Surgeries Requiring a Minimum One Day HospitalizationNCT06846944
Mixed-method Research Protocol: Evaluation of a Relaxation Technique for Anxiety Management in Pre-surgical Pediatric Patients
A study testing Breathing/relaxation intervention in people with Surgeries Requiring a Minimum One Day Hospitalization and Anxiety, run by Meyer Children's Hospital IRCCS at 1 site in Italy.
Trial summary
Children exhibit anxiety before surgery: in particular, the literature reports that younger children have a higher level of preoperative anxiety than older children. Preoperative anxiety has been associated with side effects such as postoperative pain and emergence delirium (ED), which are generally treated with the… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 5 to 15 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Surgeries Requiring a Minimum One Day Hospitalization, Anxiety
- What is being tested?
- Breathing/relaxation intervention
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 100 participants
- Where
- 1 siteItaly
- Study dates
- 31 Jan 2024to 31 Mar 2025
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 5 to 15 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Child
Who may be able to join
- Age between 5 years and 15 years;
- Admission for minor surgical conditions of low intensity, such as inguinal hernia, phimosis, sebaceous cysts, vascular malformations, skin lesions, ankyloglossus, afferent to the unified pediatric surgery day-surgery service of AOU Meyer;
- Knowledge of the Italian language and ability to express oneself;
Who cannot join
- Presence of cognitive impairment reported in history
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Italy1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Meyer Children's Hospital IRCCS, Firenze
Florence, Fi, 50134
Gabriella Barresi, +390555662744, gabriella.barresi@meyer.it
About this study
Children exhibit anxiety before surgery: in particular, the literature reports that younger children have a higher level of preoperative anxiety than older children. Preoperative anxiety has been associated with side effects such as postoperative pain and emergence delirium (ED), which are generally treated with the administration of analgesics but can cause nausea, vomiting, and drowsiness.
In addition to pharmacological strategies, there are behavioral and psychological techniques commonly referred to as nonpharmacological techniques to reduce preoperative anxiety. These are a broad set of strategies and methods, more or less complex, that can be applied to children and adolescents to help them cope with preoperative agitation and for pain control.
Read more
Nonpharmacological techniques include distraction techniques that have shown promise in reducing pediatric anxiety and include listening to music , the use of humor, and the use of games . Several researchers have found active distraction to be an effective preoperative anxiolytic in children. Of relevant importance for reducing preoperative anxiety are relaxation techniques as shown in the literature and in particular by a randomized trial that demonstrated the effectiveness of this type of proposed nonpharmacological technique for reducing anxiety and pain in pediatric patients in a preoperative setting.
This study plan to investigate the effectiveness of a breathing/relaxation intervention (Ladybug/Sunshine method) on pediatric patients' anxiety levels before surgery.
- Being tested
- Breathing/relaxation intervention
- Medical subject headings
- Anxiety Disorders
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Breathing/relaxation interventionOther
Ladybug TECHNIQUE is a breathing/relaxation intervention performed in children aged 5 to 10 years and consists of telling the story of a ladybug performing 4 moves and visualizing and performing breathing techniques independently. Afterwards, a drawing is invited.
SUNRISE TECHNIQUE is a breathing/relaxation intervention performed in children aged 10 to 15 years and consists of having the child imagine a favorite place. Then they are invited to reflect on the experience either verbally or through writing or drawing.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Ladybug and Sunrise breathing/relaxation technique | Experimental | Ladybug TECHNIQUE is a breathing/relaxation intervention performed in children aged 5 to 10 years and consists of telling the story of a ladybug performing 4 moves and visualizing and performing breathing techniques independently. Afterwards, a drawing is invited.
