Reactions of young children to the MRI scanner environment

• Published in: Magnetic resonance in medicine Vol. 64; no. 2; pp. 377 - 381
• Main Authors: Malisza, Krisztina L., Martin, Toby, Shiloff, Deborah, Yu, Dickie C. T.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01.08.2010; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Child, Preschool; Children; claustrophobia; Confidence intervals; ethics; Failure rates; Fear - psychology; Female; Group size; Humans; Magnetic resonance imaging; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - adverse effects; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - psychology; Male; Panic Disorder - etiology; Panic Disorder - psychology; Standard deviation; Statistical analysis; visual analog scale
• ISSN: 0740-3194; 1522-2594; 1522-2594
• DOI: 10.1002/mrm.22438

Seventy children aged 2 to 7 years were exposed to the MRI environment through a series of steps typical of a research study. Their willingness to proceed through the process was used to estimate the prevalence of fear. Thirty‐seven children (53%; 95% confidence interval [41%, 65%]) completed the approach sequence. Although the correlation of child age in months (Mean (M) = 60.1, standard deviation = 16.5, N = 70) and highest successful step (M = 5.8, standard deviation = 2.6, 95% confidence interval [5.2, 6.4]) completed was not statistically significant at the 0.05 level, r (68) = 0.21, P = 0.08, 95% confidence interval [−0.03, 0.42], the proportion of children aged 6‐7 years who successfully completed all steps (14 of 21, 67%, 95% confidence interval [50%, 84%]) was significantly different from the proportion of children aged 2‐3 years who completed all steps (six of 23, 26%, 95% confidence interval [11%, 41%]) (Fisher's exact test, two‐tailed P = 0.0148). A failure rate of at least 50% should be included into group size calculations when performing studies with young children (2‐7 years), in addition to motion and other experimental factors. Magn Reson Med, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.