The effects of a preoperational puppet show on anxiety levels of hospitalized children.

This study investigated effects of a preoperative puppet show on anxiety levels of hospitalized children as measured by the Palmar Sweat Index (PSI). Subjects were 28 children, ages 2-7 years inclusive, randomly assigned to treatment and nontreatment groups. Treatment consisted of a puppet show designed to familiarize patients with hospital routines and operational procedures. Two PSI measures were collected for each subject. Analyses of variance were used to test mean differences with data categorized by treatment, by sex, and by interaction of sex and treatment. No interaction was found between treatment and sex. Treatment was associated with a significant reduction in anxiety from the time of admission to the period immediately following the puppet show.