The Effect of Pre-Operative Preparation Program and Mothers Presence during Induction on Anxiety Level and Behavior Change in Young Children Undergoing Elective Surgery

Perioperative anxiety is a complex combination of fear, apprehension and worry often accompanied by physical sensations. Preoperative preparation programs allow reduce anxiety, it is effective and can prevent many behavioral and physiologic manifestations of anxiety as well. The study aimed to evaluate The effect of pre-operative preparation program and mothers presence during induction on anxiety level and behavior change in young children undergoing elective surgery. This study was carried out in the Pediatric Surgery department at new surgical hospital affiliated to the Zagazig University hospital. A quasi-experimental design was used in this study. The total number of children undergoing elective surgery (appendectomy and herniorrhapy) throughout the year of 2011 were 153. Only 120 child accompanied his/her mother who agree to participate in this study. The participants were randomly and equally assigned by the researchers into two group; study and control group. Data were collected using Speilberger state anxiety inventories to assess the level of children and mothers anxiety, Post Hospitalization Behavioral Questionnaire to assess post-operative behaviors change of children and induction compliance checklist to assess children compliance during induction of anesthesia. The finding of the study indicated that the mean of the state anxiety scores of children in study and control groups before intervention were 45.16 +/- 3.18 and 45.23 +/- 3,19, after intervention 36.63 +/- 2.18 and 44.8 +/- 3.18 respectively. The state anxiety score was lower significantly in the study group prior to surgery than in the control group (P=0.001). While, The mean and standard deviation of the state anxiety scores of mothers in study and control groups before intervention were 41.8 +/- 3.11 and 42.23 +/- 3,12, after intervention 36.8 +/- 2.19 and 43.8 +/- 3.17 respectively. The state anxiety score was lower significantly in the study group prior to surgery than in the control group (P=0.01). The compliance of the children were significantly higher during the induction of anesthesia in the study group as compared with the control groups (65\% vs 33.\%, p=0.001). Additionally, there was significant differences in the improvement of postoperative eating behaviors and decreased sleeping problems among the study group. It is recommended that The nursing personnel should take the preoperative therapeutic play intervention as a duty and regard it as a role in doing the nursing practices in order to give the children the psychological care beside the routine physical care. Moreover, they should enhance the development of communication skills and coping abilities of children that help in reducing their anxiety. {[}Amal G. sabaq and Samah El-Awady. The Effect of Pre-Operative Preparation Program and Mothers Presence during Induction on Anxiety Level and Behavior Change in Young Children Undergoing Elective Surgery. Life Sci J 2012;9(4):3798-3807]. (ISSN: 1097-8135). http://www.lifesciencesite.com. 565