Daily Screen Exposure and Preoperative Anxiety in Children Aged 2-5 Years

Recruiting now

Conditions studied: Preoperative Anxiety

In brief

This prospective observational study aims to evaluate whether daily screen exposure duration is associated with preoperative anxiety levels in children aged 2-5 years undergoing elective surgery. Screen exposure in early childhood has been associated with emotional and behavioral outcomes, including increased anxiety. However, its potential impact on anxiety in acute stress situations such as surgery has not been previously investigated. Preoperative anxiety in children is associated with difficult anesthetic induction, increased postoperative agitation, prolonged recovery, and behavioral disturbances. In this study, parents will complete a structured questionnaire assessing their child's daily screen exposure duration and related factors. Children will be categorized into three groups according to reported daily screen time: less than 1 hour per day, 1-2 hours per day, and more than 2 hours per day. Preoperative anxiety will be assessed immediately before anesthesia induction using the Modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (mYPAS), a validated observational tool for measuring anxiety in young children. No additional medical interventions will be performed beyond routine clinical care. The study seeks to determine whether higher screen exposure is associated with increased preoperative anxiety levels and to identify potential risk factors contributing to anxiety in preschool children undergoing surgery.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT07425405

Run by

Kanuni Sultan Suleyman Training and Research Hospital

People needed

275

Starts

2026-03-11

Expected to finish

2026-08-30

Last updated by the study team

2026-03-12

Who can join

Age: 2 and older, up to 5. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Children aged 2 to 5 years
• Scheduled for elective surgical procedures under general anesthesia
• American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I-III
• Parent or legal guardian able to provide written informed consent
• Parent able to complete the structured questionnaire in Turkish

You may not qualify if…

• Premedication administered or planned prior to anxiety assessment
• Emergency surgical procedures
• Known developmental delay or neurodevelopmental disorder
• Known psychiatric disorder
• Visual or hearing impairment that may interfere with behavioral assessment
• Chronic use of sedative, antipsychotic, or antiepileptic medications
• Anticipated need for postoperative intensive care
• Incomplete or unreliable questionnaire data
• Inability to perform mYPAS assessment prior to anesthesia induction

Where it is running

• Health Science University İstanbul Kanuni Sultan Süleyman Education and Training Hospital — Istanbul, küçükçekmece, Turkey (Türkiye) (enrolling)

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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