Educational intervention through a comic book for preoperative anxiety in children, adolescents, and their parents: A randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Reducing preoperative anxiety can help optimize surgical care. AIM: To analyze the effectiveness of verbal guidance by nurses versus verbal guidance combined with a comic book on preoperative anxiety in children and their parents. METHODS: We conducted a randomized parallel, two-group controlled clinical trial in the pediatric ward and a blinded anxiety assessment in the operating room of a Brazilian hospital. Individuals aged 6-14 years undergoing surgical procedures of up to 4 h for the first time were included in the study. Parents who were adults, literate, and able to communicate verbally were included. The primary outcome was the children's anxiety, measured by the Children Anxiety Questionnaire (CAQ), Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and the modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (mYPAS); the secondary outcome was the parents' anxiety, assessed by the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale. Participants were divided into the intervention (IG; n = 60) and control (CG; n = 60) groups. FINDINGS: The two groups were homogeneous. The median age of the children was 8 years. No significant differences were observed in the CAQ and VAS scores between the two assessment time points or in the mYPAS scores between the IG and CG. However, parents' anxiety significantly decreased in both groups. APPLICATION TO PRACTICE: Preoperative guidance by nurses, either verbal only or verbal information with a comic book proved beneficial in reducing parental anxiety. However, both interventions, performed on the day of surgery, failed to reduce preoperative anxiety in children and adolescents upon admission to the operating room. We recommended the process of preparing the child should begin after scheduling the surgery.

Children's Anxiety and Factors Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Exploratory Study Using the Children's Anxiety Questionnaire and the Numerical Rating Scale.

The repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on children's lives deserve attention. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of anxiety among Brazilian children and its associated factors during social distancing during COVID-19. We used a cross-sectional design with an online survey from April to May 2020 in Brazil. We included children aged 6-12 years and their guardians. The Children's Anxiety Questionnaire (CAQ; scores 4-12) and the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS; scores 0-10) were used to measure anxiety. We enrolled 157 girls and 132 boys, with a mean age of 8.84 (±2.05) years; 88.9% of respondents were mothers. Based on CAQ ≥ 9, the prevalence of anxiety was 19.4% (n = 56), and higher among children with parents with essential jobs and those who were social distancing without parents. In logistic regression, the following variables were associated with higher CAQ scores: social distancing without parents; more persons living together in home; and education level of guardians. Based on NRS > 7, the prevalence of anxiety was 21.8% (n = 63); however, no associations with NRS scores were found with the investigated variables. These findings suggest the necessity of implementing public health actions targeting these parents and their children at the population level.