Comparative study of effect of two methods of family-centered and child-centered education on preoperative anxiety in 6-12-year-old children in Bushehr City

Introduction: Surgery is a common medical practice carried out in many hospitals and one of the most stressful events that may occur during each person's life. Anxiety is commonly seen in children undergoing surgery. Considering the importance of the subject matter, the aim of present research was to compare the effect of two methods of family-centered and child-centered education on preoperative anxiety in children aged 6-12 years. Methods: This is a quasi-experimental study conducted on 70 school-age children undergoing surgery (6-12 years) in Bushehr hospitals. The subjects were selected using quota and simple random sampling methods. The pre and post-intervention data were collected using 20- item Spielberger’s State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children, the validity and reliability of which were previously confirmed. The family-centered and child-centered education methods were implemented in the first and second groups, respectively. Data analysis was later carried out using descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, frequency) and inferential statistics tests (chi square test, paired t-test and independent t-test) in SPSS vs. 22. Findings: There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of demographic variables. There was not statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of pre-intervention mean anxiety scores (P=0.758); however, the post-intervention anxiety score in the child-centered intervention group was significantly lower than that of the family-centered group (P=0.033).The findings also showed both the above groups reduced the anxiety score in the post-intervention phase (P<0.001, P