ORIGINAL ARTICLES   

Minerva Ginecologica 2002 April;54(2):171-8

Copyright © 2002 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: Italian

Anxiety and acceptance of gynecological laparoscopic operations

Cosentino M., Vidotto G., Ponchia R., Trovò S., Magistris M.

Background. To evaluate the acceptance of gynecological laparoscopic operations.
Methods. A comparative analysis has been performed in a group of 32 women by analyzing a) the cognitive component, by means of 2 questionnaires administered before and after the operation and b) the emotional component, by evaluating the pre- and post-operative anxiety levels (State anxiety) and the constitutional ones (Trait anxiety) using the STAI Y test. The anxiety level of our group has been compared with that attributed to the general population by means of the Z test. Moreover, significant correlations have been searched between: 1) pre- and postoperative Trait and State anxiety, through the Pearson's correlation test; 2) the variables investigated by the two informational questionnaires and the anxiety measures, through the Student ''t'' test; 3) the informative variables themselves through the chi square test.
Results. Postoperative State anxiety is lower than that of the general population (p<0.05); a significant correlation exists between post- operative State and Trait anxiety (p<0.05); Trait anxiety is higher when fantasies linked to the operation are characterized by fear (p<0.05), and attribution of the decision to operate to the doctor (p<0.05); post-operative State anxiety is higher when the level of education is low (p<0.05) and the attribution of the decision to operate is to the doctor (p<0.05); a significant correlation exists between fantasies characterized by fear and the experience of postoperative pains, between postoperative pains and attribution of the decision to operate to the doctor (p<0.05) and between fantasies characterized by fear and attribution of the decision to operate to the doctor (p<0.05).
Conclusions. Higher anxiety levels have been detected in the pre-operative phase, in less educated patients and when the decision to operate has been attributed to the doctor. A not wholly convinced personal attitude has been accompanied by preoperative fantasies characterized by fear and has resulted in subjectively more painful postoperative course.