Effects of Cartoons and Mobile Games on Preoperative Anxiety and Fear in Children With Appendicitis: An RCT
Apandisit Tanısı Ile Cerrahi Servise Yatırılan Çocuklarda Preoperatif Kaygı ve Korkunun Azaltılmasında Çizgi Film ve Mobil Oyunların Etkisi: Randomize Kontrollü Bir Araştırma
2 other identifiers
interventional
69
1 country
1
Brief Summary
his study aims to evaluate the effects of cartoon viewing and mobile game playing on preoperative anxiety and fear levels in children aged 7-12 years who are hospitalized for appendicitis surgery. The study is designed as a randomized controlled trial with three groups: a cartoon group, a mobile game group, and a control group receiving routine care. Children in the intervention groups will watch a cartoon or play a mobile game for 10 minutes before surgery. Anxiety and fear levels will be measured using validated scales before and after the intervention. The findings of this study are expected to contribute to atraumatic care practices by providing simple and effective non-pharmacological methods to reduce preoperative anxiety and fear in children.
Trial Health
Trial Health Score
Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach
participants targeted
Target at P50-P75 for not_applicable
Started Oct 2025
Shorter than P25 for not_applicable
1 active site
Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.
Trial Relationships
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Study Timeline
Key milestones and dates
Study Start
First participant enrolled
October 10, 2025
CompletedFirst Submitted
Initial submission to the registry
May 6, 2026
CompletedPrimary Completion
Last participant's last visit for primary outcome
May 30, 2026
CompletedStudy Completion
Last participant's last visit for all outcomes
May 30, 2026
CompletedFirst Posted
Study publicly available on registry
June 10, 2026
CompletedJune 10, 2026
June 1, 2026
8 months
May 6, 2026
June 8, 2026
Conditions
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcomes (2)
Preoperative Anxiety Level
The Modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (m-YPAS) will be used. This scale provides an observational assessment across five categories (activity, emotional expressivity, state of arousal, vocalization, and use of parents). Total scores range from 5 to 22, with higher scores indicating higher levels of anxiety.
Baseline (upon admission to the pediatric surgery inpatient unit prior to the intervention) and post-intervention (immediately before transfer to the operating room).
Children's Fear Level
The Children's Fear Scale (CFS) will be used. This scale consists of five different facial expressions scored between 0 and 4. A score of 0 indicates "no anxiety/fear," whereas a score of 4 indicates "the highest level of fear."
Baseline (upon admission to the pediatric surgery inpatient unit prior to the intervention) and post-intervention (immediately before transfer to the operating room).
Secondary Outcomes (3)
Heart Rate
Measured at two time points: baseline (pre-intervention) and immediately post-intervention.
Blood Pressure
Measured at two time points: baseline (pre-intervention) and immediately post-intervention.
Oxygen Saturation
Measured at two time points: baseline (pre-intervention) and immediately post-intervention.
Study Arms (3)
Control Group
NO INTERVENTIONParticipants in this group will receive standard hospital care and routine preoperative preparation without any additional digital distraction interventions.
Cartoon Group
EXPERIMENTALParticipants in this group will be exposed to a cartoon-assisted distraction intervention designed to explain the surgical process and reduce anxiety before surgery.
Mobile Game Group
EXPERIMENTALParticipants in this group will engage in age-appropriate mobile games on a tablet computer as a digital distraction intervention prior to their surgical procedure.
Interventions
Participants will watch the cartoon titled "Şüko is Having Surgery," which explains the surgical process in child-friendly language, on an iPad Mini 6 with headphones for 10 minutes.
Children will be asked to play a game of their choice for 10 minutes on a tablet from among games selected according to their age group and PEGI standards (Head Ball 2, Subway Surfers, and Magic Tiles 3).
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if:
- Being hospitalized in the Pediatric Surgery Service with a diagnosis of appendicitis.
- Being between the ages of 7 and 12 years.
- Voluntary consent/assent from both the child and their parents to participate in the study.
- Absence of any visual, auditory, or cognitive problems that prevent communication.
- Not having received any analgesics before the intervention.
You may not qualify if:
- Refusal to participate in the study voluntarily.
- Having a condition that prevents communication due to vision, hearing, speech, or mental health status.
- Being in an agitated state or unable to cooperate.
- Having received analgesics due to pain before the study.
Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.
Sponsors & Collaborators
- Ankara City Hospital Bilkentlead
- Ankara Yildirim Beyazıt Universitycollaborator
Study Sites (1)
Ankara Bilkent City Hospital
Ankara, Turkey (Türkiye)
MeSH Terms
Conditions
Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Central Study Contacts
Study Design
- Study Type
- interventional
- Phase
- not applicable
- Allocation
- RANDOMIZED
- Masking
- NONE
- Purpose
- TREATMENT
- Intervention Model
- PARALLEL
- Sponsor Type
- OTHER
- Responsible Party
- SPONSOR
Study Record Dates
First Submitted
May 6, 2026
First Posted
June 10, 2026
Study Start
October 10, 2025
Primary Completion
May 30, 2026
Study Completion
May 30, 2026
Last Updated
June 10, 2026
Record last verified: 2026-06
Data Sharing
- IPD Sharing
- Will not share