Reynard Knoetze1, Anusha Lachman2, Karis Moxley2, Sean Chetty1. 1. Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa. 2. Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Moderate to severe postoperative pain complicates surgeries performed on children in upper-income countries. The successful management of postoperative pain in children requires a biopsychosocial approach. Situational anxiety and anxiety disorders among caregivers influence a child's perioperative experience. This study aims to determine whether there is an association between caregiver's preoperative anxiety and children's postoperative pain in a lower-middle-income country (LMIC) setting. METHODS: In this cross-sectional, descriptive study, we recruited 76 children aged 4-12 years, undergoing elective ambulatory tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy. Primary caregivers completed validated measures of anxiety (the Beck Anxiety Inventory [BAI] and the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale [K10]) prior to the children undergoing surgery. Postoperative pain was measured using the Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale 4 hours after surgery. RESULTS: Caregiver anxiety was found in 31.7% of participants using the K10 and in 42.1% using the BAI. Moderate to severe postoperative pain was reported by 51% of children. There was a statistically significant correlation of moderate strength between anxiety scores of caregivers and children's self-reported postoperative pain scores (r = .47 for K10, r = .44 for BAI, P < .001 for both). Two median quantile regression models confirmed that K10 was positively associated with caregiver anxiety (WBFS) with slope = 0.16 and pseudo R2 = 0.25 (P = .002, 95CI: 0.06-0.26) as was BAI with slope = 0.12 and pseudo R2 = 0.22 (P = .013 95CI: 0.03-0.22). CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that preoperative caregiver anxiety is significantly associated with postoperative pain in children undergoing elective, ambulatory surgery in a LMIC setting (correlation of moderate strength). Interventions aimed at reducing caregiver anxiety should become an important component of the biopsychosocial management of postoperative pain in children.
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Moderate to severe postoperative pain complicates surgeries performed on children in upper-income countries. The successful management of postoperative pain in children requires a biopsychosocial approach. Situational anxiety and anxiety disorders among caregivers influence a child's perioperative experience. This study aims to determine whether there is an association between caregiver's preoperative anxiety and children's postoperative pain in a lower-middle-income country (LMIC) setting. METHODS: In this cross-sectional, descriptive study, we recruited 76 children aged 4-12 years, undergoing elective ambulatory tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy. Primary caregivers completed validated measures of anxiety (the Beck Anxiety Inventory [BAI] and the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale [K10]) prior to the children undergoing surgery. Postoperative pain was measured using the Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale 4 hours after surgery. RESULTS: Caregiver anxiety was found in 31.7% of participants using the K10 and in 42.1% using the BAI. Moderate to severe postoperative pain was reported by 51% of children. There was a statistically significant correlation of moderate strength between anxiety scores of caregivers and children's self-reported postoperative pain scores (r = .47 for K10, r = .44 for BAI, P < .001 for both). Two median quantile regression models confirmed that K10 was positively associated with caregiver anxiety (WBFS) with slope = 0.16 and pseudo R2 = 0.25 (P = .002, 95CI: 0.06-0.26) as was BAI with slope = 0.12 and pseudo R2 = 0.22 (P = .013 95CI: 0.03-0.22). CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that preoperative caregiver anxiety is significantly associated with postoperative pain in children undergoing elective, ambulatory surgery in a LMIC setting (correlation of moderate strength). Interventions aimed at reducing caregiver anxiety should become an important component of the biopsychosocial management of postoperative pain in children.