Peer-reviewed article
Impact of video games during circumcision on children's pain, anxiety, and physiological responses: A quasi-experimental study.
Sevim Çimke, Necip Fazıl Aras ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study tested whether playing video games during circumcision helps reduce pain and anxiety in children aged 6-12 years. Researchers measured children's pain scores, anxiety levels, heart rate, and breathing rate before, during, and after the procedure. Children who played video games during circumcision showed lower pain scores, less anxiety, and reduced stress responses compared to their baseline measurements. The findings suggest video games are a simple, affordable way to help children cope with medical procedures.
Key points
- Heart rate and respiratory rate decreased significantly during and after the procedure compared to before (p < .05)
- Pain scores on the Faces Pain Scale-Revised were significantly lower during and after the procedure than baseline
- Anxiety scores on the Children's Emotional Manifestation Scale were significantly lower during and after the procedure
- Video games were identified as a novel, easily accessible, and cost-effective intervention for managing procedural pain and anxiety
- The intervention facilitated safe completion of the circumcision procedure
Limitations
The study did not include a comparison group who underwent the same procedure without video games, making it impossible to determine whether the observed reductions in pain and anxiety were due to the video game intervention or other factors such as time passing or adaptation to the procedure. The study is limited to one private clinic and children aged 6-12 years, so findings may not generalize to other settings or age groups.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Children require extra care and attention during healthcare procedures. Therefore, it is crucial for healthcare providers to implement appropriate interventions to manage the negative effects of pain and anxiety that may arise in medical settings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This quasi-experimental pretest-posttest study aimed to determine the effect of video games played during circumcision on children's pain, anxiety, and physiological parameters. The study population consisted of children aged 6-12 years who were scheduled to undergo circumcision with local anesthesia in a private Pediatric Surgery Clinic. The study was completed with a total of 42 children. Data were collected using a parental information form, a physiological measurement chart, the Faces Pain Scale-Revised (FPS-R), and the Children's Emotional Manifestation Scale (CEMS). Assessments were conducted three times: before the procedure, during the procedure, and at the end of the procedure. Statistical analyses included frequency (n), percentage (%), and mean values. The Friedman test was used to determine differences between measurements. RESULTS: The mean age of the children in the study was 7.33 ± 1.20 years. Heart rate and respiratory rate significantly decreased in the second and third assessments compared to the first measurement (p < .05). The FPS-R scores in the second and third assessments were significantly lower compared to the first assessment. Similarly, CEMS scores in the second and third assessments were significantly lower than in the first assessment (p < .05). CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS: The use of video games during circumcision provides a novel, easily accessible, and cost-effective intervention to manage pain, anxiety, and the physiological effects of stress in children. Additionally, it facilitates the safe completion of the procedure.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Playing video games during circumcision with local anesthesia
- Population
- Children aged 6-12 years scheduled for circumcision with local anesthesia at a private pediatric surgery clinic (n=42)
Key finding
Heart rate and respiratory rate significantly decreased in the second and third assessments compared to the first measurement (p < .05)
Çimke et al. · PubMed (US National Library of Medicine) · 28 Jul 2025