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Comparing the Effect of Music and Puzzle-Solving on Anxiety Before Surgery in Children: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Mohamad Golitaleb1, Mehdi Harorani2, Masoumeh Garshasbi3
1Department of Nursing, Arak University of Medical Sciences Faculty of Nursing, Arak, Iran.
Insights
Music and puzzle-solving significantly reduced pre-surgery anxiety in children. These complementary therapies offer a valuable approach to managing pediatric anxiety before operations.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Medicine
- Psychology
- Clinical Trials
Background:
- Hospitalization and surgery are significant stressors for children, inducing anxiety.
- Anxiety is a natural adaptive response to adverse conditions.
- Effective anxiety management is crucial in pediatric surgical care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the efficacy of puzzle-solving and music as distraction methods for reducing pre-operative anxiety in children.
- To evaluate non-pharmacological interventions for pediatric surgical anxiety.
Main Methods:
- A clinical trial involving 90 children aged 6-10 years, randomly assigned to three groups: puzzle-solving, music with visuals, and standard care.
- Anxiety levels were measured using the Children's Fear Scale at three time points: before transfer to OR, 30 minutes pre-surgery, and immediately before anesthesia induction.
- Data analyzed using ANOVA, chi-square, and Tukey tests via SPSS v21.0.
Main Results:
- Both music and puzzle-solving interventions led to significant reductions in anxiety levels compared to the control group (P < .001).
- The intervention groups demonstrated marked improvement in anxiety management post-intervention.
Conclusions:
- Music and puzzle-solving serve as effective complementary therapies for alleviating pre-surgical anxiety in pediatric patients.
- These non-pharmacological methods are recommended for integration into standard pediatric surgical care to improve patient well-being.
Objective:
Hospitalization and the possibility of surgery are known as the main causes of anxiety in children, and anxiety is a natural physiological process in individuals that allows them to adapt and deal with a diversity of adverse conditions. The purpose of this research aimed to compare 2 methods of distraction including puzzle-solving and music on anxiety before pediatric surgery.
Materials And Methods:
This study is clinical trial research. First, 90 children 6 to 10 years old were randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups. In group A, the visual puzzlesolving items were presented, in group B, music with related pictures via a tablet was presented in the waiting room for surgery, and in group C, only standard care for each patient was presented. Anxiety before surgery was measured with a Children's Fear Scale questionnaire before moving the patient to the operating room, then 30 minutes before surgery in the pre-surgery waiting room, and the third stage immediately after transfer to the operating room before induction of anesthesia. Data were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance, chi-square test, and Tukey test using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software version 21.0.
Results:
The results of this research showed that the levels of anxiety significantly improved in the intervention groups compared to the control group after the intervention (P < .001).
Conclusion:
Music and puzzle-solving as complementary therapy can improve the levels of anxiety in children before surgery. Therefore, this technique can be recommended to be used along with modern medicine in children.
