Aim: The aim of this study is to determine the effect of supporting the wound area with a toy during mobilization on pain and fear in children undergoing abdominal surgery. Method: The study was a randomised controlled trial. The study sample consisted of 74 children (Toy: 37, control: 37) who has undergone abdominal surgery between March 2026 and December 2026 at the Mersin University Hospital Pediatric surgery department. The data collection tools used will be the Children Information Form, Wong Baker Pain Scale , Fear scale. In the intervention group, toy will be used after surgery, while the control group will receive routine care. The chils' pain and fear levels will be assessed by the nurse before and after the procedure.
Aged between 4 and 10 years
Having undergone abdominal surgery
Having undergone surgery under general anesthesia
Having received a single dose of analgesic (paracetamol) after surgery
Previous surgical intervention
Major surgery
Chronic illness
The child has visual, hearing, and mental disabilities
Parallel
Toy Group
Other interventionChildren in this group will be supported with a plush toy immediately before the incision sites are processed and will continue to be supported throughout mobilization. When the child is transferred to the hospital bed, the support with the plush toy will be discontinued. Children in this group will receive parental support as part of the clinic's routine.
Children Information Form
The form, prepared in line with the literature, consists of 24 questions regarding the sociodemographic characteristics of children. A 3-point Likert-type observation form created by the researcher will be used in this form to evaluate children's participation in the mobilization process. Scoring is categorized as follows: '3: Willing/Active Participation', '2: Reluctant/Variable Participation', and '1: Unwilling/Resistant'. The researcher observed the child's verbal and behavioral responses during mobilization preparation and the walk and assigned the relevant score.
Wong-Baker Pain Scale
Developed in 1981 by Donna Wong and Connie Morain Baker to assess children's pain levels, it was revised in 1983. There are six facial expressions scored from zero to ten. The Wong-Baker Scale features faces that show increasing pain intensity from zero to six, moving from left to right.
Fear Scale
Thurillet et al. (2022) developed this scale to assess children's fears based on self-reports from children aged 4-12. The Turkish validity and reliability study was conducted by Tavşan et al. (2024). The scale consists of six facial expressions. The scale rates fear on a scale ranging from 0 to 10 (rated incrementally in twos), consistent with pain rating scales. The first facial expression indicates no fear, while fear increases as one moves from right to left, with the sixth facial expression indicating the highest level of fear. A statistically significant, very high positive correlation was found between the Fear Scale and the Children's Fear Scale (r=0.973; p\<0.001). The high correlation value between the two forms indicates that the children's form is valid. The scale's content validity index and item content validity index values were found to be 0.98. A very good level of statistically significant agreement was found between the Fear Scale and the Children's Fear Scale (Kappa
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