A comparison of anxiety responses in children undergoing a surgical procedure
Date
1991
Authors
Stevenson, Roberta Lynn
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Abstract
By means of a 24-item self-report test of fears to hospital , the Thermometer Fears Test and the apical heart rate, the anxiety responses of children who had attended a pre-operative preparation tour program were compared to the anxiety responses of children who had not attended the program. In addition, the anxiety responses of the children were examined by age, gender, and past experience with hospitals to ascertain whether significant differences would occur between the groups.
The subjects in the study were 37 children between the ages of 2 and 7 who were admitted for surgery to the Paediatric Surgical Daycare Unit of the Victoria General Hospital, Victoria, British Columbia. The anxiety levels of the children were evaluated on admission to hospital by using a 24-item self-report test of fears to hospital. A physiological measure of anxiety , the apical heart rate, was measured on admission and just prior to discharge from hospital, post-surgical procedure.
A two-factor analysis of variance was used for the analysis of the self-reported fears and apical heart rate measurements. No significant differences i n anxiety were demonstrated between the Tour and Non-Tour children on either of the two measurements . Female children demonstrated significantly higher anxiety responses than male children on the Thermometer Fears Test , but not on the apical heart rate measurements. No significant differences in anxiety were demonstrated between children grouped on the basis of , positive , negative or no past hospital experience. Parent's occupation appeared to affect whether children had attended the program. Implications of these results are considered.