Behaviour research and therapy
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Expected and reported pain in children undergoing ear piercing: a randomized trial of preparation by parents.
This study examined experimentally the effectiveness of preparatory information provided by parents in creating accurate expectations and reducing children's procedural pain. Ear piercing was used as an analogue to minor painful medical procedures. Sixty children, aged 5-12 years, requesting ear piercing and accompanied by their parents, were randomly assigned to a parental information or contact-control condition. ⋯ Prepared children had more accurate expectations and reported significantly less pain (M=27.3) than non-prepared children (M=49.8). The validity of the measures was supported by strong correlations (r=0.87 to 0.96) between the VAS and FPS-R. The findings suggest that parental provision of preparatory information creates accurate expectations and reduces pain for children.