Is Parental Anxiety and Coping Associated with Girls\u27 Distress During a VCUG? Preliminary Findings

Purpose: We investigated the relationship between parental anxiety/coping strategies and girls\u27 distress during VCUGs. Methods: Parents of 32 girls (age 4-10, mean 5.8 years) completed a trait anxiety measure and a measure of parental reactions to children\u27s distress. Post procedure, children, parents and radiology staff rated the level of anxiety, fear, pain and discomfort. Results: Trends indicated that parents who reported increased anxiety rated their children as experiencing increased distress (r = 0.27, p = 0.071), similarly for medical staff ratings (r = 0.28, p = 0.061). Parents with lower trait anxiety scores reported using more emotion- and problem-focused coping strategies (r = -0.37 and r = -0.40, p \u3c 0.05, respectively). These were related to children experiencing less procedural distress (r = -0.30, p = 0.054; r = -0.33, p = 0.037, respectively) and parents rated as less anxious by staff (r = -0.40, p = 0.014; r = -0.31, p = 0.047, respectively). Conclusions: There was a trend toward parental anxiety being related to their child\u27s distress during VCUG. Parental coping strategies resulted in less distress among children and parents. Teaching coping techniques might obviate the need for sedation and help children deal with future stressors

Children\u27s Anxious Reactions to An Invasive Medical Procedure: The Role of Medical and Non-Medical Fears

This study investigated the relationship of medical and non-medical fears to children\u27s anxiety, pain, and distress during an invasive medical procedure, the voiding cystourethrogram. Parents of 34 children completed the Fear Survey Schedule-II prior to their child\u27s procedure. Child distress behaviors during the procedure were audiotaped and coded using the Child-Adult Medical Procedure Interaction Scale-Revised. Ratings of child procedural anxiety and pain were obtained from children, parents, and examining technologists within minutes following the procedure. Associations were observed between medical fears, procedural anxiety (parent and staff reports), and coded distress behaviors. Findings may inform preparation efforts to reduce anxiety around invasive medical procedures