Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 7, 2026
Author Spotlight: Methodologies and Advancements of Chronic Pain Management Research
Published on: January 5, 2024
The Effect of Stress Ball-Squeezing and Balloon Inflation Methods on Pain, Fear and Physical Parameters During
Reyhan Sakalli1, Dilek Konuk Şener2
1İstanbul Şişli Vocational School, İstanbul, Türkiye.
Insights
Stress ball-squeezing and balloon inflation significantly reduced pain and fear in children during vascular access. Stress ball-squeezing was more effective than balloon inflation in alleviating distress and improving vital signs.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nursing
- Pain Management
- Child Psychology
Background:
- Pediatric patients often experience significant pain and fear during vascular access procedures.
- Non-pharmacological methods are crucial for managing procedural pain and anxiety in children.
- Distraction techniques can be effective in mitigating pain perception and distress.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of stress ball-squeezing and balloon inflation as distraction methods during vascular access in children.
- To compare the effects of stress ball-squeezing and balloon inflation on children's pain, fear, and physiological parameters.
- To determine the optimal non-pharmacological intervention for managing procedural distress in pediatric patients.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial involving 108 children aged 6-10 years.
- Participants were allocated to three groups: stress ball-squeezing, balloon inflation, or a control group.
- Pain, fear, and physiological measurements were assessed during vascular access procedures.
Main Results:
- Both stress ball-squeezing and balloon inflation significantly reduced pain and fear compared to the control group (p < 0.05).
- The stress ball-squeezing group exhibited significantly lower pain and fear levels than the balloon inflation group (p < 0.05).
- Physiological parameters were positively affected in both intervention groups, with the most significant improvements observed in the stress ball-squeezing group (p < 0.05).
Conclusions:
- Stress ball-squeezing and balloon inflation are effective non-pharmacological interventions for alleviating pain and fear during pediatric vascular access.
- Stress ball-squeezing demonstrates superior efficacy in reducing procedural distress and stabilizing physiological parameters compared to balloon inflation.
- These methods can be recommended as safe and effective distraction techniques to improve the experience of children undergoing vascular access.
Aim:
The study was conducted to determine the effect of stress ball-squeezing and balloon inflation methods applied during vascular access in paediatric patients on pain, fear and physical parameters.
Methods:
The study is a randomised controlled experimental trial. As a result of the power analysis, the sample of the study consisted of a total of 108 children (stress ball-squeezing = 36, balloon inflation = 36, control group = 36) between the ages of 6 and 10 who were hospitalised in a university hospital or needed intravenous fluids on admission to the emergency room.
Results:
When the results of the research were evaluated, it was found that the pain and fear levels of the children in the stress ball-squeezing and balloon inflation groups were significantly lower during the procedure compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Pain and fear levels of the stress ball-squeezing group were significantly lower than those of the balloon inflation group (p < 0.05). It was determined that the physiological measurement values of the children in the experimental groups were positively affected (p < 0.05) and the most effective result was detected in the stress ball-squeezing group (p < 0.05).
Conclusion:
It was observed that stress ball-squeezing and balloon inflation methods applied during peripheral vascular access alleviated the pain and fear of children and positively affected their vital signs. In line with these results, balloon inflation and stress ball can be used as distraction methods in order to reduce the pain and fear of children with peripheral vascular access and to regulate their physiological parameters.
Related Concept Videos
01:10Pre-Procedural Guidelines for Assessing Blood Pressure
01:21Sites for measruring blood pressure
The Brachial Artery: Primary Site for Blood Pressure Measurement
01:23Assessment of blood pressure in brachial artery(two-step method)