Social adaptability, cognitive abilities, and other predictors for children's reactions to surgery.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the relationship between social adaptability, cognitive abilities, and other personality characteristics to perioperative anxiety.


METHODS
Prospective cohort investigation.


METHODS
60 children ASA physical status I and II, age 3 to 10 years.


METHODS
Tertiary care children's hospital.


METHODS
Temperament (EASI), cognitive abilities (KABC), and adaptive behavior (Vineland) were evaluated in a group of children undergoing surgery. Parental coping style (MBBS) and parental state (STAI-S) and trait (STAI-T) anxiety were assessed as well. On the day of surgery, anxiety of the child was measured at the preoperative holding area and during induction of anesthesia (m-YPAS).


RESULTS
Univariate correlational analysis demonstrated that young age (r = -0.27), poor social adaptability (Vineland) (r = -0.38), shy and inhibited personality (EASI; temperament) (r = -0.33), higher intelligence (KABC) (r = 0.29), increased parental anxiety (r = 0.44), and parental high-monitoring coping style (r = -0.25) are all associated with higher levels of perioperative anxiety. Stepwise multivariate regression analysis has demonstrated that controlling for the variables above, parental anxiety (p = 0.004), child's social adaptive capabilities (p = 0.04), and child's temperament (sociability) (p = 0.04) are independent predictors for increased perioperative anxiety (R(2) = 0.38, F = 5.5, p = 0.003).


CONCLUSIONS
Anesthesiologists need to pay close attention to the families of pediatric surgical children who are socially maladjusted, shy and inhibited, and have anxious parents.
Kain
Z N
ZN
Department of Anesthesiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA. kain@biomed.med.yale.edu
Mayes
L C
LC
Weisman
S J
SJ
Hofstadter
M B
MB
D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012917:Social Adjustment; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative / Q000523:psychology*; D013694:Temperament