The Effect of Watching Animation-Assisted Information Video on Fear and Anxiety in Children Before an Endoscopy Procedure

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of children watching a video about their upcoming procedure on reducing anxiety and fear before endoscopy. This randomized controlled trial included 46 children aged between 6 and 12 years who underwent endoscopy in the pediatric gastroenterology unit of a hospital in the Black Sea Region of Turkey. Children were randomly assigned to the experimental group or the control group. Children in the experimental group (n = 22) watched video about their procedure, whereas children in the control group (n = 24) received a verbal explanation about the procedure in line with standard clinical practice. The children's pre-procedure fear levels were evaluated using the Children's Fear Scale, and anxiety levels were evaluated using the Children's Anxiety Meter-State measure. Parents and observers also completed the fear and anxiety level measures. Data were analyzed via SPSS version 25.0. A statistically significant difference was found between the fear and anxiety scores of the children in the experimental and control groups before and after watching the video, according to the evaluations of children, mothers, and nurses. We conclude that providing children with information about the endoscopy procedure beforehand can alleviate their associated fears and anxieties. This concern is equally important for older clients as well and suggested to be adapted to be age-appropriate for any population.