Magic tricks reduce stress, pain and anxiety during vaccinations
Injections can be a source of stress and anxiety for children. The Willem-Alexander Children’s Hospital is exploring ways to improve the experience. Together with illusionist Victor Mids and researchers from Leiden, they have shown that magic can help.
Distraction is the magic word
The LUMC’s Willem-Alexander Children’s Hospital (WAKZ) does its utmost to ensure that children experience as little stress, pain and anxiety as possible during their visit and treatment. These can affect how children experience further treatment. The WAKZ is therefore researching ways to help children feel more at ease.
Following the WAKZ’s reopening in 2021, the hospital came into contact with illusionist Victor Mids, who himself studied medicine in Leiden. His ideas on using magic and illusion in medical care fitted in well with the WAKZ’s plans, as did the research of Leiden University health psychologists Henriët van Middendorp and the late Andrea Evers.
This was how the plan came about to investigate how magic might help children during medical procedures, both at the WAKZ and elsewhere.
‘One of the magic words here is distraction’, Paediatrician Arno Roest explains. ‘It’s a simple and widely used way to reduce anxiety and stress. Research is being conducted around the world into the effects of activities such as watching videos, listening to music, gaming or using VR headsets.
‘We added magic to the mix, and, together with illusionist Victor Mids, researched whether a simple magic trick can help children feel less anxious or scared about vaccinations.’
‘Magic is a special form of distraction’, says Victor. ‘It doesn’t just keep children occupied but also stimulates their curiosity and imagination. Many children want to see how something “impossible” works, which is what makes magic so appealing.
‘Magic tricks can easily be adapted to suit a child’s age and level of understanding, and they are quick to learn.’ This could make magic an effective and lasting way to reduce stress and anxiety about unpleasant procedures.
Magic in action
To test the real-life effect of magic during vaccinations, the WAKZ worked with Hecht Municipal Public Health Service (GGD) Hollands Midden. During HPV vaccination days in the region, they used films to see whether magic could reduce stress, pain and anxiety.
A total of 412 children took part in the study, making it the first large-scale investigation into the role of magic in vaccinations.
Researcher Anne Versluis explains how the research was conducted: ‘Children who wanted to participate completed a short questionnaire beforehand, indicating how anxious they felt and how much pain they expected. They were then divided into four groups: one control group and three “magic groups”.
‘During the vaccination, the children in the magic groups watched a film on a tablet. Group 1 watched Victor perform a rope trick. Groups 2 and 3 watched him perform the same trick before revealing the secret behind it.
‘After their vaccination, the children in group 3 were also given materials to learn the trick themselves, together a short film explaining how. The researchers helped if necessary.
‘The control group received standard care, such as reassurance from a GGD staff member or support from a parent. All children completed a second questionnaire after being vaccinated.’
Magic is more than distraction alone
‘Magic can help in several ways’, health psychologist Henriët van Middendorp explains. ‘Watching a magic trick makes you curious, which shifts your attention from what feels scary or painful.
‘Discovering the secret behind the trick can help relieve tension. And mastering the trick builds self-confidence because you can do something that others can’t. Magic can therefore make children stronger and more self-assured at a moment when it matters most.’
‘The findings show that the children who learned how to do the magic trick themselves benefited most’, Anne adds. ‘They had the least stress and pain after the vaccination.
‘Just watching the trick or watching and learning the secret helped a bit, but not much more than the standard care children receive. This suggests that doing something yourself, such as performing a magic trick, plays an important part in reducing stress and pain.’
Health service also believes in the effect of magic
The GGD staff also completed a questionnaire about how easy the films were to use, whether they felt the films could help and what improvements they would make.
‘Overall, the GGD staff were positive,’ says Anne. ‘They felt the magic films would be easy to use in practice and thought they could help reduce stress and anxiety in children. They also shared valuable tips for making the use of the films even more effective.’
The researchers are now in discussion with Victor and Hecht GGD Hollands Midden on whether and how MagicKids can be implemented more widely in the future, and thus help even more children.