International Journal of Public Health Excellence (IJPHE) Vol. 2, No. 1, December 2022, pp. 376~384 Journal Homepage: https://ejournal.ipinternasional.com/index.php/ijphe ISSN: 2809-9826, DOI: 10.55299/ijphe.v2i1.277 Int Jou of PHE  376 Description of the Characteristics of Parents on the Level of Anxiety of Parents whose Children are Cared for in the PICU Room of Dr. Wahidin Sudirohusodo Hospital Makassar Nour Sriyanah 1 ,Suradi Efendi 2 , Sri Mulyani 3 1, 2 Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Kesehatan Makassar, Indonesia 3 RSUP DR. Wahidin Sudirohusodo Makassar, Indonesia Article Info ABSTRACT Article history: Received December 20, 2022 Revised December 28, 2022 Accepted December 29, 2022 Based on the research results Helena (2008) conclude from the 11 respondents who had a good knowledge gained 7 respondents experiencing mild anxiety (63.6%), 3 respondents had moderate anxiety (27.2%) and 1 respondent suffered from severe anxiety (9.1 %). The purpose of this study is to know description of characteristics of parents towards anxiety level of parents whose children were hospitalized in PICU. This was descriptive research. This study will describe association between parents; characteristics and anxiety level. The result showed that of the 40 samples studied based on the characteristics of sex, male sex as many as 7 people (17.5%) and female sex as many as 33 people (82.5%), the characteristics of age, it was shown younger age group as many as 14 people (35.0%) and older age group as many as 26 people (65%), obtained with low education as many as 10 people (25.0%) and high education as many as 30 people (75%), all respondents work (100%) or 40 respondents. The level of parental anxiety, experiencing mild anxiety level as many as 16 people (40%), anxiety levels were as many as 14 people (35%) and severe anxiety level as many as 10 people (25%). Expected in the implementation of nursing and medical measures should still pay attention to the principle of the provision of information and education of patients about the actions to be taken in order to better understand thus enhancing individual coping and reduce parental anxiety. Keywords: Parents, Characteristics, Anxiety Corresponding Author: Nour Sriyanah Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Kesehatan Makassar, Indonesia Email: nsnoursriyanah@gmail.com This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution- ShareAlike 4.0 International License.. 1. INTRODUCTION PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit) is a place for child care that requires intensive monitoring and invasive procedures. Children who are treated in the intensive care unit are children who are in critical condition, such as post-cardiac surgery, neurosurgery, post-gastrointestinal surgery, respiratory failure, kidney failure, liver failure, status epilepticus, and decreased consciousness [2] Anxiety disorder is a condition characterized by feelings of fear accompanied by somatic complaints as shown by hyperactivity of the autonomic nervous system and is a non-specific symptom that is often found and is often a normal emotion [8] Everyone's views on the same problem can be different, so the response is different. Apart from treatment in the intensive care unit, actions or procedures that require surgery are one of the factors that can exacerbate parental anxiety. The problem of parental anxiety, especially the mother, is important, because a sick child will be able to feel the anxiety of his parents so that the child becomes anxious too which can exacerbate his illness [12]. In carrying out the role that is owned, parents are often faced with difficult conditions that can cause anxiety. Moreover, if there is a family member who is sick, while at the same time they are also required to carry out an important role elsewhere. Conflicts often arise, whether they are at home or waiting for their children who are being treated in the hospital or hospitalized [5] Illness crisis and hospitalization in children also affect the nuclear family. Parents' reactions to their child's illness depend on a variety of influencing factors, both internal and external [15]. One of the internal factors that influence anxiety is the characteristics of the parents themselves. Characteristics of parents include gender, age, occupation, education and income [3]