The relationship between maternal anxiety and behavior of a young child during venipuncture

Abstract

The purpose of this descriptive study was to determine if a relationship existed between maternal anxiety and child behavior during a venipuncture. The first research hypothesis stated that mothers who report high trait anxiety have children who behave more negatively at the time of a venipuncture procedure than mothers who report low trait an~iety. The second research hypothesis stated that mothers-who report high state anxiety have children who behave more negatively at the time of a venipuncture procedure than mothers who report low state anxiety. A convenience sample of twenty children undergoing venipuncture and their mothers was examined in this study. The subjects had been admitted to the pediatric unit of a 500 bed city-county hospital for diagnostic studies or medical treatment of nonsurgical illnesses. After obtaining proper consent, the researcher administered a demographic questionnaire _and the Taylor Manifest Anxiety-Scale (Taylor, 1953) to the mother for self report of trait anxiety. At the time of venipuncture the Multiple Affect 'Adjective Check List (Zuckerman, 1960) was administered to the mother for self report of state anxiety. The behavior of the child was observed using the Child Behavior Rating Scale (Frankl, Shiere, & Pagels, 1962). The data was analyzed using the Pearson Product Moment Technique to determine correlations between selected variables. A two way analysis of variance was used to analyze the differences in child behavior traits and anxiety for mothers with varying levels of state and trait anxiety. Results indicated no correlation between mothers' scores on the trait anxiety measure and child behavior (r· = .24, p = .158). There was a strongly positive correlation between mothers' scores on the state anxiety measure and child behavior (r = .67, p = .001). The mothers' scores on trait anxiety measure and the state anxiety measure were not correlated (r = .24, p = .15). A two way ANOVA did not support hypothesis 1 stating that mothers who report high trait anxiety have children who behave more negatiye at the time of venipuncture than mothers who report low·trait anxiety (!(1,19) = .60, p = .s1]. However, hypothesis 2 stating that mothers who report high state anxiety have children who behave more negatively at the time of venipuncture than mothers who report low state anxiety was supported [F(l,l9) = 11.25, p .004].· The conclusion was reached that there was a relationship between the level of a mother's self reported state anxiety and her child's behavior. The relationship was such that mothers reporting high levels of state anxiety had children who were significantly more negative than mothers who reported low state anxiety.