Brief Report: Prediction of Children's Preoperative Anxiety by Mothers and Fathers

Objective To assess the ability of mothers and fathers at predicting children's anxiety at anesthesia induction. Methods Participants were parents and their children aged 2–12 years (n = 159). Parents predicted child anxiety using a Visual Analog Scale. Observed child anxiety was assessed using the Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale. Results Results of linear regressions indicated that fathers' predictions were significantly related to children's anxiety, whereas mothers’ predictions were not. Baseline anxiety in mothers and fathers did not contribute to a model predicting children's observed anxiety. Child gender did not moderate the relations between fathers’ predictions and children's observed anxiety. Conclusions Fathers’ predictions of children's anxiety were related to children's observed anxiety at anesthesia induction; mothers’ predictions were not. Thus, fathers may be able to more accurately identify a need for intervention. Further research is needed to better explain discrepancies between mothers and fathers.