The effect of toy use during inhaler therapy on anxiety and emotional state in children

This study was conducted in a randomized controlled experimental design to determine the effect of toy use during inhaler therapy on children's anxiety levels and emotional state. The population of the randomized controlled experimental study was composed of children aged 4-6 years who applied to the pediatric emergency unit of an education and research hospital in Istanbul and required inhaler therapy between November 2024-March 2025. A total of 72 children who met the sampling criteria formed the study sample. In the experimental group, toys were also given inhaler therapy while the children received theirs. Prior to data collection, institutional and ethical approvals were obtained, and informed consent was secured from the participants. Data were collected using the "Child Information Form," the "Children's Emotional Manifestation Scale (CEMS)," the Child Anxiety Scale-Status (CAS-S)," and the "Patient Observation Form." The demographic characteristics and prior inhaler therapy experiences of the children and their parents were similar across groups (p>0.05). While the median pre-treatment CEMS and CAS-S scores were comparable between groups (p>0.05), the scores during and five minutes after inhaler therapy were significantly lower in the experimental group (p<0.001). None of the children in the experimental group attempted to remove the nebulizer mask during treatment (100%), where as 80.6% of children in the control group tried to do so. In conclusion, using toys during inhaler therapy was found to reduce children's anxiety, positively influence their emotional state, and prevent mask refusal during treatment. It is recommended to incorporate age-appropriate interventions that divert the child's attention and enhance emotional comfort during inhaler therapy in 4–6-year-olds. Future studies are encouraged to compare active and passive distraction techniques in this context.