High levels of anxiety in surgical patients were experienced before admission, between admission and surgery, and following surgery, rather than being restricted to the immediate pre-operative period.
Observational (n=136)
What is the natural course of anxiety before and after surgery in surgical patients?
Anxiety in surgical patients is not limited to the immediate pre-operative period, but is also high before admission and following surgery, which has implications for planning interventions to alleviate surgical anxiety.
The natural course of anxiety before and after surgery was examined using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory in 4 studies involving 136 surgical patients. The results suggested that high levels of anxiety were experienced before admission to hospital, between admission and surgery and following surgery, and were not restricted to the immediate pre-operative period. Only a small percentage of patients reached their maximum level of anxiety on the morning of surgery. These results have implications for those planning interventions to alleviate anxiety associated with surgery and for those studying surgical stress as a model for other naturally occurring stresses.
Marie Johnston (Fri,) conducted a observational in Surgical patients (n=136). Perioperative period was evaluated on Anxiety levels measured by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. High levels of anxiety in surgical patients were experienced before admission, between admission and surgery, and following surgery, rather than being restricted to the immediate pre-operative period.
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