• Lindsey L Cohen, Nikita P Rodrigues, Crystal S Lim, Donald J Bearden, Josie S Welkom, Naomi E Joffe, Patrick J McGrath, and Laura A Cousins.
• Department of Psychology, Georgia State University and Capital District Health Authority and IWK Health Centre llcohen@gsu.edu.
• J Pediatr Psychol. 2015 Jun 1; 40 (5): 526-34.

ObjectiveTo examine a computerized parent training program, "Bear Essentials," to improve parents' knowledge and coaching to help relieve preschoolers' immunization distress.MethodIn a randomized controlled trial, 90 parent-child dyads received Bear Essentials parent training plus distraction, distraction only, or control. Outcomes were parent knowledge, parent and child behavior, and child pain.ResultsBear Essentials resulted in improved knowledge of the effects of parents' reassurance, provision of information, and apologizing on children's procedural distress. Trained parents also engaged in less reassurance and more distraction and encouragement of deep breathing. Children in Bear Essentials engaged in more distraction and deep breathing than children in other groups. There were no effects on measures of child distress or pain.ConclusionsResults suggest that the interactive computer training program impacted parent knowledge, parent behavior, and child behavior as hypothesized, but modifications will be necessary to have more robust outcomes on child procedural distress.© The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Pediatric Psychology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

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