Impact of Non-Pharmacological Interventions on Immunization-Related Anxiety Among Pediatric Patients
Graduation Year
2025
Document Type
Senior Thesis
Degree
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Primary Major
Nursing
Primary Minor
Psychology
Thesis Advisor
Deborah Meshel, BSN, MSN
Abstract
Immunization-related anxiety can lead to vaccine hesitancy, which can be detrimental to public health by reducing herd immunity and increasing the spread of preventable diseases. This research proposal aims to investigate how nurses implementing non-pharmacological interventions can reduce immunization-related anxiety among pediatric patients. The literature critique focuses on examining the efficacy of various non-pharmacological interventions on reducing procedural pain, fear, and anxiety in pediatric patients. Research shows that those who received non-pharmacological interventions experienced decreased pain, fear, and anxiety levels. This proposal will use a randomized control trial design with a convenience sample of 200 pediatric patients from flu clinics in Marin County. The participants will be randomly assigned into an intervention group or a control group. The intervention groups will consist of virtual reality, Buzzy device, cold spray, hand massage, music therapy, and exposure-based video game groups. The participants in the control group will receive standard immunization care. The participants’ fear levels will be measured using the Children’s Fear Scale (CFS) and their anxiety will be measured using the Visual Analog Scale for Anxiety (VAS-A). The anticipated outcome will be that participants receiving the non-pharmacological interventions will experience decreased fear and anxiety levels towards immunizations and that nurses will be equipped with knowledge on how they can reduce immunization-related anxiety among pediatric patients.