"Magical relief": the effectiveness of three stages of a video-based magic intervention on distress and pain in children aged 9-11 years during HPV mass vaccinations-a cluster-randomized trial.
rct · Level II
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 42023168.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1016/j.eclinm.2026.103876 and PMC identifier 13098333.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Vaccinations often elicit significant distress in school-aged children, which can impact pain perception and future medical experiences. This study examined the effects of three stages of a video-based magic intervention on self-reported distress and pain in children receiving HPV vaccinations. This cluster-randomized controlled trial randomized 412 children (aged 9-11 years) who received their first HPV vaccination at five mass-vaccination sites in The Netherlands. Based on vaccination date and time, children were assigned to one of four groups: 1. watching a magic trick video during the vaccination, 2. watching the trick with revelation of the secret, 3. watching the trick with revelation of the secret, followed by a brief post-vaccination video-training, and 4. a regular care control. Children completed questionnaires before (T0) and after (T1) the first vaccination in April 2024, and before the second vaccination six months later (T2) in September/October 2024. The primary outcome of child-reported distress was assessed at T0, T1, and T2 using the Facial Image Scale (FIS) and the short form of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-6). The study was preregistered on OSF (https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/5ASM9, registered April 4, 2024). All randomized participants were analyzed according to the intention-to-treat principle. Children in the combined magic-intervention groups (groups 1-3) reported less distress and lower pain after the first vaccination compared to the control group (group 4; distress: <i>p</i> < 0.0001, partial <i>η</i> <sup>2</sup> = 0.11; pain: <i>p</i> = 0.0039, <i>η</i> <sup>2</sup> = 0.02, 95% CI [0.002-0.058]). The most extensive magic intervention (group 3) showed the largest distress reduction as compared to all other groups (<i>p</i> < 0.0001). No significant differences in distress were observed preceding the second vaccination, indicating a lack of sustained effects. The video-based magic intervention reduced distress and pain immediately following the vaccination, with the largest effect found for the most elaborate intervention group involving active engagement. These findings suggest a promising, easily implementable intervention to improve children's vaccination experiences during mass vaccinations. LUMC Foundation (non-profit).