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AnxietyNCT07769385

Robotic and Aquarium Fish for Reducing Pain, Fear, and Anxiety in Children

A study testing Robotic Fish in people with Anxiety and Fear, run by Inonu University at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye).

Enrolling by invitation

Enrolling by invitation. The study team selects and invites participants, usually from an existing group of patients.

Sites and contacts
Official record
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Trial summary

This study aims to find out whether robotic fish and aquarium fish can help reduce pain, fear, and anxiety in children during painful medical procedures. The main questions this study aims to answer are: Does watching robotic fish during a painful procedure reduce children's pain, fear, and anxiety? Does watching… Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 5 to 10 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Anxiety, Fear, Pain
What is being tested?
Robotic Fish
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
120 participants
Where
1 siteTurkey (Türkiye)
Study dates
14 Jun 2026to Dec 2026
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 10 years
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Child

Who may be able to join

  • Being between the ages of 5 and 10, and
  • Being subjected to painful procedures.

Who cannot join

  • The child has a physical disability, and
  • There are circumstances that prevent the child's facial expressions from being clearly visible.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

Turkey (Türkiye)1 site

  • Bingöl State Hospital

    Bingoel, Turkey, 12000

Other trials in Turkey (Türkiye)

About this study

Official title: The Effects of Robotic Fish and Aquarium Fish Interventions on Fear, Pain, and Anxiety in Children During Painful Procedures

This study aims to find out whether robotic fish and aquarium fish can help reduce pain, fear, and anxiety in children during painful medical procedures.

The main questions this study aims to answer are:

Read more

Does watching robotic fish during a painful procedure reduce children's pain, fear, and anxiety? Does watching aquarium fish during a painful procedure reduce children's pain, fear, and anxiety? Are there differences in pain, fear, and anxiety between children receiving these interventions? During the painful procedure, children in the intervention groups will watch either robotic fish or aquarium fish as a distraction. Children's pain, fear, and anxiety levels will be assessed using age-appropriate measurement tools. Researchers will compare the results between the study groups to determine whether robotic fish or aquarium fish can help children feel more comfortable during painful medical procedures.

The findings may provide information about simple, non-drug methods that nurses and other health care providers can use to help reduce children's negative experiences during painful procedures.

Conditions
Anxiety, Fear, Pain, Child
Being tested
Robotic Fish
Keywords
Distraction, Robotic Fish, Anxiety, Pain, Children
Medical subject headings
Anxiety Disorders, Pain

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Robotic FishOther

    Children assigned to this group will watch live fish swimming in an aquarium during the painful procedure. The aquarium will be used as a visual distraction to divert the child's attention from the procedure and potentially reduce pain, fear, and anxiety.

  • Robotic FishOther

    Children assigned to this group will watch robotic fish swimming in an aquarium during the painful procedure. The robotic fish will be used as a visual distraction to divert the child's attention from the procedure and potentially reduce pain, fear, and anxiety.

Study groups in NCT07769385
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Aquarium Fish GroupExperimentalhildren assigned to this group will watch live fish in an aquarium during the painful procedure as a distraction intervention.
Receives: Other: Robotic Fish
Control GroupNo interventionNo Intervention
Robotic Fish GroupExperimentalhildren assigned to this group will watch robotic fish during the painful procedure as a distraction intervention
Receives: Other: Robotic Fish

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Pain Level Assessed Using the Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale

    Children's pain intensity during the painful procedure will be assessed using the Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale. The scale ranges from 0 to 10, with higher scores indicating greater pain intensity.

    Measured: Immediately after completion of the painful procedure

  2. Fear Level Assessed Using the Children's Fear Scale

    Children's procedure-related fear will be assessed using the Children's Fear Scale (CFS). The scale consists of five facial expressions representing increasing levels of fear and is scored from 0 to 4. A score of 0 indicates no fear and a score of 4 indicates extreme fear. Higher scores indicate greater fear.

    Measured: Immediately before the intervention and immediately after completion of the painful procedure

  3. Anxiety Level Assessed Using the Children's Anxiety Meter-State

    Children's state anxiety related to the painful procedure will be assessed using the Children's Anxiety Meter-State (CAM-S). The scale is scored from 0 to 10, with higher scores indicating greater state anxiety.

