-Baker Pain Scale was used to evaluate the pain levels of the children. The difference between the groups based on both the anxiety levels and pain scores during venipuncture was statistically significant (P<0.05). The lowest level of anxiety and pain perception was reported in the VG group. The scores observed both in the CM group and the PI group were significantly lower than in the control group (P<0.05). The distraction techniques of playing VG, watching CM, and PI appear to be effective in reducing anxiety and pain perception in children during the procedure of venipuncture. The most effective method was playing VG.

Managing anxiety in children during the pandemic will be a concern for many pediatric dentists. The aim of this study was to assess the anxiety levels in children aged between 4 and 9 years about the pediatric dentists donning a personal protective equipment (PPE) for dental treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic era in Bengaluru. The study was done in two parts with a sample size of 100 each. The first part was a questionnaire-based survey addressed to the pediatric dentists practicing in Bengaluru. The second part of the study was clinical assessment of dental anxiety at three time intervals (T1, T2, and T3) using the animated emoji scale. The study revealed that 87% use preprocedural behavior management post-COVID. Majority of the dentists donned the PPE before conditioning the child (59%) and 41% wore the PPE after conditioning the child. The mean anxiety level in the study children showed an increase in anxiety level at T2 of 3.58 (P < 0.001 ± 1.32) in children aged 4-6 years when compared to T1 and T3 of 3.27 (P < 0.001 ± 1.64) and 3.07 (P < 0.001 ± 1.32), respectively. Children aged between 4 and 6 years showed increased levels of anxiety compared to the 7-9-year age group to the pediatric dentists donning a PPE during treatment in the COVID-19 pandemic. Pediatric dentists also showed a satisfactory knowledge regarding disinfection and fumigation procedures.