Watching Cartoons Eases Children's Pain

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Watching Cartoons Eases Children's Pain

By Reinberg

HealthDay Reporter

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WEDNESDAY, Aug. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Bugs Bunny, Scooby-Doo and the

Power Rangers might have a place in the doctor's office, a new study

finds.

Researchers in Italy found that cartoons helped distract kids from

the pain of minor medical procedures.

" We found that watching TV has an analgesic power, even greater than

active distraction obtained by mothers' efforts, " said lead author

Dr. Carlo Bellieni, from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Le

Scatte Clinic of the University of Siena.

His team's report was published online Aug. 16 in the Archives of

Disease in Childhood.

In the small study, Bellieni and colleagues randomly placed 69

children, ages 7 to 12, in one of three groups to have a blood sample

taken. One group was given no distraction during the procedure. In

the second group, mothers tried to distract their children by talking

to them, soothing, and/or caressing them. The third group of children

was allowed to watch a TV cartoon during the procedure.

The children who experienced the most pain were in the group with no

distraction. Their pain was about three times higher than the

children who watched TV cartoons, the researchers noted.

Children distracted by their mothers had less pain than the children

with no distraction, but significantly more pain than the children

who watched TV, the researchers added.

" During a minor procedure, children experience fear, pain and stress

that must be recognized and overcome, " Bellieni said. " Caregivers

should make efforts to provide distraction to children during painful

events: Parents' presence must be encouraged, and television should

be used as a routine tool, together with appropriate analgesic drugs,

whose effectiveness it may increase, " he added.

Parents should never leave their children alone during minor painful

procedures, Bellieni said. " Parents' presence and active distraction

efforts are analgesic, " he said. " If it is possible to watch a

cartoon or an amusing movie, this will produce a greater analgesic

effect, but this does not make parents' presence useless. "

The effectiveness of watching TV in reducing pain raises some concern

about TV's power in the home, he added. " If TV can overcome pain

better than mothers do, it can influence children's attitudes and

attention more than parents, " Bellieni speculated.

One expert thinks that using TV as a distraction is a good idea as

long as the programming is suitable.

" It's a good use of television as long as the kids are watching

something that's approved, it's reasonable, " said Dr. Jess Shatkin,

the director of education and training at the New York University

Child Study Center. He said more and more doctors and nurses are

using TV as a distraction for kids undergoing medical procedures.

However, " it's important for parents to be in the room, " Shatkin

said. Parents should also be coached on how to distract their child,

he added.

Another expert, Bursch, the clinical director of the Pediatric

Psychiatry Consultation Liaison at the University of California, Los

Angeles, Geffen School of Medicine, said that, " These

interesting findings are consistent with clinical observations and

potentially helpful for parents and clinicians. "

It may be that the cartoon works best because it captures both the

visual and auditory attention of the child, Bursch said.

She said a parent's attention signals concern -- something that can

actually make the child more fearful.

" The mom's attempts to distract by talking, caressing or soothing

might signal to the child that something bad is going to happen, "

Bursch explained. " This is not to say that moms should not be

present, but the study suggests that additional distractions may be

more useful for pain reduction, " she said.

For more on children and pain, head to the U.S. National Institutes

of Health (painconsortium.nih.gov ).

SOURCES: Carlo Bellieni, M.D., Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Le

Scatte Clinic, University of Siena, Siena, Italy; Jess Shatkin, M.D.,

M.P.H., director of education and training, and child and adolescent

psychiatrist, New York University Child Study Center, New York City;

Bursch, Ph.D., clinical director, Pediatric Psychiatry

Consultation Liaison, University of California, Los Angeles,

Geffen School of Medicine; August 2006, online issue, Archives of

Disease in Childhood