Validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale

Abstract

Background/aim: The modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (m-YPAS) is widely used to measure children’s anxiety levels. The aimof this study was to translate the m-YPAS into Turkish and test its validity and reliability in Turkish children.Materials and methods: The English version of the m-YPAS was translated into Turkish using the forward-back-forward translationtechnique. This study enrolled 120 children. The m-YPAS was administered to 120 children who were recorded on video. The StateTrait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIC) was used for only 30 of 120 children. The videotapes were evaluated by two experiencedobservers [an anesthesiologist, ObA(an), and a psychologist, ObB(ps)]. The interrater reliability, concurrent validity, sensitivity, specificity,and positive and negative predictive values were analyzed.Results: The mean age of the children was 7.8 ± 2.2 years. The weighted kappa values of the m-YPAS between observers were insubstantial agreement (κw = 0.74–0.80) and almost perfect agreement (κw = 0.84–0.85). The Cronbach alpha values were high [α = 0.85for ObA(an) and α = 0.86 for ObB(ps)]. The correlation between m-YPAS and STAIC showed good agreement (P < 0.05). The sensitivityand specificity were high, and the predictive value was 92.86%.Conclusion: The Turkish version of the m-YPAS can be applied as a reliable and valid observational questionnaire for Turkish children.