PREDICTION OF CHILDRENS POSTOPERATIVE PAIN - THE ROLE OF PRESURGICAL EXPECTATIONS AND ANTICIPATORY EMOTIONS

Examined predictors of children's ratings of postoperative pain intens ity based on a model of children's expectations for surgery developed from the Children's Health Belief Model (Bush & Iannotti, 1990) and Mc Grath's (1990) model of children's pain experiences. Prior to their in patient surgeries, 28 children (ages 7-17 years) and their parents com pleted ratings of children's expected surgery pain, anticipatory anxie ty, and expected helpfulness of pain medicine. Following surgery, chil dren completed ratings of their postoperative pain intensity. Age, tot al analgesics administered, and anticipatory anxiety emerged as signif icant predictors of children's postoperative pain ratings. Methodologi cal issues concerning the measurement of children's expectations for s urgery are discussed.