Anesthesiology & Perioperative Care, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, USA.
Center on Stress & Health, University of California, Irvine, Orange, California, USA.
Emerg Med J. 2023 Oct;40(10):715-720. doi: 10.1136/emermed-2022-212917. Epub 2023 Aug 17.
Children experience significant anxiety in the paediatric ED. Although research from preoperative and primary care samples indicates that parents experience anxiety surrounding their children's medical procedures, less is known about parental anxiety and factors that contribute to higher parental anxiety in the ED. This study aimed to assess parental anxiety in families presenting to a paediatric ED with a variety of presenting concerns and examine demographic and psychological factors associated with parental anxiety.
This cross-sectional study included parents of children <18 years old presenting to a paediatric ED in Orange County, California, USA, for a non-psychiatric complaint between 20 January 2021 and 26 March 2021. Parents were, on average, 34.76±9.10 years old, 87.5% were mothers, 59.2% identified as non-Latinx and parents reported average levels of mental health (T-score=51.21±9.84). Parent state anxiety was assessed via the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and validated instruments were used to measure child temperament (ie, ), previous medical anxiety, and parent physical and mental health. Data were analysed using multiple linear regression models.
Out of 201 families screened, 150 were eligible, and 120 enrolled. In the sample, 42.5% of parents endorsed clinically significant levels of anxiety in the ED. Regression analyses indicated that lower child activity temperament (ie, tendency to be less active/energetic; =-3.20, 95% CI -5.70 to -0.70, p=0.012) and poorer parent mental health (=-0.31, 95% CI -0.52 to -0.09, p=0.006) were independently associated with higher parent anxiety ((5, 99)=6.77, p=0.004).
Over 40% of parents sampled endorsed clinically significant anxiety in the paediatric ED. Child temperament, specifically lower activity temperament, and poorer parental mental health were identified as contributors to parent anxiety, whereas clinical condition or severity did not influence parent anxiety. Current results may help identify families in need of additional intervention and may improve patient outcomes.
儿童在儿科急诊室会经历明显的焦虑。尽管来自术前和初级保健样本的研究表明，父母会对孩子的医疗程序感到焦虑，但对于父母在急诊室的焦虑以及导致父母焦虑程度更高的因素知之甚少。本研究旨在评估在儿科急诊室就诊的各种就诊的家庭中父母的焦虑程度，并检查与父母焦虑相关的人口统计学和心理因素。
这项横断面研究包括 2021 年 1 月 20 日至 2021 年 3 月 26 日期间，在美国加利福尼亚州奥兰治县儿科急诊室因非精神科疾病就诊的 18 岁以下儿童的父母。父母平均年龄为 34.76±9.10 岁，87.5%为母亲，59.2%为非拉丁裔，父母的心理健康平均水平（T 评分=51.21±9.84）。父母的状态焦虑通过状态-特质焦虑量表评估，使用经过验证的工具来衡量儿童气质（即，）、先前的医疗焦虑以及父母的身体和心理健康。使用多元线性回归模型分析数据。
在筛选出的 201 个家庭中，有 150 个符合条件，有 120 个家庭参与。在样本中，42.5%的父母在急诊室有临床显著水平的焦虑。回归分析表明，儿童活动气质较低（即，倾向于不活跃/精力充沛；=-3.20，95%CI-5.70 至-0.70，p=0.012）和父母心理健康较差（=-0.31，95%CI-0.52 至-0.09，p=0.006）与父母焦虑程度升高独立相关（（5，99）=6.77，p=0.004）。
超过 40%的接受采样的父母在儿科急诊室表现出临床显著的焦虑。儿童气质，特别是较低的活动气质，以及父母较差的心理健康，被认为是父母焦虑的原因，而临床状况或严重程度并不影响父母的焦虑。目前的结果可能有助于识别需要额外干预的家庭，并可能改善患者的预后。
