Covid19, Pediatric Psychiatric Disorder, Psychological Stress
Conditions
Keywords
Educational Program, education
Brief summary
Our study aims to investigate whether our CoronAviRus educaTional prOgram fOr children (CARTOON) facilitates the adherence to hygiene measures and is feasible to dispel fear in preschool children (3-6 years old) during the pandemic.
Detailed description
This prospective randomized controlled trial will be performed at four kindergartens in Vienna, Austria. About 60 children between three and six years of age attending kindergarten will be included in the study. Prior inclusion in the study eligible adults have to sign a parental consent form. We will randomly assign 30 children to the intervention group (n=30) and 30 children to the control group (n=30). Depending on the randomization (intervention group vs. control group), children either receive our CARTOON (intervention group) or no educational training (control group).
Interventions
OTHEREducational Program (CARTOON)
CARTOON is an interdisciplinary psychoeducational intervention program. It consists of five teaching sessions: 1) hand hygiene, not grasping the face, 2) sneezing etiquette, 3) wearing a mask, 4) social distancing, and 5) theoretical knowledge about the coronavirus. Using special exercises and games, information about the coronavirus is conveyed in a child friendly manner.
Sponsors
Medical University of Vienna
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
3 Years to 6 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Children between three and six years who are attending kindergarten * consent of the parents and the participants
Exclusion criteria
* physically unable to complete any of the training exercises * German skills not good enough to follow the instructions
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change of Emotional Outcome | Baseline (before the intervention), 1 day after the intervention and three months after the intervention | For the assessment of emotional wellbeing, fear, and burden during the pandemic we will use the emotional scale which measure feelings including emotional wellbeing, fear, and burden. Since it is often hard for children to describe their own feelings with words, we will use the emotional scales of Gräßler and colleagues. These scales use child-friendly illustrated pictures and can be used to support the children in naming their feelings including emotional wellbeing, fear, and burden. |
| Change of Knowledge Outcome | Baseline (before the intervention), 1 day after the intervention and three months after the intervention | The corona quiz consists of a 18-item questionnaire and covers theoretical and practical knowledge. Content validity of the knowledge test was reviewed by an expert panel consisting of three psychologists with expertise in children health, one kindergarten teacher, and one pediatrician. |
| Baseline Behavior of the Participants | Baseline (before the intervention) | Behavior will be assessed by using the parent and teacher reported Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). The CBCL is a questionnaire for parents and teachers revealing behavioral problems of children and adolescents. In the CBCL/1.5-5, two evaluation methods are available. In the first evaluation method, questions are grouped in seven empirically based problem scales including emotionally reactive, anxious/depressed, aggressive behavior, attention problems, somatic complaints, sleep problems, and withdrawn. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Profession of the parents | Baseline (before the intervention) | Is there a correlation of the profession of the parents with emotional and knowledge outcomes of the children |
| Financial standing of the parents | Baseline (before the intervention) | Is there a correlation of the financial standing of the parents with emotional and knowledge outcomes of the children |
| Nationality of parents | Baseline (before the intervention) | Is there a correlation of the Nationality of the parents with emotional and knowledge outcomes of the children |
| Psychological or physical illness in the family | Baseline (before the intervention) | Is there a correlation of the psychological or physical burden in the family with emotional and knowledge outcomes of the children |
| Housing conditions of the family | Baseline (before the intervention) | Is there a correlation of the housing condition of the family with emotional and knowledge outcomes of the children |
| First language of parents | Baseline (before the intervention) | Is there a correlation of the first language of the parents with emotional and knowledge outcomes of the children |
| Highest degree of school education | Baseline (before the intervention) | Is there a correlation of the highest degree of school education of the parents with emotional and knowledge outcomes of the children |
Countries
Austria
Outcome results
None listed