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Is surgery a risk factor for separation anxiety in children?

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Abstract

Objective

Postoperative anxiety symptoms are distressing for both family and child. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of postoperative anxiety symptoms in children.

Methods

60 children aged 6–12 undergoing surgery were included in the study group. The study group was assessed three times in terms of separation anxiety disorder (SAD), at the time of presentation, 1 and 3 months postoperatively. A personal information form and the SAD section of the K-SADS-PL on the basis of DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for screening SAD symptoms were used.

Results

Study group consisted of 19 girls (31.7%) and 41 boys (68.3%) (mean age 8.9 ± 2.3). Four (6.6%) of the cases at the time of presentation and 13 (21.6%) in the study group met SAD diagnostic criteria in 1 month and 21 (35.0%) in 3 months. Anxiety disorder symptoms were significantly higher in the study group at 3 months postoperatively (p < 0.05). There is significant correlation between both SAD symptoms and duration of hospitalization. There was also a positive correlation between duration of hospitalization and parental education and SAD symptoms.

Conclusion

Greater SAD was observed in children undergoing surgical procedures. It will be useful to physicians to consider SAD after surgery in pediatric patients especially when the level of parental education and duration of hospitalization increase. Since SAD may persist long after surgery, it may cause constant fear in personality disorders and lead to psychological problems by significantly lowering quality of life.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesia and Reanimation, University of Health Sciences, Erzurum Education and Research Hospital, Erzurum, Turkey

    Muhammet Emin Naldan, Elif Oral Ahıskalıoglu, Pelin Aydin & Duygu Kara

  2. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Gaziantep Children’s Hospital, Gaziantep, Turkey

    Ali Karayagmurlu

  3. Department of Pediatric Surgery, Balikesir University, Balikesir, Turkey

    Mehmet Nuri Cevizci

Authors
  1. Muhammet Emin Naldan
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  2. Ali Karayagmurlu
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  3. Elif Oral Ahıskalıoglu
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  4. Mehmet Nuri Cevizci
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  5. Pelin Aydin
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  6. Duygu Kara
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Correspondence to Muhammet Emin Naldan.

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None declared.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Naldan, M.E., Karayagmurlu, A., Ahıskalıoglu, E.O. et al. Is surgery a risk factor for separation anxiety in children?. Pediatr Surg Int 34, 763–767 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00383-018-4273-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00383-018-4273-x

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