• Lynnda M Dahlquist, Kristine D McKenna, Katia K Jones, Lindsay Dillinger, Karen E Weiss, and Claire Sonntag Ackerman.
• Department of Psychology, University of Maryland-Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA. dahlquis@umbc.edu
• Health Psychol. 2007 Nov 1;26(6):794-801.

ObjectiveThe current study tested the effectiveness of interactive versus passive distraction that was delivered via a virtual reality type head-mounted display helmet for children experiencing cold pressor pain.DesignForty children, aged 5 to 13 years, underwent 1 or 2 baseline cold pressor trials followed by interactive distraction and passive distraction trials in counterbalanced order.Main Outcome MeasuresPain threshold and pain tolerance.ResultsChildren who experienced either passive or interactive distraction demonstrated significant improvements in both pain tolerance and pain threshold relative to their baseline scores. In contrast, children who underwent a second cold pressor trial without distraction showed no significant improvements in pain tolerance or threshold.ConclusionAlthough both distraction conditions were effective, the interactive distraction condition was significantly more effective. Implications for the treatment of children's distress during painful medical procedures are discussed.(PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved).

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