Examination of an interactive-educational intervention in improving parent and child distress outcomes associated with pediatric radiation therapy procedures

Although radiation therapy is a non-invasive and painless form of cancer therapy, distress reactions often occur among children and parents undergoing these procedures. This randomized 2 group clinical trial (N = 80) reports on the efficacy of a pediatric interactive-educational intervention regarding both parent and child distress outcomes. As predicted, parents in the intervention condition experienced greater reductions in trait anxiety, t(78) = 1.68, p <.05; and rated the intervention as significantly more effective in reducing pediatric procedural distress, as compared to parents in the control condition, t(78) = 1.74, p <.05. These findings suggest that interactive-educational interventions designed to reduce pediattic distress may generalize to parents, and highlight the importance of including parents in pediatric procedural interventions.