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Children's self-statements and adjustment to elective outpatient surgery
1Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond 23284.
Insights
Elective day surgery is not psychologically traumatic for most children. However, children using negative coping self-statements and those with low or high maternal anxiety experienced increased anxiety.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Psychology
- Child Psychiatry
- Surgical Patient Experience
Background:
- Elective day surgery is increasingly common for children.
- Understanding factors influencing children's psychological response is crucial.
- Previous research has explored anxiety in pediatric surgical patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify predictors of children's psychological reactions to elective day surgery.
- To assess the impact of coping self-statements and maternal factors on child anxiety.
- To evaluate the overall psychological impact of day surgery on pediatric patients.
Main Methods:
- A predictive model was developed using data from 61 children undergoing elective day surgery.
- Variables included children's coping self-statements, anxiety levels, behavioral adjustment, and maternal state anxiety and parenting style.
- Demographic variables were also analyzed as potential predictors.
Main Results:
- Elective day surgery was not found to be psychologically traumatic for the majority of children.
- The use of negative coping self-statements by children significantly predicted increased anxiety.
- Both low and high levels of maternal state anxiety were associated with higher child anxiety.
Conclusions:
- Most children adapt well psychologically to elective day surgery.
- Interventions focusing on children's coping self-statements may reduce surgical anxiety.
- Maternal anxiety levels (both low and high) warrant attention in managing pediatric surgical patients' emotional well-being.
Abstract:
Children's coping self-statements, levels of anxiety, degree of behavioral adjustment, as well as levels of maternal state anxiety and parenting style, and demographic variables were used to predict the reactions of 61 children to elective day surgery. Results indicated that elective day surgery was not psychologically traumatic for most children. However, the use of negative self-statements and both low and high maternal anxiety were found to be related to increased anxiety of the children experiencing elective day surgery.