MedTrace Logo

Impact of Therapeutic Storytelling on Fear, Screen Time, and Parental Stress Among Hospitalized Children

NCT07418515 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 44

Last updated 2026-02-20

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether therapeutic story reading reduces fear levels, problematic media use, and parental stress in hospitalized preschool children. It will also examine the effectiveness of this intervention when integrated into routine nursing care.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

Does therapeutic story reading reduce children's fear of nursing interventions and medical materials?

Does therapeutic story reading reduce problematic media use in hospitalized children?

Does therapeutic story reading reduce parental stress levels?

Researchers will compare a therapeutic story reading intervention to routine care to determine whether the intervention improves psychological outcomes in hospitalized children and their parents.

Participants will:

Be randomly assigned to either the intervention group or the control group

Complete baseline assessments before the intervention

(Intervention group) Participate in therapeutic story reading sessions for three consecutive days

(Control group) Receive routine hospital care

Complete post-intervention assessments after the study period

Children's fear levels will be assessed using the Fear of Children Against Nursing Interventions and Used Materials Scale (FCANIM). Parental outcomes will be measured using the Problematic Media Use Measure (PMUM) and the Parental Stress Scale (PSS).

Conditions

  • Hospitalized Children
  • Parent Stress

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Therapeutic Story Telling

The intervention consists of a structured, developmentally appropriate therapeutic story reading program designed specifically for hospitalized preschool children (4-6 years of age). The program is implemented individually in the child's hospital room over three consecutive days, with one therapeutic storybook read per day. The distinguishing features of this intervention are: (1)its structured and sequential delivery during hospitalization, (2)the use of carefully selected therapeutic storybooks targeting fear of nursing interventions, hospital equipment, and emotional expression, and (3)its implementation under the supervision of a pediatric nursing specialist to ensure consistency and therapeutic intent. Unlike routine care, the intervention systematically addresses children's hospitalization-related fears and emotional responses. The content of the selected books is developmentally appropriate and suitable for helping children understand medical procedures (e.g., fever management).

OTHER

routine care

Participants in the routine care arm received routine pediatric ward care without therapeutic story reading sessions.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Karabuk University

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
SINGLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
4 Years
Max Age
6 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2024-06-01
Primary Completion
2025-12-01
Completion
2025-12-04

Countries

  • Turkey (Türkiye)

Study Locations

More Related Trials

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07418515 on ClinicalTrials.gov