Symptoms of anxiety and depression in surgical patients at the hospital, 6 weeks and 6 months postsurgery: A questionnaire study.
Aims
To describe prevalence of symptoms of anxiety and depression in surgical patients at three time points: at hospital postsurgery (T1), 6 weeks (T2) and 6 months (T3) postdischarge from hospital; and detect situations and experiences that predict symptoms of anxiety and depression at T2 and T3.


Design
Prospective, explorative two-site follow-up study.


Methods
Patients having selected surgeries from January-July 2016 were invited to participate. Final participation was 390 patients. Participation involved answering questionnaires, including the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). A stepwise multiple linear regression model was employed to calculate predictors of anxiety and depression.


Results
The proportion of patients presenting with moderate-to-severe anxiety or depression ranged from 5.4%-20.2% at different times. Major predictors of anxiety at both times were not feeling rested upon awakening and higher scores on HADS-Anxiety at T1 and T2 and at T2 also experiencing more distressing postoperative symptoms. For depression, the major predictors were at both times higher scores on HADS-Depression at T2 and T3 and also at T2 not feeling rested upon awakening and at T3 reporting delayed or very delayed recovery.The four models explained from 43.9%-55.6% of the variance in symptoms of anxiety and depression. Our findings show that patients presenting with psychological distress at the hospital are in a vulnerable position. Also, that benefits of good sleep during the recovery should be emphasized during hospital stay.
['Sveinsdóttir|Herdís|H|0000-0002-1766-3543', 'Zoëga|Sigríður|S|0000-0002-5289-6166', 'Ingadóttir|Brynja|B|0000-0003-0743-8200', 'Blöndal|Katrín|K|0000-0001-8666-6185']
D000359:Aftercare D001007:Anxiety D003863:Depression D005500:Follow-Up Studies D006761:Hospitals D006801:Humans D010351:Patient Discharge D011446:Prospective Studies D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
anxiety depression surgical patients nursing perioperative care