Effects of Parent's Presence on Pain Tolerance in Children during Venipuncture: A Randomised Controlled Trial

Abstract

Introduction: The aim of this study is to determine whether presence of parents can change tolerance of pain and distress in children. Materials and Methods: A hundred thirty five children (62 girls, and 73 boys) between 3-6 years who were admitted to the paediatric outpatient clinic were included in the study. The cases were randomised into two groups: those who were accompanied by a parent (group 1), and those who were accompanied by a hospital staff member (group 2). We used the Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale to evaluate pain. Analyses were performed using commercially software (PASW ver. 18, ID:33478001 SPSS inc. Chicago, IL). A p-value 0.05). Conclusion: As a result, our study showed that parental presence had a minimal positive effect on pain tolerance, additional randomised and controlled studies with larger groups are required before a conclusion about the issue can be reached.