Temperament and trait anxiety as predictors of child behavior prior to general anesthesia for dental surgery.

Children's individual styles of interaction with the environment (temperament) influence stable tendencies towards distress (trait anxiety) and context-specific manifestations of distress (state anxiety). Measures of temperament and trait anxiety were examined as predictors of state anxiety (i.e., disruptive behaviors) in the presurgical setting. During a 2-month period, 51 nonpremedicated, healthy children (M = 3 years of age) were consecutively studied-as they presented to a hospital setting for dental treatment under general anesthesia (GA). Using correlation and backward multiple regression analyses, one temperament category (shyness), but not trait anxiety (the revised CMAS), predicted disruptive behaviors (the revised MBPRS) during preseparation (r2 = .16, P = .0038) and separation (r2 = .09, P = .0281) from parents. Shyness, age, and gender best predicted disruptive behaviors during preseparation (multiple R2 = .31, P = .0005). Temperament (a) predicts children's distress in the presurgical setting, and (b) appears to be moderated by age, gender, and interpersonal factors. Awareness of temperamental influences can help predict children's behavior and aid in the presurgical care of children.