Mindfulness-Based Emotion Regulation Training for Hospitalized Children

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

training: In addition to routine nursing care, children in the intervention group will receive the 'Mindfulness-Based Emotion Regulation Training Programme' developed by the researcher.

Study summary

Hospitalization and medical procedures are a significant source of stress and anxiety for school-age children aged 7-11, who, due to their cognitive development, can perceive events but lack the capacity to cope effectively. The main objective of this project is to examine the effect of Mindfulness-Based Emotion Regulation Training, which will be applied to children aged 7-11 hospitalized in the pediatric clinic, on developing children's emotion regulation skills and reducing their fear levels related to the hospital. The research is a randomized controlled trial to be conducted between April 2026 and April 2027. Data will be collected using the "Child and Parent Introduction Form," the "Emotion Regulation Scale for Children and Adolescents," and the "Medical Procedure Fear Scale." While distraction techniques frequently used in the literature offer a quick and effective solution at the time of the procedure, this project differs in that it aims to provide children with sustainable emotion regulation skills that they can use not only at that moment but also in later stages of the illness and in future life events. As a result of the project, it is expected that the implemented training will increase adaptive emotion regulation strategies in children, significantly reduce medical fear and anxiety, and provide an evidence-based nursing intervention that will facilitate children's compliance with treatment.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Emotion Regulation Scale for Children and Adolescents: — 1 year
  The scale was adapted by Gullone and Taffe (2012) from the Emotion Regulation Scale developed by Gross and John (2003) for an adult sample. The scale was adapted into Turkish by Tetik and Önder in 2021. The scale is a self-assessment tool designed to evaluate differences in the use of two emotion regulation strategies. The scale includes statements such as 'I control my emotions by not showing them.' The scale consists of 'two subscales, reappraisal and suppression, and 10 items.' The assessment is conducted using a 5-point Likert-type rating scale. Items 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, and 10 represent the reappraisal subscale, while items 2, 4, 6, and 9 represent the suppression subscale. High scores on the subscales indicate frequent use of the emotion regulation strategy represented by that subscale. The Cronbach's alpha internal consistency coefficient ranged from .82 to .86 for the reappraisal subscale and from .69 to .79 for the suppression subscale.
• Medical Procedure Fear Scale — 1 year
  Developed by Marion Bloom et al. in 1985, this scale measures children's fears related to medical procedures and treatments. The validity and reliability study of the scale in Turkey was conducted by Alak (1993). The scale contains items such as 'I am afraid the doctor will hurt me' and 'I am afraid of going to the hospital' and is a 3-point Likert scale (0 = Never, 1 = Sometimes, 2 = Very much). Medical fears are addressed in 29 questions. The scale consists of four sub-dimensions. The Cronbach's alpha for the scale was found to be 0.93. The minimum score obtainable from the scale is 29, and the maximum score is 87. An increase in score indicates an increase in medical fear.

Trial sites (1)

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