Does the Child Behavior Checklist predict levels of preoperative anxiety at anesthetic induction and postoperative emergence delirium? A prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: preoperative anxiety at induction and postoperative emergence delirium (ED) in children are associated with postoperative behavioral changes and adjustment disorders. This study's aim is to assess the value of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) score in order to predict anxiety during induction and emergence delirium after anesthesia in children undergoing elective day-care surgery.
METHODS: Anxiety at induction, assessed by the modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (mYPAS), was studied as outcome in 401 children (60.1% male, age range: 1.5-16 years). For 343 of these children (59.8% male, age range: 1.5-16 years) ED could be investigated postoperatively, as assessed by the Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium scale (PAED). Demographic data, healthcare contacts, anesthesia and surgical data were registered. Preoperative emotional/behavioral problems, during the 6 months prior to surgery, were assessed by the CBCL. Hierarchical, multiple regression was used to test whether anxiety and ED could be predicted by CBCL scores.
RESULTS: Children with a higher CBCL score on preoperative internalizing problems (e.g. anxious/depression) showed preoperative more anxiety at induction (P=0.003). A higher CBCL score on preoperative emotional/behavioral problems was not associated with ED.
CONCLUSION: The CBCL predicted anxiety at induction but not ED.