    Measured: Immediately before the intervention and immediately after completion of the painful procedure

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted18 Aug 2026
  2. Study start14 Jun 2026
  3. Primary completionOct 2026 (estimated)
  4. Study completionDec 2026 (estimated)

Resources

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
Prevention
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Participant
Enrolment
120 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT07769385
Sponsor's protocol ID
E-33117789-044-129868
Status last verified
Aug 2026
First submitted
14 Aug 2026
Last updated
18 Aug 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Power, N., Franck, L., & Oulton, K. (2019). The role of parental anxiety in children's procedural distress: A systematic review. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 28(23-24), 4357-4370.

  • McMurtry CM, Noel M, Chambers CT, McGrath PJ. Children's fear during procedural pain: preliminary investigation of the Children's Fear Scale. Health Psychol. 2011 Nov;30(6):780-8. doi: 10.1037/a0024817. Epub 2011 Aug 1.

    PubMed 21806301

  • Li WHC, Chung JOK, Ho KY, Kwok BMC. Play interventions to reduce anxiety and negative emotions in hospitalized children. BMC Pediatr. 2016 Mar 11;16:36. doi: 10.1186/s12887-016-0570-5.

    PubMed 26969158

  • Koller D, Goldman RD. Distraction techniques for children undergoing procedures: a critical review of pediatric research. J Pediatr Nurs. 2012 Dec;27(6):652-81. doi: 10.1016/j.pedn.2011.08.001. Epub 2011 Oct 13.

    PubMed 21925588

  • Kamioka H, Okada S, Tsutani K, Park H, Okuizumi H, Handa S, Oshio T, Park SJ, Kitayuguchi J, Abe T, Honda T, Mutoh Y. Effectiveness of animal-assisted therapy: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Complement Ther Med. 2014 Apr;22(2):371-90. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2013.12.016. Epub 2014 Jan 6.

    PubMed 24731910

  • Hinic K, Kowalski MO, Holtzman K, Mobus K. The Effect of a Pet Therapy and Comparison Intervention on Anxiety in Hospitalized Children. J Pediatr Nurs. 2019 May-Jun;46:55-61. doi: 10.1016/j.pedn.2019.03.003. Epub 2019 Mar 7.

    PubMed 30852256

  • Gerçeker, G. Ö., Binay, Ş., Bilsin, E., Kahraman, A., & Yılmaz, H. B. (2017). Turkish validity and reliability study of the Children's Anxiety Meter-State. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 33, e29-e35.

  • Gerçeker, G. Ö., Ayar, D., Özdemir, E. Z., Bektaş, M., & Conk, Z. (2018). The Turkish validity and reliability study of the Child Fear Scale. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 40, e37-e40.

  • Crossman, M. K., Kazdin, A. E., & Knudson, K. (2020). Brief unstructured interaction with a robotic animal reduces children's distress during medical procedures. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 53, e75-e81.

  • Cracknell D, White MP, Pahl S, Nichols WJ, Depledge MH. Marine Biota and Psychological Well-Being: A Preliminary Examination of Dose-Response Effects in an Aquarium Setting. Environ Behav. 2016 Dec;48(10):1242-1269. doi: 10.1177/0013916515597512. Epub 2015 Jul 28.

    PubMed 27818525

  • Coyne I. Children's experiences of hospitalization. J Child Health Care. 2006 Dec;10(4):326-36. doi: 10.1177/1367493506067884.

    PubMed 17101624

  • Birnie KA, Noel M, Parker JA, Chambers CT, Uman LS, Kisely SR, McGrath PJ. Systematic review and meta-analysis of distraction and hypnosis for needle-related pain and distress in children and adolescents. J Pediatr Psychol. 2014 Sep;39(8):783-808. doi: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsu029. Epub 2014 Jun 2.

    PubMed 24891439

  • Bert F, Gualano MR, Camussi E, Pieve G, Voglino G, Siliquini R. Animal assisted intervention: A systematic review of benefits and risks. Eur J Integr Med. 2016 Oct;8(5):695-706. doi: 10.1016/j.eujim.2016.05.005. Epub 2016 May 20.

    PubMed 32362955

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Robotic Fish in people with Anxiety and Fear, run by Inonu University at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye).

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 2 inclusion and 2 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: enrolling by invitation, as of the sponsor's last update on 18 Aug 2026. 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 Turkey (Türkiye). 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?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Pain Level Assessed Using the Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale (time frame: Immediately after completion of the painful procedure). The study lists 3 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT07769385, which also lists 13 linked publications.

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 18 Aug 2026.

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