Is elective surgery traumatic for children and their parents?

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Surgery
• Child Psychology
• Parental Mental Health

Background:

• Emotional consequences of pediatric elective surgery are understudied.
• Need for prospective assessment of psychological distress in children and parents undergoing elective surgery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prospectively assess the prevalence and severity of post-traumatic, anxiety, and depressive symptoms in children and their parents following elective surgery.

Main Methods:

• Study included 40 children/adolescents undergoing elective surgery and their parents.
• Assessments conducted on admission, surgery day, and 1 and 6 months post-surgery.
• Utilized validated measures for post-traumatic, anxiety, and depressive symptoms.

Main Results:

• Children exhibited minor post-traumatic symptoms, decreasing significantly by 6 months.
• Parental anxiety and depression peaked initially, significantly decreasing within 1 month.
• A correlation between children's and parents' symptoms was observed at 1 and 6 months.

Conclusions:

• Mild post-traumatic symptoms are associated with pediatric elective surgery, potentially lasting over a month.
• Parental anxiety and depressive symptoms are common but tend to resolve sooner.
• Symptom correlation between children and parents highlights the interconnected emotional impact.