Children's well-being and expectations before planned surgery

The need for surgical treatment causes a psychological burden in children and is a source of fear and anxiety, which may hinder the procedure and recovery. The aim of the study is to assess the well-being of children before surgery, paying attention to anxiety and anger, and to learn about their fears and expectations.

The research was conducted among 112 children aged 11-16 (average age 13.5±2.6) waiting for surgery in 3 departments (surgery, laryngology and orthopaedics) of USD in Lublin. The research used the Overt Anxiety Scale (SJN) 'What Are You Like?', the Anger Expression Scale (SEG), and a self-designed questionnaire.

Most children waiting for surgery had a reduced sense of security (90.0%) and felt anxiety (55.4%), anger and nervousness (50.0%), mainly due to the lack of information. Nearly all children (92.9%) experienced pre-operative anxiety. The majority of participants characterized their anxiety as mild (44.6%), while the remaining respondents classified it as moderate (28.6%) or severe (19.7%). The factor that additionally reduced well-being was the parents' anxiety, and the sight of other sick children after the procedure. The presence of parents and the kindness and understanding of the staff had a positive impact on the emotional state of the respondents. The children were afraid of pain and limited activity. They expected information about limitations before and after the procedure, pain management and quick recovery.

Children and adolescents in the pre-operative period require psychotherapeutic interventions and information support from medical staff, which may contribute to reducing their anxiety and have a positive impact on their recovery.