Incidence and risk factors of preoperative anxiety in Spanish-speaking children living in a Spanish-speaking country.

Background: Most research on preoperative anxiety has focused on non-Latino populations. A study performed in the USA found that children from Spanish-speaking Latino families experienced higher anxiety than children from English-speaking families.

Aims: To report the incidence and level of preoperative anxiety in native Spanish-speaking children living in their home country and to assess risk factors associated with higher anxiety levels.