The effects of medical play on reducing fear, anxiety, and procedure distress in school-aged children going to visit the doctor

Simple item page
dc.contributorLian, Bradley E.
dc.contributorTingle, Carroll M.
dc.contributorJessee, Peggy
dc.contributorEvans, Ashley
dc.contributor.advisorHernandez-Reif, Maria
dc.contributor.advisorThoma, Stephen
dc.contributor.authorBurns-Nader, Elizabeth Sherwood
dc.contributor.otherUniversity of Alabama Tuscaloosa
dc.date.accessioned2017-03-01T16:24:06Z
dc.date.available2017-03-01T16:24:06Z
dc.date.issued2011
dc.descriptionElectronic Thesis or Dissertationen_US
dc.description.abstractPlay promotes typical development and allows children to express their fears, anxieties, and misconceptions and better cope with stressful experiences. Therefore, play is often used in the medical setting to normalize the experience of doctor visits, hospitalizations, or dental checkups. Medical play is play that involves a medical theme or medical equipment. The purpose of this study is to examine which type of activity (i.e., medical play versus viewing a medical information video versus typical play, versus viewing a non-medical information video) decreases the amount of fear, anxiety, and procedure distress in school-age children going to a doctor's visit. Seventy-two school-aged children visiting a doctor's office were randomly assigned to one of four groups: medical play (e.g., play with a medical buddy and medical equipment, such as a stethoscope), medical information video (e.g., watch a video of a child participating in medical play), typical play (e.g., play a developmentally appropriate board game), and non-medical information video control (e.g., watch a video on safari animals). Child participants completed a fear self-report measure, had their pulse taken, and completed a drawing as a projective measure of anxiety. The child's distress behaviors were assessed through nurse and researcher behavioral observations. Parents completed a demographic questionnaire and a development checklist on their child. Findings revealed the medical information video decreased fear and procedure distress more so than the medical play group, typical play group, and non-medical information video control group. Therefore, the children benefitted more from the medical information video (i.e., the obtainment of information) than the medical play activity (i.e., hands on manipulation), suggesting it is the obtainment of information rather than the actual hands on manipulation of medical items that benefits children. Finally, the typical play activity was found to increase alertness. The findings of this study imply the best way to provide for the psychosocial needs of patients at a pediatrician's office is to provide information to patients through a video of a child engaging in medical play. In addition, the medical team should consider providing structured activities, such as games, in pediatrician's offices for school-aged children.en_US
dc.format.extent99 p.
dc.format.mediumelectronic
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.otheru0015_0000001_0000797
dc.identifier.otherBurnsNader_alatus_0004D_10903
dc.identifier.urihttps://ir.ua.edu/handle/123456789/1301
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.publisherUniversity of Alabama Libraries
dc.relation.hasversionborn digital
dc.relation.ispartofThe University of Alabama Electronic Theses and Dissertations
dc.relation.ispartofThe University of Alabama Libraries Digital Collections
dc.rightsAll rights reserved by the author unless otherwise indicated.en_US
dc.subjectDevelopmental psychology
dc.subjectPsychology
dc.titleThe effects of medical play on reducing fear, anxiety, and procedure distress in school-aged children going to visit the doctoren_US
dc.typethesis
dc.typetext
etdms.degree.departmentUniversity of Alabama. Department of Educational Studies in Psychology, Research Methodology, and Counseling
etdms.degree.disciplineEducational Psychology
etdms.degree.grantorThe University of Alabama
etdms.degree.leveldoctoral
etdms.degree.nameEd.D.

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
file_1.pdf
Size:
308.56 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Download

Collections

Theses and Dissertations
Theses and Dissertations - Department of Educational Studies in Psychology, Research Methodology, and Counseling