Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 18, 2026
Measuring Cardiac Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) Activity in Toddlers - Resting and Developmental Challenges
Published on: February 25, 2016
Effect of Two Techniques of Parental Interaction on Children's Anxiety at Induction of General Anaesthesia-A
Alia Hussain1, Fauzia Anis Khan1
1Department of Anaesthesiology, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.
Insights
Parental presence during anesthesia induction reduced children's anxiety. Sitting in a parent's lap improved face mask acceptance compared to other methods.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Anesthesiology
- Child Psychology
- Surgical Care
Background:
- Non-pharmacological methods like parental presence and behavioral preparation aim to reduce anxiety in children during anesthesia induction.
- Understanding the impact of different parental interaction techniques is crucial for improving pediatric patient experience.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the mean anxiety score in children at anesthesia induction using two physical parental interaction techniques versus a control group.
- To assess face mask acceptance during anesthesia induction in pediatric patients.
Main Methods:
- 123 ASA I & II children (1-8 years) undergoing day care surgery were randomized into three groups: control (OR alone), parent sitting next to child (Gp PS), or child in parent's lap (Gp PH).
- Anxiety was measured using the modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (mYPAS) before induction.
- Face mask acceptance was also rated.
Main Results:
- While all groups showed anxiety scores above 30 pre-induction, the control group (Gp C) had significantly higher anxiety scores before induction compared to both parental presence groups (Gp PS and Gp PH).
- No significant difference in anxiety was observed between the two parental presence groups (Gp PS vs. Gp PH).
- Face mask acceptance was significantly better in the child-in-parent's-lap group (Gp PH) at 56%, compared to the parent sitting next to child group (Gp PS) at 26.8% and the control group (Gp C) at 4.9%.
Conclusions:
- Parental presence during anesthesia induction effectively reduces, though does not eliminate, children's anxiety.
- The physical technique of having the child sit in the parent's lap (Gp PH) resulted in superior face mask acceptance.
- These findings support involving parents in specific physical positions to mitigate anxiety and improve cooperation during pediatric anesthesia induction.
Objective:
Several non-pharmacological techniques, such as parental presence and behavioral preparation, are used to decrease children's anxiety at anaesthesia induction. We compared the mean anxiety score in children at the time of anaesthesia induction with two different physical techniques of parental interaction and a control group with no parent present. The secondary objective was to determine the face mask acceptance during induction.
Methods:
This study recruited 123 ASA I & II children, aged 1 to 8 years, undergoing day care surgery, who were randomly allocated to three groups. Children either went to the operating room (OR) alone (Gp C), or one parent sat next to the child at induction (Gp PS), or the child sat in parent's lap (Gp PH). The anxiety score on the modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (mYPAS) was recorded in the preinduction area of OR and at the induction of anaesthesia before the face mask application. A cut-off value of less than 30 indicated low anxiety. The face mask acceptance was also rated.
Results:
All patients had the mYPAS scores higher than 30 in the preinduction area with no significant difference between groups. Prior to induction, the Gp C score was significantly high as compared to Gp PS (p=0.016) and Gp PH (p=0.001), but it was not different between the Gp PS and PH (p=1.00). The face mask acceptance was easy in 4.9 % patients in Gp C, 26.8% in Gp PS, and 56% in Gp PH.
Conclusion:
Parental presence during induction did not prevent children's anxiety, but it reduced it, irrespective of the physical technique used. The face mask acceptance was better in Gp PH.
Related Concept Videos
01:24General Anesthesia: Overview
General anesthesia induces unconsciousness in the whole body, while the others target specific areas or sensations. It is administered to minimize adverse effects, maintain...
01:22Stages of General Anesthesia
01:24Parenteral Anesthetics: Overview