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Effect of toys made from medical materials on anxiety among hospitalized children: A randomized controlled trial
Maksude Yildirim1, Hasret Yağmur Sevinç Akin2, Barış Akin3
1Department of Child Health And Disease Nursing, Adıyaman University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Adıyaman, Turkey.
Insights
Making toys from medical materials significantly reduced anxiety in hospitalized children. This creative intervention offers a practical approach for healthcare providers to ease pediatric distress.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Psychology
- Child Life Services
- Healthcare Interventions
Background:
- Hospitalization can induce significant anxiety in children.
- Creative and accessible interventions are needed to manage pediatric anxiety in clinical settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of creating toys from medical materials in reducing anxiety among hospitalized children.
- To explore a novel, low-cost intervention for pediatric anxiety management.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 90 pediatric patients aged 4-6 years.
- Participants were assigned to either a group creating toys from medical materials or a control group.
- Anxiety levels were assessed using the Children's State Anxiety (CSA) scale, with both self-reports and maternal reports.
Main Results:
- Children in the toy-making group showed a significant decrease in post-test anxiety scores.
- The control group did not exhibit a significant change in anxiety levels.
- Maternal reports corroborated the findings, indicating lower anxiety in the intervention group compared to the control group.
Conclusions:
- Creating toys from readily available medical materials is an effective strategy for alleviating anxiety in hospitalized children.
- This intervention provides a practical and accessible method for healthcare professionals to improve the emotional well-being of pediatric patients.
- Utilizing medical materials for toy creation offers a therapeutic outlet, reducing anxiety and enhancing coping mechanisms in young patients.
Purpose:
This study was conducted as a randomized controlled trial to examine the effect of toys made from medical materials on anxiety among hospitalized children.
Design And Methods:
This study was conducted with pediatric patients aged 4-6 years who were hospitalized in the pediatrics department of a teaching and research hospital in the Southeastern Anatolia Region. The study was completed with 90 children, allocated to the toys made of medical materials group (45) and the control group (45). Children, in the toys made of medical materials group, were given medical materials and asked to make toys. The anxiety levels of children in both the toys made of medical materials and control groups were assessed using the Children's State Anxiety (CSA) scale.
Results:
Analysis based on children's self-reports revealed a significant reduction in the post-test anxiety scores of children in the toys made of medical materials group. No significant difference was observed in the anxiety scores of children in the control group. In the comparison between groups based on mothers' reports, it was found that the post-test anxiety scores of children in the toys made of medical materials group were significantly lower than those of children in the control group.
Conclusions:
Our study found that toys made from medical materials were effective in reducing children's anxiety.
Practice Implications:
Healthcare workers can relieve children's anxieties by making toys using medical materials that are easily accessible in the clinic.
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