Validity and Reliability of the Modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale in Turkish Children Aged 0-2

Abstract

Objective: Separation from parents, a bad anaesthesia history, the operating room and all invasive procedures may cause psychological trauma in pediatric patients. Given these negative effects, it is seen that psychological evaluation and support in the preoperative period are as important as pharmacological and physiological evaluation. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the validity and reliability short form of the The modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (mYPAS) in Turkish children aged 0-2. Methods: After obtaining the ethical approval of Mersin University Clinical Research Ethics Committee, 264 pediatric patients aged 0-2 were included. Median age was 13.5 months (range 0.6-24 months). We used mYPAS for 200 patients and Comfort Behavior Scale for 64 patients. Evaluations were made twice by three different observers, in the playroom and in the operation room. Observers were pediatric anesthetist and 5 th year residents of the Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation. Results: The ICC (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient) value calculated to evaluate the agreement between the three observers was 0.9857 (95% CI 0.9748-0.9865) for the measurements made in the children's playroom, and for the measurements made in the operation room was 0.9902 (95% CI 0.9894-0.9912). It was determined that those who were not sedated in the age group ≥ 1 years old had higher anxiety symptoms than those in the age group < 1 years old (p<0.05). Conclusion: It has been determined that the Turkish version of mYPAS can be used with high validity and reliability to evaluate preoperative anxiety levels in Turkish children aged 0-2 years. Preoperative anxiety levels may increase depending on many factors. In our study, we focused on the family factor, and it was shown that the effects of mother education, socioeconomic level, and nuclear family type on the preoperative anxiety of children were important.