Effect of playing on anxiety of hospitalized school age children

Introduction: Anxiety is one of the most common reactions to stressors and &lrm;hospitalized children confront it and playing is a priority care to reduce stress.&lrm; Objective: The present study was conducted to determine the effect of playing on the &lrm;level of anxiety in school- age children hospitalized in educational pediatric centers &lrm;in Rasht city.&lrm; Methods: This is a quasi-experimental study conducted on &lrm;&rlm;110&rlm;&lrm; hospitalized school- &lrm;age children. These children were randomized into two groups according to their &lrm;characteristics and number of room they were hospitalized.&lrm; For data collection, two questionnaires were used which included demographic &lrm;information and espielberger`s anxiety scale and also a vital sign check list was used. &lrm;The methodology included that after completing the questionnaires send to play &lrm;room and played for half an hour. But for control group no intervention was done. &lrm;After half an hour play, the experiment group returned to their beds in their rooms &lrm;and the anxiety questionnaire and check list were done again.&lrm; &nbsp;Results: Findings indicated that play significantly decreased anxiety level in &lrm;hospitalized children and T-test showed significant difference between the &lrm;experiment and control group (p<&lrm;&rlm;0.0001&rlm;&lrm;).&lrm; Conclusion: According to the above findings, it can be said that play is a proper &lrm;method of coping with anxiety, physical and mental health, and confrontating the &lrm;difficulty of illness and hospitalization.&lrm;