Purpose: This study was designed to evaluate the short- and long-term effects of a scenario simulation-based education intervention on parental anxiety about fever in their children.
Design and methods: This experimental research was conducted using a two-group pretest-posttest design. One hundred and sixty parents of 3-month to 5-year-old children enrolled in preschools and kindergartens with childcare services were recruited as participants using cluster random sampling. The participants were divided randomly into an experimental group (80) and a control group (80). The former participated in a scenario simulation-based education intervention and received a fever education booklet. The latter received the booklet only. Data were collected using the Children's Fever Anxiety Inventory at three time points: before the intervention (pretest, T1) and at six-month (T2) and 12-month (T3) posttests.
Results: Significant intergroup differences in fever anxiety were found at both T2 and T3 (p < .001). For both groups, the scores at T2 and T3 were significantly lower than at T1 (p < .001) and the difference between T2 and T3 did not attain statistical significance (p > .05). Although both groups experienced reduced fever anxiety over time, this reduction was significantly greater in the experimental group than in the control group (p < .001).
Conclusion: Simulation-based education may be used in conjunction with the traditional fever education booklet to further reduce parent fever anxiety over time.
Practice implications: This simulation-based education approach significantly and positively impacts parental anxiety about fever in their children. Furthermore, the approach may be generalizable to other childhood healthcare settings.
Keywords: Anxiety; Child; Fever; Parents; Simulation education.
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