Abstract:
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Parents experience anxiety and concern about their children’s anesthesia and
surgery. Therefore, it is important to assess the prevalence and identify factors affecting it.
OBJECTIVE:-To assess prevalence and factors associated with Anxiety among parents of
children undergoing Anesthesia and Surgery at University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized
Hospital, North West Ethiopia, 2019.
METHODS:-An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted from first February to
April 30th 2019 at University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, after ethical
approvals from the review committee. Consecutively, a total of 203 parents of children (aged <
18 years) were included in the study. Anxiety was measured by State and Trait Anxiety
Inventory (STAI). Statistical analysis was done by using statistical package for social sciences
(SPSS) version 23.Bivarible analysis was performed to determine each of the independent
variables. Variables with p-value of less than 0.2 during bivariabe analysis were entered into the
multivariable analysis. Both Crude and Adjusted Odds Ratios with 95% CI were calculated to
show strength of association. Hosmer and Lemeshow test was used to assess goodness of fit.
Variables with a P-value of <0.05 were considered to be statistically significant.
RESULTS: In this study prevalence of parental anxiety was 74.2% [95% CI; 67.5-80%]) being
mother(AOR=4.451;95%CI=1.758-11.267),Parents perception uninformed for the undergoing
anesthesia(AOR=7.017,95%CI=2.619-18.798),children age <1yer(AOR=4.088;95%CI=1.248
19.150),being farmer in profession (AOR=9.726;95%CI=1.863-50.758),living in a rural area
(AOR=4.501,95%CI=1.314-15.417),and parents fear of post operative pain for the child
(AOR=6.635;95%CI=2.422-18.177) were significantly associated with parental anxiety.
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS: Consideration of parental anxiety of pediatric
anesthesia and surgery is crucial. Parental well-being is related to several characteristics
including age of the child, parents’ gender, information delivery for the anesthesia, fear of post
operative pain, parents’ residency and occupation, and these aspects should be considered when
interacting in the perioperative periods of their child’s anesthesia and surgery.
Key words:-Parental anxiety, Preoperative parental anxiety, State trait anxiety inventory,
Pediatrics anesthesia, Parental concerns of anesthesia
