Journal of advanced nursing
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This paper reports a study to assess the interrelationships between physiological measures of children's heart rates and blood pressure, subjective measures of children's level of anxiety, and direct behavioural observations in children's emotional responses to surgery. ⋯ A child's response to stressful medical procedures can be varied. The emotional responses of children to surgery need to be understood as a multidimensional phenomenon. To gain a more comprehensive understanding of the effects of surgery on children, it is recommended that assessment strategies used should reflect the multidimensional phenomenon of the emotional upset.