Effect of a Play Therapy Program on Preoperative Anxiety Among School-Age Patients
Keywords:
Play therapy, Preoperative anxiety, School-age patientsAbstract
Reducing preoperative anxiety among school-age patients is essential nursing care to prepare pediatric patients for surgery. The objective of this quasi-experimental research was to evaluate the effect of a play therapy program on anxiety among school-age patients undergoing surgical treatment. The sample of 44 patients aged 6-12 years who had planned surgery from March to April 2024 was selected in a purposive manner. Participants were divided into an experimental and a control group, with 22 patients per group. The experimental group received the play therapy program combined with routine nursing care, while the control group received routine nursing care. The research instruments included the play therapy program and the Thai State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children-Revised (Thai STAIC-R). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Mann-Whitney U test, and analysis of variance (one-way repeated ANOVA).
The results of the study showed that average scores for anxiety in the intervention group were significantly lower than those of the control group (p < .001), and the average scores for anxiety in the intervention group were significantly lower than those before receiving the program (p < .001).
These results suggest that the play therapy program reduced preoperative anxiety among school-age patients and should be used by pediatric nurses to mitigate anxiety in this group.
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