Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Reducing infant immunization distress through distraction.
Infant procedural distress is largely understudied, and there is a dearth of empirically supported interventions in the child health psychology literature. This study examined nurse-directed distraction for reducing infant immunization distress. ⋯ Results indicated that infants engaged in distraction and that distraction reduced their behavioral distress; however, ratings and heart rate were inconclusive. Analyses of procedural phases indicated that infants exhibited elevated distress immediately prior to and during an injection, but this distress was fleeting.