Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39856674›Full record

Trial reportBMC complementary medicine and therapies2025

Effect of play therapy and storytelling on the anxiety level of hospitalized children: a randomized controlled trial.

Fatemeh Abdi, Ali Karamoozian, Mostafa Lotfilou, Fatemeh Gholami, Negin Shaterian, Alireza Abasi Niasar, Ehsan Aghapour, Mohammadamin Jandaghian-Bidgoli

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in BMC complementary medicine and therapies, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Review
  6. Review
  7. Article
  8. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Fatemeh AbdiNon-communicable Diseases Research Center, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Iran.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8338-166X
Ali KaramoozianDepartment of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Faculty of Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1677-2852
Mostafa LotfilouStudent Research Committee, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Iran.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0006-8898-1705
Fatemeh GholamiStudent Research Committee, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Iran.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0005-0533-6317
Negin ShaterianStudent Research Committee, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1827-941X
Alireza Abasi NiasarMother and Child Welfare Research Center, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran.
Ehsan AghapourDepartment of Social Welfare Management, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6776-8346
Mohammadamin Jandaghian-BidgoliStudent of Nursing Department, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran. mohammadaminjandaghian@sbmu.ac.ir.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0195-9099

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundChildren are anxious when hospitalized due to being away from home and undergoing treatment.This anxiety has an effect on their disease process, treatment, growth and development.Children's anxiety has an effect on parents' anxiety and can lead to lower level of cooperation among the children and their parents with the treatment team.the present study aimed to compare the effect of play therapy and storytelling on the anxiety of hospitalized children.

methodsA randomized controlled trial study with a three-group design (play therapy, storytelling and control) was conducted in 75 children aged 3 to 10 years admitted to Imam Ali Alborz Hospital of Karaj, Iran between 2022-2023.The data before and after the intervention were collected by the Spence children's anxiety scale and the face tool for anxiety assessment and analyzed by the Mixed effect model statistical method.

resultsThere is a statistically significant difference between the anxiety score of the children for whom storytelling was used and control group. Also, among the two therapies of storytelling and play therapy, only storytelling therapy has a significant effect on reducing children's anxiety.Regarding the time of measuring the anxiety score(the first, second, third day after the intervention), it was found that as this time increases, the children's anxiety decreases significantly.morever, the children's gender, age, and history of hospitalization are influencing factors.

conclusionPlay therapy and storytelling play an effective role in controlling the anxiety of hospitalized children, although storytelling had a greater role in reducing the anxiety of hospitalized children than play therapy. It is suggested to provide the necessary conditions and facilities for the implementation of these methods in children's inpatient departments.

trial registrationhttps://irct.behdasht.gov.ir/ ,IRCT20220704055367N1,13/7 /2022.

Indexed as

AnxietyChild, HospitalizedNarrationNarrative TherapyPlay TherapyChildChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansIranMaleAnxietyHospitalized childrenMotherPlay therapyStorytelling

Identifiers

PMID39856674
PMCPMC11761729

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.