Show the Kids Cartoons to Reduce the Pain of Gunshots
Visiting your pediatrician can be fun, up to the point where the nurse or doctor pulls out the hypodermic needle. But if you have a phone or tablet close at hand, you can reduce the pain your child is experiencing by showing them a cartoon while they are taking a photo.
In a study published in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology , some children aged 4 to 6 watched their choice of Beauty and the Beast , Bambi , Barney, or Aladdin , while other children were filmed without cartoons. Children who watched the cartoons felt less pain than others, according to researchers, who asked them to “point to a face that shows how painful it is when fired.”
These children were also less likely to need restraint, and their parents said they personally were less worried about the experience. So cartoons helped everyone. (Except for the nurses in the ward, who didn’t feel too much anxious anyway. Nurses are tough.)
And one more tip to help you get the most out of cartoons: During the study, parents or nurses tried to talk to their child to keep the focus on the video, saying things like “Which one is Aladdin?” or “Barney is so funny!”
Other studies have supported the idea that distraction actually reduces pain in children . It might not work for every child, but it’s worth trying the next time you’re in the doctor’s office.
Nursing Education and Cartoon Distraction: An Effective and Practical Intervention to Reduce Stress in Children, Parents and Nurses During Immunization | Journal of Child Psychology