Trial reportBMC pediatrics2025
Should I play or should I watch: the effects of active and passive distraction methods on children's pain, fear and anxiety during invasive procedures: a randomized controlled clinical trial.
Trial report in BMC pediatrics, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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.
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.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- The effect of the liquid motion bubbler timer soothing sensory toy on children's fear and anxiety levels during blood sampling: a randomized clinical trial.BMC psychology · 2026Trial
- The effect of electric ride-on cars use during transport to the operating room on preoperative anxiety in children: a cluster randomized controlled trial.Pediatric surgery international · 2026Trial
- Neurobiological Effects of Non-Invasive Behavioural Management Strategies in Paediatric Dentistry: A Scoping Review.Clinics and practice · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMinimizing pain, fear, and anxiety in children during invasive procedures is crucial for effective communication with both children and their parents, and for facilitating cooperation during medical interventions. Identifying and implementing effective distraction techniques can improve the quality of pediatric care.
methodsThis randomized controlled clinical trial evaluated the effectiveness of two distraction methods-watching cartoons (passive distraction) and playing video games (active distraction)-on pain, fear, and anxiety levels in children aged 3 to 7 years undergoing invasive procedures. A total of 105 hospitalized children were randomly assigned to one of three groups: control (n = 35), cartoon (n = 35), or video game (n = 35). After obtaining ethical approval, data were collected between 26 November 2019 and 8 January 2020 using a demographic information form, the Oucher Pain Scale, the Children's State Anxiety Scale, and the Children's Fear Scale. Data were analyzed using SPSS software, employing chi-squared tests, one-way ANOVA, and repeated measures ANOVA. Additional ANCOVA analyses were conducted to control for baseline differences in pulse and respiratory rate, and effect sizes (partial η²) were calculated for all primary outcomes.
resultsChildren in the control group reported significantly higher levels of pain, fear, and anxiety before, during, and after the procedure compared to those in the cartoon and video game groups (p < 0.001). Both distraction methods were effective, but the video game group consistently showed the lowest scores for pain, fear, and anxiety across all time points (p < 0.01).
conclusionsBoth cartoon watching and video gaming are effective, low-cost, and practical methods to reduce procedural pain, fear, and anxiety in young children. Video games proved to be more effective.
trial registrationThe trial registered on ClinicalTrials.gov with numberNCT06826352 on 26/11/2019.
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Registered trials
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.