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Should parents be present during screening examinations for retinopathy of prematurity?
Caner Kara1, Özdemir Özdemir2, Ikbal S Petricli1
1Department of Ophthalmology, Etlik Zübeyde Hanim Women's Health Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
Insights
Parents' anxiety levels during retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) screening were studied. Results suggest parents may experience less anxiety when not present during the examination.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Neonatology
- Psychology
Background:
- Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a significant cause of visual impairment in premature infants.
- Parental presence during medical procedures for neonates can influence their anxiety levels.
- Understanding parental anxiety is crucial for optimizing the screening experience.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of parental presence on anxiety levels during retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) screening examinations.
- To compare anxiety experienced by parents who accompanied their infants versus those who did not.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional, two-center study involving 147 parents of premature infants undergoing their first ROP screening.
- Anxiety was measured using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and a visual analog scale (VAS).
- Parents were divided into two groups: those present during the ROP examination and those not present.
Main Results:
- No significant baseline differences in anxiety levels (STAI-T, STAI-S) were found between the groups.
- State anxiety levels increased significantly in parents present during the examination (Group 1).
- State anxiety levels decreased significantly in parents not present during the examination (Group 2), a statistically significant difference (P = 0.001).
Conclusions:
- Preliminary findings suggest that parental absence during ROP screening may lead to lower state anxiety.
- Further single-center controlled studies are recommended to confirm these results.
- Optimizing the ROP screening process may involve considering parental presence and its effect on anxiety.
Purpose:
To investigate whether parents should be present during screening examinations for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) by investigating the anxiety levels of parents using two different approaches.
Methods:
This cross-sectional and two-center study was carried out with the parents at the time of the first ROP screening examination of their premature infants. At one center, the parents accompanied the infants during the ROP examination (Group 1), and in the other center, they did not (Group 2). Anxiety levels were assessed with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), which consists of the State Anxiety (STAI-S) and Trait Anxiety (STAI-T) subscales and a visual analog scale (VAS).
Results:
A total of 147 parents of 127 infants were included in the study. STAI-T and -S levels were 40.5 ± 8 and 37.9 ± 7.5, respectively, in Group 1 and 39.6 ± 8.1 and 39.4 ± 9.1 in Group 2 before the examination. There were no statistically significant differences in terms of these values between the two groups (P > 0.05). The state anxiety levels increased by an average of 1.7 ± 8 in Group 1 and reached 39.6 ± 10.1 after the examination. In Group 2, these levels decreased by an average of - 2.7 ± 7.5 points to a score of 36.4 ± 10.3. This difference was found to be statistically significant (P = 0.001). A similar pattern was observed in the evaluation of the VAS data.
Conclusion:
As a preliminary opinion, it may be more appropriate for parents to not participate in screening examinations, but single-center controlled studies are required to confirm the results.