SUNRISE TECHNIQUE is a breathing/relaxation intervention performed in children aged 10 to 15 years and consists of having the child imagine a favorite place. Then they are invited to reflect on the experience either verbally or through writing or drawing. Receives: Other: Breathing/relaxation intervention |
| Standard of care | No intervention | Not described |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Percentage reduction in anxiety score
Measured: From recruitment to end of surgery
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted26 Feb 2025
- Study start31 Jan 2024
- Primary completion31 Mar 2025 (estimated)
- Study completion31 Mar 2025 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Surgeries Requiring a Minimum One Day HospitalizationStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 100 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Meyer Children's Hospital IRCCS
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Gabriella Barresi, Meyer Children's Hospital IRCCS
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06846944
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- LADYBUG
- Status last verified
- Feb 2025
- First submitted
- 21 Feb 2025
- Last updated
- 26 Feb 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 26 Feb 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Mixed-method Research Protocol: Evaluation of a Relaxation Technique for Anxiety Management in Pre-surgical Pediatric Patients
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06846944
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- LADYBUG
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 100 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Meyer Children's Hospital IRCCSUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 31 Jan 2024 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 31 Mar 2025 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 31 Mar 2025 (estimated)
- First posted
- 26 Feb 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Children exhibit anxiety before surgery: in particular, the literature reports that younger children have a higher level of preoperative anxiety than older children. Preoperative anxiety has been associated with side effects such as postoperative pain and emergence delirium (ED), which are generally treated with the administration of analgesics but can cause nausea, vomiting, and drowsiness.
In addition to pharmacological strategies, there are behavioral and psychological techniques commonly referred to as nonpharmacological techniques to reduce preoperative anxiety. These are a broad set of strategies and methods, more or less complex, that can be applied to children and adolescents to help them cope with preoperative agitation and for pain control.
Nonpharmacological techniques include distraction techniques that have shown promise in reducing pediatric anxiety and include listening to music , the use of humor, and the use of games . Several researchers have found active distraction to be an effective preoperative anxiolytic in children. Of relevant importance for reducing preoperative anxiety are relaxation techniques as shown in the literature and in particular by a randomized trial that demonstrated the effectiveness of this type of proposed nonpharmacological technique for reducing anxiety and pain in pediatric patients in a preoperative setting.
This study plan to investigate the effectiveness of a breathing/relaxation intervention (Ladybug/Sunshine method) on pediatric patients' anxiety levels before surgery.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Ladybug and Sunrise breathing/relaxation technique | Experimental | Other: Breathing/relaxation interventionLadybug TECHNIQUE is a breathing/relaxation intervention performed in children aged 5 to 10 years and consists of telling the story of a ladybug performing 4 moves and visualizing and performing breathing techniques independently. Afterwards, a drawing is invited. SUNRISE TECHNIQUE is a breathing/relaxation intervention performed in children aged 10 to 15 years and consists of having the child imagine a favorite place. Then they are invited to reflect on the experience either verbally or through writing or drawing. |
| Standard of care | No intervention | – |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 5 to 15 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Child
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Age between 5 years and 15 years;
- Admission for minor surgical conditions of low intensity, such as inguinal hernia, phimosis, sebaceous cysts, vascular malformations, skin lesions, ankyloglossus, afferent to the unified pediatric surgery day-surgery service of AOU Meyer;
- Knowledge of the Italian language and ability to express oneself;
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Presence of cognitive impairment reported in history
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Breathing/relaxation interventionLadybug TECHNIQUE is a breathing/relaxation intervention performed in children aged 5 to 10 years and consists of telling the story of a ladybug performing 4 moves and visualizing and performing breathing techniques independently. Afterwards, a drawing is invited. SUNRISE TECHNIQUE is a breathing/relaxation intervention performed in children aged 10 to 15 years and consists of having the child imagine a favorite place. Then they are invited to reflect on the experience either verbally or through writing or drawing. | Other | Ladybug and Sunrise breathing/relaxation technique |
Primary outcome
Percentage reduction in anxiety score
Time frame: From recruitment to end of surgery
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 26 Feb 2025.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Breathing/relaxation intervention in people with Surgeries Requiring a Minimum One Day Hospitalization and Anxiety, run by Meyer Children's Hospital IRCCS at 1 site in Italy.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 26 Feb 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Italy. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Gabriella Barresi, Nurse (+390555662744, gabriella.barresi@meyer.it), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Percentage reduction in anxiety score (time frame: From recruitment to end of surgery). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 26 Feb 2025; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 29 Oct 2026.