The effect of informing mothers on level of anxiety in day surgery of children

Abstract

Objective:The aim of the study is to examine the effect of informing mothers before operations on the level of anxiety in day surgeries of children.Materials and Methods: The study was an intervention type and was carried out in the departments of otolaryngology and pediatric surgery in Eskisehir Osmangazi University Medical Faculty Hospital and in the department of pediatric surgery in Afyon Kocatepe University Medical Faculty Hospital. A total of 100 mothers, 50 of whom were control group and the other 50 were case group, were sampled randomly. The data were collected via the “Family and Child Introductory Information Form” and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) which was developed by Spielberger et al.(1966) and translated and adapted into Turkish by Oner and Lecompte (1983). The data were evaluated via the IBM SPSS 13.00 statistical packaged software. The Analysis of Variance, Chi-Square, Student’s t-test and Posthoc Turkey HSD were used to carry out analyses.Results:The groups’ average STAI scores were compared before the surgery. The average SAI score of the control group before the surgery was 46.34±4.20, and that of the case group was 41.72±4.14. Therefore, there was a significant difference between the two groups (p< 0.05). When the average TAI scores before the surgery were compared, it was found that the average TAI score of the control group was 43.44±4.14 and that of the case group was 41.98±4.34. Therefore, there was no difference between the two groups (p> 0.05)

The groups’ average STAI scores were compared after the surgery. The average SAI score of the control group after the surgery was 42.08±5.60, and that of the case group was 40.10±4.16. Therefore, there was no difference between the two groups (p> 0.05). When the average TAI scores before the surgery were compared, it was found that the average TAI score of the control group was 42.32±4.12 and that of the case group was 41.20±5.06. Therefore, there was no difference between the two groups (p> 0.05).Conclusion and Recommendations: It was found that the anxiety levels of the mothers of children who visited the hospital to undergo an ambulatory day surgery was high; however, it was also found that the informing made before the surgery had a positive effect on decreasing the anxiety. Therefore, it should not be forgotten that the nursing care and informing done in accordance with ethical principles have a major contribution to nurses’ professionalization and self-realization.

Keywords: Anxiety, day surgery, children, mothers