Parental anxiety, knowledge, and satisfaction regarding pediatric sedation and anesthesia for magnetic resonance imaging: a cross sectional study at King Fahad Hospital, Al-Baha, Saudi Arabia

<p style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Background: </strong>Parental anxiety surrounding pediatric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) under sedation or anesthesia is poorly characterized, and its relationship with parental satisfaction is unclear. Understanding these constructs is essential to refining pre-procedural counseling.</p> <p style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectional survey was conducted among parents of pediatric patients undergoing MRI with sedation or anesthesia at a tertiary hospital. Of 211 questionnaires distributed, 153 were completed (response rate 72.5%). Anxiety was assessed with a six-item Likert scale (Cronbach's alpha 0.759), and satisfaction with a single 5-point item. Mann&ndash;Whitney U, Kruskal&ndash;Wallis, chi-square/Fisher's exact tests, and Spearman correlations were used.</p> <p style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Results: </strong>Composite anxiety was moderate to high (mean 3.22 &plusmn; 0.85). Mothers reported higher anxiety than fathers (3.54 &plusmn; 0.70 vs. 3.08 &plusmn; 0.87; P = 0.002). Leading drivers were fear of anesthetic risks (56.9%) and the child's young age (49.0%). Most parents (91.5%) did not know the planned anesthetic type, and 29.4% incorrectly believed MRI involves radiation. Satisfaction was high (4.53 &plusmn; 0.82; 88.9% satisfied or very satisfied) and was associated with being adequately informed (odds ratio [OR] 13.52; P &lt; 0.001) and feeling comfortable asking questions (OR 18.00; P &lt; 0.001). Composite anxiety was not correlated with satisfaction (rs = 0.004; P = 0.965).</p> <p style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Parental anxiety and satisfaction operate as independent constructs in pediatric MRI sedation. Structured pre-procedural communication and targeted education are needed to close knowledge gaps and reduce anxiety without compromising satisfaction.</p>