Objective: To assess the ability of mothers and fathers at predicting children's anxiety at anesthesia induction.
Methods: Participants were parents and their children aged 2-12 years (n = 159). Parents predicted child anxiety using a Visual Analog Scale. Observed child anxiety was assessed using the Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale.
Results: Results of linear regressions indicated that fathers' predictions were significantly related to children's anxiety, whereas mothers' predictions were not. Baseline anxiety in mothers and fathers did not contribute to a model predicting children's observed anxiety. Child gender did not moderate the relations between fathers' predictions and children's observed anxiety.
Conclusions: Fathers' predictions of children's anxiety were related to children's observed anxiety at anesthesia induction; mothers' predictions were not. Thus, fathers may be able to more accurately identify a need for intervention. Further research is needed to better explain discrepancies between mothers and fathers.