The effect of playing with a toy nebulizer and watching cartoons on the fear and anxiety of 4-6 year old children administered with inhaler medicine

This study was conducted as a randomized controlled experimental study in order to determine the effects of playing with a toy nebulizer and watching cartoons on fear and anxiety in children aged 4-6 who were given inhaled medications. The study was conducted with 114 children aged 4-6 who were administered inhaler treatment to the Tarsus State Hospital pediatric emergency service between March and December 2024 (control (n=38), toy nebulizer (n=38) and watching cartoons (n=38)). The data of the study were collected using the "Child Information Form", "Fear Assessment Scale", and "Child Anxiety Scale-State Scale (ÇAS-D)". The data obtained within the scope of the research were evaluated using the Statistical Package For Social Science (SPSS) 22.0 package program. No statistically significant difference was found between the groups in terms of variables such as the child's age, gender, parental educational status, current complaints, presence of another child receiving inhaled treatment at home, and knowledge of inhaled medication administration (p<0.05). No significant difference was found between the mean fear and anxiety scores of the children before the application between the groups (p>0.05). Post-application fear levels were measured as 2.816±0.982 in the control group, 1.921±0.784 in the cartoon watching group and 2.158±1.197 in the playing with toy nebulizer group. A statistically significant difference was found in fear and anxiety levels between the groups after the application (p=0.001). According to Bonferroni analysis, the level of fear and anxiety in the control group was found to be significantly higher than in the cartoon watching group (1>2) and playing with a toy nebulizer group (1>3). As a result of this study, it was found that having children watch cartoons and play with a toy nebulizer during inhaler treatment was effective in reducing fear caused by the device, the sound of the device or the mask and ensuring that the heart rate remained stable. Nurses can increase the effectiveness of the treatment and increase the comfort of children by using the distraction method. Key words: Inhaler treatment, fear, anxiety, toy nebulizer, cartoon