This paper confirms the anxiety that a mother experiences when their child undergoes surgery. The paper focuses on adenoidectomy and adenotonsillectomy for moderate to severe upper airway obstruction showing admirably how anxiety reduces following surgery. The authors recruited 66 mothers and assessed them using anxiety and depression scores. There was no difference in the levels of anxiety based on the sex of the child or if the child was over or under five years of age. The discussion points out that fathers experience less anxiety than mothers in relation to treatments their child undergoes. The study raises many points that are likely to be applicable across the board in surgery and highlights the stress that families are put under when they entrust us with their children.
Maternal angst
Reviewed by Stuart Burrows
Effects of obstructive sleep apnoea in children as a result of adenoid and / or adenotonsillar hypertrophy on maternal psychologic status.
CONTRIBUTOR
Stuart Burrows
FRCS (ORL-HNS), Wellington Regional Hospital, Newtown, Wellington, New Zealand.
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