When it comes to comforting a child during a painful medical procedure, television apparently does better than mom, according to a new study.
A team of Italian researchers randomly divided 69 children ages 7 to 12 into three groups and then took blood samples with a needle. One-third of the children were not distracted, one-third were distracted by their mothers, and one-third watched cartoons on television.
The children who were allowed to watch television during the procedure reported experiencing the least pain. The pain scores of those who were not distracted were about three times as high as those recorded by children who watched cartoons, the researchers found.
The researchers said that the findings do not mean parents are useless in such situations.
“Children who are experiencing pain in health care settings of course need the supportive presence of a parent to help them cope effectively,” they wrote.
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