Cartoons vs. stress balls: which distraction calms kids during allergy tests?

NCT ID NCT07750236

Symptom relief Sponsor: Tarsus University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Aug 06, 2026 · Last updated Aug 12, 2026 · Updated 3 times

Summary

This trial tests whether watching cartoons or squeezing a stress ball can reduce fear, anxiety, and pain in children aged 4-10 during allergy skin testing. Ninety children will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: cartoon-watching, stress ball use, or routine care. Researchers will measure anxiety, fear, pain, and satisfaction before, during, and after the test, using child, parent, and nurse reports. The goal is to find a simple, drug-free way to make allergy testing less stressful for kids.

What this could mean

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

Active substance: watching cartoons or using a stress ball as a distraction during allergy testing
What this could lead to: If effective, these simple distractions could become standard practice to make allergy testing less distressing for children.
What could go wrong: The trial is small and early, and results may not apply to all children or settings. Distraction may not reduce pain or anxiety for every child.

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

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 90 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Aug 2026

Expected to finish

May 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

4 to 10 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Aged 4-10 years * Undergoing an allergy test for the first time * Voluntary participation by both the child and the parent Exclusion Criteria: * The child must not have taken any medication prior to the skin test * The child must have a visual, hearing, or intellectual disability * The child must have a physical condition that would prevent them from using the stress ball

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

anxiety anxiety disorder Pain Personal Satisfaction

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Anxiety Child allergy FEAR Pain

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

The places running it

1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
The official record

ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

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Cartoons vs. stress balls: which distraction calms kids during allergy tests?

What the study statuses mean