Pediatric anesthesia & critical care
Fidget and Sensory Toys for Anxiety and Emotional Regulation in Children: A Scoping Review With Implications for Pediatric Perioperative Care
Authors' conclusion
Current evidence does not support the routine use of fidget toys to improve attention or academic performance in educational settings. Evidence from healthcare and procedural settings suggests that fidget and sensory toys may be feasible distraction tools for selected pediatric patients, but evidence is insufficient to support routine perioperative use. Further high-quality randomized controlled trials are needed to establish standardized intervention protocols and identify the pediatric populations and clinical settings most likely to benefit.
Study context
- Population
- Children (0–18 years) evaluating fidget or sensory toys in any settingstudies published between 2017 and 2026 met the inclusion criteria · educational settings 8 · healthcare settings 7
- Participants
- 15 children
- Outcome
- Devices investigated
Methodological detailsJoanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology, PRISMA-ScR guidelines, Two independent reviewers performed study selection and data extraction
- Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology
- PRISMA-ScR guidelines
- Two independent reviewers performed study selection and data extraction
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Fidget spinners
n = 9
Stress balls
n = 3
Further findings
Attention, engagement, behavior, or academic performance (educational studies)
- Educational studies generally reported limited or no benefits for attention, engagement, behavior, or academic performance
Anxiety, pain, fear, and procedural distress (healthcare studies)
- Healthcare studies generally suggested reductions in anxiety, pain, fear, and procedural distress
- Findings were heterogeneous, and outcome measures varied substantially
Original publication
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