Sand play soothes kids before surgery, study finds

NCT ID NCT07433296

Completed Symptom relief Sponsor: Ondokuz Mayıs University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study tested whether letting children play with sand before a tonsillectomy could lower their anxiety and pain. Sixty-eight kids aged 7 to 10 were split into two groups: one did sand play, the other got standard care. Researchers measured anxiety before surgery and pain afterward using child-friendly scales.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: Sand play therapy (a behavioral intervention where children play with sand before surgery)
What this could lead to: If it works, this could offer a simple, drug-free way to help children feel less anxious before surgery and have less pain afterward.
What could go wrong: This is a small, completed study with only 68 children, so results may not apply to all kids or surgeries. The effect on pain was measured right after surgery, not long-term.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

anxiety disorder Pain Pain, Postoperative

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

POSTOPERATIVE PAIN PREOPERATIVE ANXIETY TONSILLECTOMY

Contacts and locations

Locations

Samsun Training and Research Hospital

Samsun, Samsun, 55090, Turkey (Türkiye)

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