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The effect of sticker intervention on children's pain and anxiety after invasive procedures
Hasret Yağmur Sevinç Akin1, Maksude Yildirim2, Barış Akin3
1Harran University, Viranşehir School of Health, Department of Nursing, Şanlıurfa, Türkiye.
Insights
Applying stickers after invasive procedures effectively reduced anxiety in pediatric patients. While pain reduction was not statistically significant, a tendency toward lower pain scores was observed, suggesting stickers are a practical distraction method.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nursing
- Child Psychology
- Pain Management
Background:
- Invasive procedures in children can cause significant pain and anxiety.
- Effective, low-cost interventions are needed to manage post-procedural distress in pediatric patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of a sticker intervention on pain and anxiety in children immediately following invasive procedures.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 72 pediatric patients (aged 5-10).
- The sticker group received stickers post-procedure, while the control group did not.
- Pain was assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale, and anxiety using the Children's State Anxiety Scale.
Main Results:
- Anxiety levels were significantly lower in the sticker group compared to the control group post-intervention (p=0.019).
- Pain levels showed a tendency toward decrease in the sticker group, though not statistically significant.
- Anxiety scores changed significantly over time in both groups (p≤0.000).
Conclusions:
- Sticker intervention is an effective, practical, and low-cost method for reducing anxiety in children post-invasive procedures.
- It can be considered a child-centered support strategy in pediatric nursing to improve care quality.
Purpose:
This study was conducted as a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effect of sticker intervention on pain and anxiety experienced immediately after invasive procedures.
Methodology:
This study was conducted with pediatric patients aged 5-10 years who were hospitalized in the pediatrics department of a hospital in the Southeastern Anatolia Region. The study was completed with a total of 72 children, 36 in the sticker group and 36 in the control group. After the invasive procedure on the sticker group, hypoallergenic, latex-free, colorful patterned stickers suitable for medical use were applied. The pain of children in the sticker and control groups was assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale, while their anxiety was assessed using the Children's state anxiety, based on reports from both the child and the researcher.
Results:
Pain increased during the intervention and decreased after the intervention in both the sticker and control groups (p ≤ 0.000). Anxiety levels were similar before and during the intervention (p > 0.05); however, after the intervention, anxiety was significantly lower in the sticker group compared to the control group (p = 0.019; p = 0.001). Anxiety scores changed significantly over time in both groups (p ≤ 0.000).
Conclusion:
It was determined that the sticker intervention, is effective in relieving anxiety in children, according to both the researchers and the children themselves. The intervention was not statistically significant in reducing pain levels in children; however, both researchers and children reported a tendency toward decreased pain scores. The findings indicate that the sticker intervention can be used as a practical, low-cost and easily applicable distraction method to reduce pain and anxiety in children after invasive procedures.
Implications To Practice:
Sticker intervention may be considered as a simple, low-cost, and child-centered post-procedural support strategy in pediatric nursing. Incorporating this approach into routine care after invasive procedures may help reduce children's anxiety, support pain management and improve the quality of pediatric nursing care.
