Brief Report: Evaluation of an Interactive Intervention Designed to Reduce Pediatric Distress During Radiation Therapy Procedures

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of an interactive intervention in reducing distress related to radiation therapy (RT) among pediatric cancer participants as measured by occurrence of sedation, observed behavioral distress (OBD), and heart rate (HR). Methods Seventy-nine children receiving RT simu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of pediatric psychology 2004-12, Vol.29 (8), p.621-626
Main Authors: Klosky, James L., Tyc, Vida L., Srivastava, Deo Kumar, Tong, Xin, Kronenberg, Mindy, Booker, Zorana J., de Armendi, Alberto J., Merchant, Thomas E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Child
Child, Preschool
Depression - diagnosis
Depression - etiology
Depression - therapy
Female
Humans
Interpersonal Relations
interventions
Male
Neoplasms - radiotherapy
noninvasive medical procedures
pediatric distress
radiation therapy
Radiotherapy - psychology
Social Support
Surveys and Questionnaires
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Summary:Objective To evaluate the efficacy of an interactive intervention in reducing distress related to radiation therapy (RT) among pediatric cancer participants as measured by occurrence of sedation, observed behavioral distress (OBD), and heart rate (HR). Methods Seventy-nine children receiving RT simulation were assigned randomly to a STARBRIGHT Hospital Pals group (i.e., interactive intervention group; IG) or modified control group (MCG). The interactive intervention included filmed modeling, exposure to an interactive Barney character, and passive auditory distraction. Results Children in the IG experienced significantly lower HR when compared with MCG participants. No differences were found in terms of sedation or OBD. Conclusions The interactive intervention was effective at reducing RT-related distress (as measured by HR) and would be a useful tool in pediatric radiation oncology settings.
ISSN:0146-8693
1465-735X
DOI:10.1093/jpepsy/jsh064