Parental anxiety levels during pediatric induction with and without administration of premedication for general anesthesia.

This study measured parental anxiety before, during, and after elective dental procedures under general anesthesia using the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety questionnaire. State anxiety started relatively high before the procedures, peaked immediately after induction using general anesthesia, and dropped during recovery to below the initial score. Parents, whose children were premedicated and fathers in general, had significantly higher anxiety immediately after induction. This study supports interventions to lower anxiety of the parents as well as that of children.