Clinical Research Directory

Bookbased Emotion and Anxiety Reduction

Many children are afraid of surgery and anesthesia. Studies show that up to 60% of children experience significant anxiety before a scheduled procedure. This fear is caused, for example, by the unfamiliar hospital environment, separation from parents, worry about pain, or because they do not know exactly what will happen. Severe anxiety before surgery can complicate the procedure and is linked to higher stress, increased post-operative pain perception, and behavioral changes. This study investigates whether a specially developed, age-appropriate children's book can help reduce anxiety before surgery. The book explains the anesthesia and surgical procedure in a child-friendly way using pictures and simple text. Children aged 4 to 10 who are undergoing surgery at the Inselspital Bern for an inguinal, umbilical, or ventral hernia can participate. A total of 50 children are to be included. The children will be randomly divided into two groups: One group receives the children's book to prepare at home. The other group receives the usual preparation without the book. The children's anxiety is measured using an established observation scale - once during the preliminary examination and again on the day of surgery before anesthesia. In addition, several contributing factors are recorded, such as how well the child cooperates during the induction of anesthesia or how much anesthetic medication is required. Parents will complete a short questionnaire regarding their own anxiety. Participation involves minimal risk. Only a children's book is provided, and the children's behavior is observed. No additional medical interventions are planned. The aim of the study is to test whether a simple, cost-effective, and easily implementable tool - a children's book - can effectively reduce anxiety before surgery. If the book proves to be helpful, it could be routinely used to prepare children for surgery in the future.

Using Mentalization Based Therapy to Support Children and Adolescents Referred to Specialist Mental Health Services in the NHS for Aggressive and/or Violent Behaviour

The MICA Study is a research project that has been designed to work out how helpful mentalisation based therapy is. This is a new type of support that helps young people make sense of their own behaviours and feelings, and those of others. It involves meeting regularly with a mental health practitioner and parents/carers can be involved in some meetings too. It is hoped that this new type of support will help young people stop acting aggressively/violently. This project will be delivered in Forensic Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (FCAMHS) in England. This service supports some of the most vulnerable young people in the country, who may also have involvement from other professionals including the Youth Justice System. The aim of the research is to make the support better for young people who use these services. This research involves doing a randomised controlled trial. This means half the young people will get the usual support from FCAMHS, and half will get the usual support plus the new support. The results will be used to compare mentalisation based therapy to the support FCAMHS usually provides. This will show the best way to support young people with their aggressive/violent behaviours. To start with, young people will answer a questionnaire. Following this, young people will receive either usual support or usual support plus MBT for six months. After this, young people will answer a questionnaire again. Some young people will be asked to take part in an optional interview to share their thoughts on this research. All young people aged 10-17 years who have been referred to a FCAMHS in England will be asked to take part, as long as they can speak and understand English. Some young people might not want to take part in this research and that will not change the support they receive.