ABSTRACT

Preoperative anxiety has been related with postoperative behaviour changes, and it is characterised by subjective feelings. The modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (mYPAS) is a tool, which indicates preoperative anxiety in children older than 2 years. The objective of this study was to investigate factors affecting the level of preoperative anxiety after conduct validity and reliability of the Turkish version of mYPAS.

After obtaining approval from the ethics committee, 330 children aged 5–16 years were included in the study. Relationships between possible anxiety factors and anxiety levels were evaluated after validity and interrater reliability of the Turkish version.

The intraclass correlation coefficient between the three observers was 0.9949 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.9939–0.9958) for the playroom assessments and 0.9952 (95% CI: 0.9942–0.9960) for the operating room assessments. The anxiety level was significantly lower in premedicated patients (p<0.001). There was a negative correlation between age and anxiety level (p<0.001, r=-0.350).

The Turkish version of mYPAS has high validity and reliability and is suitable for use in the paediatric population of our country. Premedication significantly decreased preoperative anxiety, and younger patients tended to have higher anxiety level. For the 5–12 years age range, the level of anxiety decreased with age. More clinical studies are needed to investigate factors that contribute to preoperative anxiety.

Keywords: General anaesthesia, paediatric anaesthesia, preoperative anxiety, the modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale