Mediation Analysis
anxiety, behavioral distress
PHYSIOLOGICAL STRESS
Video-coded frequency and duration of behavioral distress were associated with treatment condition, so the mediating effect of physiological stress on this association was assessed. For all video-coded frequency and duration behavioral distress outcomes, the β estimate for treatment effect was lower when physiological anxiety was added to the model, indicating that it was mediating some portion of the treatment effect. However, the treatment effect remained highly significant for each outcome, suggesting that physiological anxiety did not fully explain the difference in outcomes due to treatment (eTable 2 in Because the other questionnaire-based behavioral outcomes were not associated with treatment condition, we wanted to see whether the null association was due to a lack of association between behaviors and physiological stress. However, physiological stress and anxiety (measured via EDA), were found to be associated with behavioral distress and dental-related sensory discomfort (eTable 3 in 