The relationship of sleeping behavior in pediatric surgery service i̇npatients to parent anxiety

The present study was conducted with the children and their parents who have clinically followed-up in Kocaeli Derince Training & Research Hospital's Department of Pediatric Surgery between the dates of 3rd of June, 2016 and 30th of September, 2016 to evaluate effect of the parents' anxiety level on the children's sleep patterns. The children and their parents, who accounted for sampling of the study, were informed about object of the study and the related oral and written consents of each subject were obtained. The individual identification template, the questionnaire relating to sleeping habits of the children and Spielberger State-trait Anxiety Inventory were completed by the researcher through the method of face-to-face interviewing with the children and the parents. Data produced during the research were evaluated through the SPSS 21.0 version software. Numerical and percentage distributions of the produced data were investigated. During the study, Shapiro Wilk, Spearman rho correlation coefficient, Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney Test were used. Age mean of the children, who were included in the study, was 7.92 ± 3.02 while age mean for mothers was 36.03 ± 6.41 and 40.03 ± 7.49 for fathers. It was found that 64.5% of the children had surgery. It was understood that the patients' sleeping time in hospital was 6.54 ± 1.95; 67% of the patients hadn't sleep during daytime in their regular life; and 86% of the patients' sleeping order changed after hospitalized while 38.4% of changes in sleeping order accounted for difficulties in drifting into sleep; 29.7% of them accounted for awakening frequently; 16.3% of them accounted for decrease in sleeping time; and 15.7% of them accounted for awakening early in the morning. Furthermore, it was observed regarding reasons for sleeping disorders that 54.1% of them were caused by pain; 19.2% of them were caused by devices introduced into body of the patient; 12.2% of them was caused by noise; 11.6% of them were caused by nursing interventions during sleeping; and 2.9% of them were caused by fever while noise affects sleeping of patients at a percentage of 61. It was found out that general sleeping time of the patients, who were included in the study, was 9.92 ± 1.47; they went to sleep at 22.74±0.95 pm; and they woke at 8.62 ±1.47 am. The score of the children's sleep habit questionnaire was calculated as 22.70 ± 0.62 while trait anxiety score of the parents was calculated as 40.39 ± 0.54 and their state score as 44.75 ± 0.62. Trait anxiety level and state anxiety level of the parents were found moderate. Educational status of the mothers versus the parents' state and trait anxiety levels was found statistically significant. It was determined that anxiety level decreased as educational status increased. The fact that the child goes to surgery, diet, the fact that the child may sleep whenever he wants, the most irritant noise types, whether noise affects sleeping or not and solution recommendation offered for insomnia & the parents' state anxiety level was found statistically significant. The fact that the child had been hospitalized previously, any change in sleeping, and the reason for sleeping disorder & the parents' trait anxiety level was found statistically significant. In comparison between the children's scores obtained subscales of the children's sleeping questionnaire and the parents' anxiety levels, sleeping anxiety, awakening during night ¶somnias trait anxiety level as well as respiration disorders during sleeping & state anxiety level were found statistically significant. Although hospitalization of a child is the major anxiety source for his/her parents, changes in the child's sleeping status during this period also increase this anxiety in the parents. A correlation was found between the parents' anxiety and the children's sleeping status. Key words: Pediatrics, sleep, surgery, parent, anxiety, nursing