Children's well-being and expectations before planned surgery

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Psychology
• Surgical Patient Care
• Childhood Anxiety Research

Background:

• Surgical procedures impose a significant psychological burden on children, manifesting as fear and anxiety.
• This pre-operative distress can negatively impact the surgical process and subsequent recovery.
• Understanding children's emotional states, including anxiety, anger, fears, and expectations, is crucial for effective care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the psychological well-being of pediatric surgical patients before their procedures.
• To specifically assess levels of anxiety and anger in children awaiting surgery.
• To identify children's primary fears and expectations regarding their surgical experience.

Main Methods:

• A study involving 112 children aged 11-16 undergoing surgery across surgery, laryngology, and orthopedics departments.
• Utilized the Overt Anxiety Scale (SJN), Anger Expression Scale (SEG), and a custom questionnaire.
• Data collected from children in a pre-operative waiting period.

Main Results:

• A high prevalence of reduced security (90.0%) and pre-operative anxiety (92.9%) was observed, often linked to insufficient information.
• Anxiety levels varied, with mild anxiety reported by 44.6%, moderate by 28.6%, and severe by 19.7%.
• Factors negatively impacting well-being included parental anxiety and observing other patients; parental presence and staff kindness were beneficial. Common fears included pain and activity restriction, with expectations focused on information, pain management, and swift recovery.

Conclusions:

• Children and adolescents facing surgery require psychotherapeutic interventions.
• Information support from medical staff is vital for mitigating pre-operative anxiety.
• Addressing psychological needs can positively influence surgical outcomes and recovery.