Anxiety in surgical patients

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

220 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

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.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)145-152
Number of pages8
JournalPsychological Medicine
Volume10
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1980

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