Mindfulness-Based Emotion Regulation Training for Hospitalized Children

The Effect of Mindfulness-Based Emotion Regulation Training on Fear and Emotion Regulation in Hospitalized Children

Hospitalization and medical procedures are a significant source of stress and anxiety for school-age children aged 7-11, who, due to their cognitive development, can perceive events but lack the capacity to cope effectively. The main objective of this project is to examine the effect of Mindfulness-Based Emotion Regulation Training, which will be applied to children aged 7-11 hospitalized in the pediatric clinic, on developing children's emotion regulation skills and reducing their fear levels related to the hospital. The research is a randomized controlled trial to be conducted between April 2026 and April 2027. Data will be collected using the "Child and Parent Introduction Form," the "Emotion Regulation Scale for Children and Adolescents," and the "Medical Procedure Fear Scale." While distraction techniques frequently used in the literature offer a quick and effective solution at the time of the procedure, this project differs in that it aims to provide children with sustainable emotion regulation skills that they can use not only at that moment but also in later stages of the illness and in future life events. As a result of the project, it is expected that the implemented training will increase adaptive emotion regulation strategies in children, significantly reduce medical fear and anxiety, and provide an evidence-based nursing intervention that will facilitate children's compliance with treatment.

The main objective of this project is to examine the effect of Mindfulness-Based Emotion Regulation Training, which will be applied to children aged 7-11 hospitalized in the pediatric clinic, on developing children's emotion regulation skills and reducing their fear levels related to the hospital. The research is a randomized controlled trial to be conducted between April 2026 and April 2027. Data will be collected using the "Child and Parent Introduction Form," the "Emotion Regulation Scale for Children and Adolescents," and the "Medical Procedure Fear Scale." While distraction techniques frequently used in the literature offer a quick and effective solution at the time of the procedure, this project differs in that it aims to provide children with sustainable emotion regulation skills that they can use not only at that moment but also in later stages of the illness and in future life events. As a result of the project, it is expected that the implemented training will increase adaptive emotion regulation strategies in children, significantly reduce medical fear and anxiety, and provide an evidence-based nursing intervention that will facilitate children's compliance with treatment.

Control Group: Children in the control group will not receive any mindfulness training from the researcher; only the clinic's routine nursing care and treatment procedures will be applied.

• T1 (Pre-test): Scales will be administered on the first day of admission, prior to routine care.
• T2 (Post-Test): Scales will be administered again on the 5th day of hospitalisation to complete data collection. Completing the forms will take an average of 15-20 minutes.

Intervention Group: Children in the intervention group will receive the 'Mindfulness-Based Emotion Regulation Training Programme' developed by the researcher in addition to routine nursing care.

• T1 (Pre-test): Scales will be administered on the first day of admission, before the first training session.
• Application: For 5 consecutive days, once a day, structured sessions (breathing exercises, emotion recognition, body scan, etc.), each lasting approximately 20 minutes, will be conducted in the child's own room with tablet/visual material support and under the guidance of the researcher. During the application, the quietness of the environment and the child's attention will be maintained in a standard manner.
• T2 (Post Test): At the end of the 5th day (after the final session), the scales will be re-administered to evaluate the programme's effectiveness. Completing the forms will take an average of 15-20 minutes.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Be aged between 7 and 11 years old,
• Have a planned hospital stay of at least four days,
• Be able to speak and understand Turkish,
• Be able to read and write (to complete questionnaires),
• The child and parent must be willing to participate in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

• The child has a hearing/speech problem that prevents them from communicating,
• The child has severe pain or acute respiratory distress that prevents them from participating,
• The child has a known psychiatric diagnosis,
• The child has previously received similar mindfulness training