Abstract
The purpose of the present review was to systematically review, synthesize and quantify prevalence rates of subclinical and clinical psychological symptoms in children and adolescents who have undergone surgery. Systematic literature searches were conducted twofold in April 8, 2020 and March 7, 2021 in PsycInfo and PubMed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Manuscripts were screened against eligibility criteria and were included if they investigated psychological symptoms in children or adolescents (age between 1 to 21 years at the time of study) who were hospitalized for pediatric surgery. Means and standard deviations weighted by sample size were calculated. Eleven articles met inclusion criteria. The review revealed that a small but substantial number of children and adolescents are at an elevated risk for postoperative psychological symptoms and disorders. Up to 13% had symptoms consistent with a diagnosis of a posttraumatic stress disorder, 6% to 8% exhibited elevated symptoms of depression or anxiety, and about 25% showed internalizing and externalizing symptoms. This review provides preliminary evidence that children and adolescents experience significant psychological distress and posttraumatic stress symptoms after pediatric surgery. Apart from better training of clinicians, prevention, early psychological screening and psychosocial care in surgical wards of hospitals are recommended. Well-designed studies of high methodological quality are necessary to replicate existing findings and provide a broader base of evidence. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40653-021-00391-9.