The Effect of a Guessing Game on Fear, Pain, and Emotional State During Blood Collection in Children Aged 6-12

Dokuz Eylül University (DEU)

Status

Not yet enrolling

Conditions

Blood Sampling Procedure

Fear Anxiety

Pain

Treatments

Behavioral: I Wonder What I Am Play

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT07299058

DokuzEU-7

Details and patient eligibility

About

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of a guessing game on fear, pain and emotional state during blood collection in children aged 6-12 years.

Full description

Invasive medical procedures, particularly blood draws, are among the most common healthcare procedures in which children experience intense fear, pain, and emotional stress. The literature contains numerous studies on distraction interventions designed to improve children's psychological well-being and reduce the traumatic effects of these procedures. However, the majority of these studies have focused on passive distraction techniques (e.g., watching videos or listening to music), with less emphasis on play-based interventions that involve active child participation (Uman et al., 2013; Koller & Goldman, 2012). A meta-analysis by Birnie et al. (2018) demonstrated that distraction and techniques such as hypnosis are effective in reducing pain and anxiety associated with needle injections in children. Distraction-based approaches, in particular, have been reported to divert children's cognitive capacity from directing the procedure, leading to more positive emotional responses. A review of studies conducted in this area in Turkey reveals that methods such as distraction with music (Özdemir & Karakoç, 2017), blowing bubbles (Karaman & Selimen, 2015), and playing with toys have generally been evaluated. However, studies systematically examining play-based distraction practices that utilize children's cognitive functions such as decision-making, choice, and direction in the field of nursing are rare. A randomized controlled trial conducted by Hacettepe University found that a combination of information provision and an active distraction method (a tablet puzzle game) reduced both pain and fear levels in children (p=0.001-0.005) (Isıyel et al., 2023). Randomized controlled trials in the international literature demonstrate that playing video games, virtual reality, or using interactive technology (e.g., tablet games, VR modules) significantly reduces pain and anxiety during blood collection (Inan & Inal, 2019). | However, these studies often utilize passive or semi-passive distraction applications tailored to age, while predictive game designs that focus entirely on one-on-one interaction with the child are rarely featured in the literature. To this end, this study will evaluate the "Effect of a Guessing Game on Fear, Pain, and Emotional State During Blood Collection in Children Aged 6-12."

Enrollment

70 estimated patients

Sex

All

Ages

6 to 12 years old

Volunteers

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Being between 6 and 12 years of age
Not having a previous diagnosis of a serious hematological/psychiatric disease
The child and parent must be willing to participate in the study
Being able to speak and understand Turkish

Exclusion criteria

Having received sedation, analgesics, or anxiolytic medication during the procedure
Having a visual/hearing impairment
Having previously undergone an invasive procedure on the same day