《中英對照讀新聞》TV more effective than hugs for child pain-study 研究顯示，減緩兒童疼痛看電視比擁抱有效

◎陳成良

Television can act like a painkiller when it comes to children and is more effective than a mother's comforting, according to a small Italian study.

根據義大利一項小型研究，電視可以當成兒童的鎮痛劑，而且效果比媽媽的安撫來得好。

The University of Siena study, published in Archives of Disease in Childhood, was based on 69 children aged seven to 12 who were divided into three groups to have blood taken.

賽埃納大學所作的這項研究發表在「兒童疾病期刊」，研究樣本是69位7歲到12歲的孩童，分成3組接受抽血。

One group was given no distraction while the blood was being taken while mothers of children in the second group attempted to distract the youngsters by talking to them,soothing, and/or caressing them.In the third group, the children were allowed to watch television cartoons while the procedure was being carried out.

其中一組抽血時沒有讓人分心的事，第2組孩童抽血時，母親跟他們講話、安撫及（或）撫摸他們，試圖分散這些孩子的注意力。在第三組，抽血時兒童可以看電視卡通。

After the samples were taken, the children and their mothers rated their pain scores.The children recording the highest pain scores were in the group getting no distraction. These scores were about three times as high as those recorded by children allowed to watch the cartoons. Children comforted by their mothers recorded middling scores.

採集血液樣本之後，由兒童及母親為疼痛程度評分。疼痛程度得分最高的是沒有分心之事的那一組，分數約為看卡通那組兒童的3倍，有母親安撫的那組兒童得分居中。

On average, the mothers rated pain scores higher than the children but they also recorded the lowest pain scores for children who had been allowed to watch television.

平均來說，母親對疼痛程度的評分高於兒童，但她們為那些獲准看電視的兒童評的疼痛分數也最低。

新聞辭典

distraction：名詞，分散注意的事物。There are too many distractions here to work properly. （這兒讓人分心的事太多，使人無法好好工作）。

caress：動詞，愛撫；撫摸；撫抱。 The mother caressed her baby lovingly. （母親疼愛地撫摸著嬰兒）。

average：名詞，平均、平均數。An average of two students are absent each day.（每天平均有兩個學生缺席。）文中on average是片語，「平均而言」。above average ，一般水準之上，below average，一般水準之下。