Preoperative anxiety in children aged 2–7 years old: a cross-sectional analysis of the associated risk factors

BACKGROUND: Preoperative anxiety in children is harmful. Despite this, there is a scarcity of studies examining the incidence of preoperative anxiety and its related effects in China. This study investigated preoperative anxiety in children aged 2 to 7 in the pediatric surgery department of a tertiary hospital in China. The factors influencing preoperative anxiety in these children were identified. METHODS: The researchers used the Chinese version of the modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (CmYPAS) and the Short Form of CmYPAS (CmYPAS-SF) to assess the preoperative anxiety state of children aged 2 to 7 who underwent elective surgery in the pediatric department of a tertiary hospital in China from July 1, 2020 to September 30, 2020 were enrolled in this study. The generalized estimating equation model was used to analyze the factors influencing preoperative anxiety in children. RESULTS: The preoperative anxiety rate of 220 children in the tertiary hospital was 67.6%. Multivariate analysis revealed that children who attended elementary school had a lower risk of preoperative anxiety compared to children who did not attend school [odd ratio (OR) =0.39, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.19 to 0.79, P=0.010]. Children whose caregivers felt very worried experienced an increased risk of preoperative anxiety compared to children whose caregivers were not worried about the surgery at all (OR =3.40, 95% CI, 1.35 to 8.56, P=0.009). Children who were very resistant, cried violently, twisted their bodies during puncturing the needle were 5.8 times more likely to experience preoperative anxiety compared to children who were very cooperative. The risk of preoperative anxiety in children who cooperated with a staff member was about 1.5 times higher than that of children who were very cooperative. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of preoperative anxiety in children aged 2 to 7 in the tertiary hospital in China was similar to the children in other countries. The caregivers’ degree of concern priored to the operation and the degree of cooperation from the children during puncturing the indwelling needle were the main factors influencing the occurrence of preoperative anxiety.