SynthesisThe Clinical journal of pain2026
A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Psychological Interventions for Reducing Distress During Vaccine Injections.
Synthesis in The Clinical journal of pain, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Reducing distress during vaccine injections: 2026 clinical practice guideline update.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2026Guideline
- A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Effectiveness of Process Interventions for Reducing Distress During Vaccine Injections.The Clinical journal of pain · 2026Pooled it
- HELPinKids&Adults 2026 Guideline Update on Reducing Distress During Vaccine Injections: Overview of Methods and the Evidence Base.The Clinical journal of pain · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundVaccine injections are associated with distress across the lifespan. Within a series of updated systematic reviews, we evaluated the effectiveness of psychological interventions, namely various forms of distraction and memory reframing, for reducing distress in vaccine recipients. DESIGN/
methodsOverarching sources of guidance were GRADE and Cochrane. A search strategy was conducted in 5 databases for randomized and quasi-randomized trials in English. Trials were separated into infant (0 to 12 mo) and older individuals (>12 mo) and examined in separate meta-analyses using intervention subgroups. Using a random-effects model, standardized mean differences (SMDs) and 95% CIs were calculated to assess the effectiveness of reducing distress (the critical outcome), with SMDs <0.2 considered trivial. Summary statements for preferred interventions were derived from evidence certainty and effect magnitude.
resultsFifty-seven studies were included, focusing on infants, children, and adolescents. For infants, distraction through a toy (SMD=-3.68, low certainty) and singing (SMD=-0.60, low certainty) were preferred interventions, followed by auditory intervention with a device (SMD=-1.39, very low certainty) and video/movie (SMD=-1.67, very low certainty). For older individuals, preferred interventions were distraction via music (SMD=-0.38, moderate certainty), followed by digital activity/game (SMD=-0.74, low certainty), and virtual reality (SMD=-0.51, low certainty). Breathing with a toy (SMD=-0.82, very low certainty), nondigital activity/game (SMD=-0.86, very low certainty), toy (SMD=-1.37, very low certainty), and video/movie (SMD=-1.03, very low certainty) followed. The least preferred were verbal distraction (SMD=-0.27, very low certainty) and nonassisted (other) breathing interventions (SMD=-0.08, very low certainty). Memory reframing resulted in little to no difference in distress (SMD=-0.16, low certainty).
conclusionsThe choice of distraction methods to reduce distress should consider both the strength of the evidence and the preferences of vaccine recipients and their support persons.
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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.