Professional paper

https://doi.org/10.11608/sgnj.29.1.8

The use of video games as a distractor in children and adolescents

Valentina Novak orcid.org/0009-0005-6116-6201 ; Sveučilište Sjever, Ulica 104. brigade 3, 42 000 Varaždin *
Josip Šimić ; Fakultet zdravstvenih studija, Sveučilište u Mostaru, Zrinskog Frankopana 34, 88 000 Mostar, Bosna i Hercegovina

* Corresponding author.

Abstract

The most common malignant diseases in childhood are leukemias, lymphomas and tumors of the central nervous system. The incidence of malignant diseases in children and adolescents is 1% and tends to increase. Malignant diseases can manifest through a wide spectrum of symptoms. Often, there is pain, depression, anxiety, and chronic fatigue, but also numerous side effects of treatment, such as nausea, vomiting, alopecia, malaise and/or insomnia. Pain can occur due to the same pathophysiology of malignant diseases and due to numerous painful diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, and they increase the uncertainty of the prognosis of the disease and the fear of death. All aforementioned impairs the quality of life of children, adolescents and their families, and we can talk about total pain.
Depression and anxiety can, in addition to impairing the quality of life, negatively affect the results of treatment. According to the research findings, the level of depression and anxiety increases at the beginning of the disease, declines until the first year of treatment, but does not return to pre-disease levels. If there is a lack of social support, post-traumatic syndrome can develop.
The prevalence of chronic fatigue in children and adolescents ranges from 30% to over 90% of patients. In addition to the disease itself and therapeutic procedures, a common cause of chronic fatigue is stress due to absences from classes, loss of friends, the occurrence of complications, uncertainty about the outcome of interventions and treatment, procedural pain, and social isolation. The use of distractors has shown to be effective in alleviating all of these symptoms. With the widespread usage of computer technology, video games are beginning to be used as a distraction as well as a tool for educating children and adolescents in preparation for procedures and interventions. Virtual reality video games are most often used because they are interactive and multisensory activities that require immersion in entertainment content and thus reduce preoccupation with disease symptoms.
In addition to pediatric oncology, the use of video games has shown good results in the treatment and rehabilitation of patients suffering from neurological, musculoskeletal, psychiatric, and numerous other groups of diseases.

Keywords

video games; pain; depression; anxiety; fatigue

Hrčak ID:

316036

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/316036

Publication date:

15.4.2024.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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