Reducing State Anxiety in Older Adults Undergoing MRI: A Controlled Trial of a Multimedia Electronic Book Intervention
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Published on: July 19, 2017
Theerapong Tanming1,2, Pattrawadee Makmee1, Peera Wongupparaj3
1Department of Research and Applied Psychology, Faculty of Education, Burapha University, Chon Buri, Thailand.
Objectives:
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) frequently induces state anxiety in older adults, impairing cooperation and image quality. This study developed and evaluated a multimedia electronic book (e-book) to reduce this anxiety.
Methods:
In a non-randomized controlled pretest-multiple-posttest design, 87 older adults aged 60-80 years (M = 68.87, SD = 6.26) at a regional Thai hospital were allocated equally (n = 29) to an ADDIE-based multimedia e-book, pamphlets, or standard verbal instruction. State anxiety (STAI Form Y-I), blood pressure, respiratory rate, and heart rate were measured before and after the intervention and after MRI, and analyzed using paired-sample t-tests and one-way ANOVA with Scheffé's post hoc test.
Results:
State anxiety decreased in the e-book and pamphlet groups (p < .001) but increased in the control group (p = .013). After the intervention, the e-book group had lower anxiety than both comparators (p < .001); after MRI, it remained lower than the pamphlet group (p = .025). Physiological differences were largely non-significant.
Conclusions:
The multimedia e-book reduced MRI-related state anxiety in older adults more than pamphlets or standard verbal instruction.
Clinical Implications:
This low-cost, easily disseminated tool merits integration into anxiety-management protocols for older patients undergoing MRI.
