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Updated: Jul 14, 2026
Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood
Published on: February 11, 2017
Evaluating the effectiveness of preoperative interventions: the appropriateness of using the Children's Emotional
1Nurse Instructor, The Nethersole School of Nursing, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong. williamli@cuhk.edu.hk
Insights
Therapeutic play significantly reduced anxiety and negative emotions in children undergoing surgery compared to information preparation. The Children's Emotional Manifestation Scale effectively evaluated these preoperative nursing interventions.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nursing
- Surgical Care
- Child Psychology
Background:
- The Children's Emotional Manifestation Scale shows potential for documenting children's emotional responses.
- Its efficacy in evaluating preoperative nursing interventions remains uncertain.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the effectiveness of therapeutic play versus information preparation for pediatric surgical patients.
- To assess the appropriateness of the Children's Emotional Manifestation Scale for evaluating preoperative nursing interventions.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial involving 203 children (7-12 years) undergoing elective day surgery.
- Children were assigned to either therapeutic play intervention (n=97) or routine information preparation (n=106).
Main Results:
- Therapeutic play group showed significantly lower anxiety, fewer negative emotions, and lower physiological stress markers (heart rate, blood pressure).
- High preoperative anxiety correlated with increased negative emotional behavior and heightened physiological responses during anesthesia induction.
Conclusions:
- The Children's Emotional Manifestation Scale is appropriate for evaluating preoperative nursing interventions.
- Therapeutic play is more effective than information preparation for pediatric surgical preparation, highlighting its role in quality nursing care.
Aims:
This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of two preoperative nursing interventions and examining the appropriateness of using the Children's Emotional Manifestation Scale in evaluating the effectiveness of preoperative interventions.
Background:
There is some evidence that the Children's Emotional Manifestation Scale can be used as an objective assessment tool in documenting children's emotional responses. However, it is uncertain from previous study that whether the scale can be used in evaluating the effectiveness of preoperative interventions.
Design:
A randomized controlled trial, between subjects design was carried out in a well-established day surgery unit.
Method:
Children (7-12 years of age; n = 203) admitted for elective day surgery during a 13-month period, were recruited. By using a simple randomization method, 97 of children were assigned to the experimental group receiving therapeutic play intervention and 106 children were assigned to the control group receiving routine information preparation.
Results:
Children receiving therapeutic play preparation reported statistically significant lower anxiety levels, fewer negative emotions and lower heart rates and mean arterial blood pressures than children receiving information preparation. Children with high preoperative anxiety levels manifested more negative emotional behaviour during anaesthesia induction and were associated with faster heart rates and higher mean blood pressures.
Conclusion:
The study demonstrates the appropriateness of using the Children's Emotional Manifestation Scale in evaluating the effectiveness of preoperative nursing interventions and presents clear evidence to support the effectiveness of therapeutic play intervention in preparing children for surgery when compared with the information preparation approach.
Relevance To Clinical Practice:
This study contributes towards enriching the experience of using child-sensitive research tools in evaluating the effectiveness of preoperative nursing interventions. The findings heighten the awareness of the importance of integrating therapeutic play as an essential component of holistic and quality nursing care to prepare children for surgery.
