Assessment of Pre-surgical Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Levels in Patients Undergoing Surgical Procedures in the General Surgery Department

Abstract

Aim: The present study was undertaken to observe the pre-surgical depression, anxiety, and stress levels in patients undergoing surgical procedures in the general surgery department. Methods: Study design: This was a cross-sectional study. Setting: Tertiary care centers Study population: The study recruited 30 male and female patients who were undergoing surgeries in the general surgery department irrespective of the type of surgery they undergoing between November 2018 and December 2018. Assessment of depression, anxiety, and stress: The psychological parameter that is depression, anxiety, and stress was assessed using depression anxiety and stress scale-42 questionnaire. Results: There were significantly higher scores of depression, anxiety, and stress scores in both males and females. Depression scores were not significantly different among males and females. However, anxiety scores were significantly higher in females when compared with males. A similar observation was found in the case of stress scores as there is a significant increase in the stress scores in females when compared with males. Conclusion: The study confirms the reports of earlier studies that there will be higher levels of stress in pre-operative patients. The study also recommends further detailed studies in this area.