Obstructive sleep apnea in children: How it affects parental psychological status?

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Otolaryngology
• Sleep Medicine
• Psychology

Background:

• Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in children, often due to adenotonsillar hypertrophy, significantly impacts family well-being.
• Parental anxiety is a recognized consequence of managing pediatric health conditions, especially those affecting breathing and sleep.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the influence of pediatric obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) on maternal and paternal anxiety levels.
• To assess the impact of surgical intervention for OSA on parental anxiety.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study involving 59 children with OSA undergoing adenoidectomy or adenotonsillectomy.
• Parents completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-1 for state anxiety, STAI-2 for trait anxiety) preoperatively and 30 days postoperatively.
• Anxiety scores were analyzed based on OSA severity and parental gender.

Main Results:

• Mothers reported significantly higher state and trait anxiety scores than fathers both preoperatively and postoperatively.
• Parental anxiety levels, particularly state anxiety, were highest in families with children experiencing severe OSA.
• Surgical treatment led to a significant decrease in anxiety scores for both mothers and fathers.

Conclusions:

• Pediatric OSA is a significant source of parental anxiety, with severity correlating to anxiety levels.
• Surgical correction of pediatric OSA effectively reduces parental anxiety.
• Preoperative psychological interventions may benefit parents, especially mothers, of children with severe OSA to mitigate anxiety and support postoperative recovery.