ArticleEClinicalMedicine2026
"Magical relief": the effectiveness of three stages of a video-based magic intervention on distress and pain in children aged 9-11 years during HPV mass vaccinations-a cluster-randomized trial.
Article in EClinicalMedicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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7 authors.
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Abstract
Background: Vaccinations often elicit significant distress in school-aged children, which can impact pain perception and future medical experiences. This study examined the effects of three stages of a video-based magic intervention on self-reported distress and pain in children receiving HPV vaccinations. Methods: This cluster-randomized controlled trial randomized 412 children (aged 9-11 years) who received their first HPV vaccination at five mass-vaccination sites in The Netherlands. Based on vaccination date and time, children were assigned to one of four groups: 1. watching a magic trick video during the vaccination, 2. watching the trick with revelation of the secret, 3. watching the trick with revelation of the secret, followed by a brief post-vaccination video-training, and 4. a regular care control. Children completed questionnaires before (T0) and after (T1) the first vaccination in April 2024, and before the second vaccination six months later (T2) in September/October 2024. The primary outcome of child-reported distress was assessed at T0, T1, and T2 using the Facial Image Scale (FIS) and the short form of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-6). The study was preregistered on OSF (https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/5ASM9, registered April 4, 2024). Findings: All randomized participants were analyzed according to the intention-to-treat principle. Children in the combined magic-intervention groups (groups 1-3) reported less distress and lower pain after the first vaccination compared to the control group (group 4; distress: Interpretation: The video-based magic intervention reduced distress and pain immediately following the vaccination, with the largest effect found for the most elaborate intervention group involving active engagement. These findings suggest a promising, easily implementable intervention to improve children's vaccination experiences during mass vaccinations. Funding: LUMC Foundation (non-profit).
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