UC Irvine

Background

There is a large body of literature examining factors associated with children's preoperative anxiety; however, cultural variables such as ethnicity and language have not been included.

Aims

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the role of Latino ethnicity and Spanish-speaking families in pediatric preoperative anxiety.

Methods

Participants were 294 children aged 2-15 years of age undergoing outpatient, elective tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy surgery and general anesthesia. Participants were recruited and categorized into 3 groups: English-speaking non-Latino White (n = 139), English-speaking Latino (n = 88), and Spanish-speaking Latino (n = 67). Children's anxiety was rated at 2 time points before surgery: the time the child entered the threshold of the operating room (Induction 1) and the time when the anesthesia mask was placed (Induction 2).

Results

Results from separate linear regression models at Induction 1 and Induction 2, respectively, showed that being from a Spanish-speaking Latino family was associated with higher levels of preoperative anxiety compared with being from an English-speaking family. In addition, young age and low sociability was associated with higher preoperative anxiety in children.

Conclusion

Clinicians should be aware that younger, less sociable children of Spanish-speaking Latino parents are at higher risk of developing preoperative anxiety and manage these children based on this increased risk.