Pet Therapy Effects on Pain, Emotional and Physiological Responses in Children Undergoing Allergy Testing

In recent decades, the prevalence of allergic diseases, particularly respiratory allergies, has risen significantly. In childhood, house dust mites are the primary indoor allergen in infancy, while the prevalence of pollen sensitization increases with age. As one of the largest immunologic organs, the skin frequently displays allergic responses; therefore, the Skin Prick Test (SPT) is widely used for diagnostic purposes. SPT is quick, cost-effective, highly sensitive, and rarely causes adverse effects, yet it may still induce stress or anxiety in children-especially younger ones or when applied on the back.

Although distraction methods (e.g., toys, games, DistrACTION® Cards) are commonly used to reduce discomfort in minimally invasive pediatric procedures, there is limited research on strategies to alleviate stress during SPT. This randomized controlled trial (RCT) aims to investigate the impact of pet therapy using betta fish on children's emotional symptoms (such as anger or irritability) and physiological parameters during SPT. The study will include 80 children, aged 3-6, who attend a pediatric allergy clinic between April 2025 and April 2026. Participants will be randomly assigned to control or experimental groups through simple and block randomization, ensuring age balance. Data collection instruments include a Personal Information Form, the Children's Emotional Indicator Scale, FLACC Pain Scale, and a Physiological Parameter Monitoring Form.

The study posits two main hypotheses:

Pet therapy positively affects emotional indicators of children based on their age.

Pet therapy influences physiological parameters by age group. Findings from this research may inform evidence-based interventions to reduce stress and anxiety in pediatric patients undergoing minimally invasive procedures like SPT.