Effect on children:
• Presence of parents decreases the number of
upset children.1
• Inadequate parent preparation increases parent
anxiety, and children experience greater
anxiety if accompanied by an anxious parent.2
• Even-tempered children older than four years
of age whose parents have low preoperative
anxiety benefit from parental presence.3
• Parental presence does not
• prolong the length of induction,
• prolong the time to discharge,
• increase postoperative analgesic use, or
• increase postoperative nausea and vomiting.3
• The success of parental presence in decreasing
children’s anxiety depends on careful preoperative
assessment of the parent and child.