Parental Presence During Lumbar Puncture

Abstract

We evaluated the anxiety state of 57 parents whose children required lumbar puncture (LP) as part of a diagnostic workup. We also examined parental attitude about their presence during the procedure. The parents were randomly divided into two groups: 29 (51%) were present during the LP (group A) and 28 (49%) remained outside (group B). There were no differences in the anxiety scores between the two groups. All parents in group A and seven in group B (25%) reported a preference for staying with the child should he/she need LP in the future. The results also showed that allowing the parents to be present during LP does not aggravate their anxiety compared with controls.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

1. Bauchner H , Vinci R , Waring C . Pediatric procedures: do parents want to watch? Pediatrics. 1989;84: 907-909.

2. Bauchner H . Procedures, pain and parents. Pediatrics. 1991;87: 563-565.

3. Spielberger CD , Gorsuch RL , Lushene RE . Manual for the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (self-evaluation questionnaire). Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press; 1970.

4. Spielberger CD . Theory and research on anxiety. In: Spielberger CD , ed. Anxiety and Behavior. NewYork, NY: Academic Press; 1966:3-20.

5. Spielberger CD , Diaz-Guerrero R . Cross-Cultural Anxiety. Washington, DC: Hemisphere Publishers; 1976.

6. Bauchner H , Waring C , Vinci R . Parental presence during procedures in an emergency room: results from 50 observations. Pediatrics. 1990;87: 544-548.

7. Merritt KA , Sargent JR , Osborn LM . Attitudes regarding parental presence during medical procedures. Am J Dis Child. 1990;144: 270-271.

8. Schulman JL , Foley JM , Vernon DTA , Allan D . A study of the effect of the mother's presence during anesthesia induction. Pediatrics. 1967;39: 111-114.

9. Cote CJ , Ryan JF , Todres ID , Goudsouzian NH . Pre-operative evaluation of pediatric patients. In: Practice of Anesthesia for Infants and Children. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: WB Saunders Co; 1993:39-54.

10.

10. Gururaj VJ , Russo RM , Allen JE , et al. To tap or not to tap. What are the best indicators for performing a lumbar puncture in an outpatient child? Clin Pediatr. 1973;12: 488-493.

11.

11. Klein JO , Feigin RD , McCracken GH,Jr . Report of the Task Force on diagnosis and management of meningitis. Pediatnics. 1986;78(Supp 5):959-982.

12.

12. Bowlby J . Attachment and Loss. NewYork, NY: Basic Books, Inc; 1969.

13.

13. Frankel S , Shiere F , Fogels H . Should the parent remain with the child in the dental operatory? J Dent Child. 1962;29: 152-163.

14.

14. Shaw E , Routh D . Effect of the mother'spresence on children's reaction to aversive procedures. J Pediatr PsychoL 1983;7: 33-42.