The Effect of Multisensory Stimulation Administered Before Clinical Encounters at the Pediatric Surgery Outpatient Clinic on Children's Anxiety and Fear Levels and Parental Anxiety

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

Multisensory Stimulation: Multisensory Stimulation

Study summary

Encounters with healthcare services during childhood, particularly surgical evaluation processes, are a significant source of stress for both children and their parents. The initial evaluation, physical examination, and the prospect of a possible procedure conducted in pediatric surgery outpatient clinics can lead to increased levels of anxiety and fear in children. This situation not only affects the child's current psychological state but also reduces their cooperation during the examination, makes collaboration with healthcare professionals more difficult, and can negatively impact the overall healthcare experience. Increased levels of anxiety and fear in children are not limited to emotional reactions alone; they also affect physiological and behavioral responses, thereby shaping the entire healthcare process. Similarly, parents may also experience significant situational anxiety due to uncertainty about their child's health status, the possibility of surgical intervention, and the responsibility for care. Parental anxiety is a significant factor that can influence children's levels of anxiety and fear and can indirectly shape the child's healthcare experience through parent-child interaction.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Children's Pre-procedural Anxiety Level — (Baseline / Pre-encounter
  Children's Anxiety Scale - State Scale The CAS-S resembles a thermometer featuring a bulb at the bottom and horizontal lines spaced at intervals as they rise upwards. Designed for children aged four to ten, this scale instructs children to "Imagine that all your anxious or nervous feelings are in the bulb or lower part of the thermometer." "If you feel a little anxious or tense, your feelings may rise a little higher on the thermometer. "Put a line on the thermometer to show how anxious or nervous you are." It was discovered during the researchers' data collection process that some children were familiar with the typical mercury thermometer represented on the scale, and when children did not understand this analogy, they used an alternative scenario that did not explicitly describe a thermometer. Children are told, "Think of all the anxious or nervous feelings as being at the bottom here (point with your finger on the scale).

Trial sites (1)

More Bilecik Seyh Edebali Universitesi trials in Turkey

Other trials for the same condition