Anxiety in patients after cesarean section

Abstract

Introduction: Depression is a frequent consequence of cesarean section. In the same time, even if some women don’t suffer from post-cesarean depression, the majority of them present anxiety signs, especially in the immediate postoperative period. Aims: to estimate the level of anxiety in patients with cesarean section. Evaluation of anxiety level in patients before cesarean section. Evaluation of anxiety level in patients with cesarean section in the confinement and late postoperative periods. Methods: The study included 100 patients, who were submitted to cesarean section. The first part of the study was performed during the early postoperative period (confinement period) and the second part (late postoperative period) - 6 months later after the cesarean section. Estimation of state and trait anxiety was performed by the means of Spielberger-Hanin test. Results: Trait anxiety was light in 76,0%±4,27 patients, moderate - in 23,0%±4,20 cases and severe - in 1,0%±0,99 cases. Confinement period: The majority of patients presented a moderate (58,0%±4,93) and a severe state of anxiety (14,0%±3,46) during the first days after cesarean section. It results that the level of state anxiety in the majority of cases depends directly upon postoperative stress and not upon by the level of trait anxiety. Late postoperative period: State anxiety during the late postoperative period was: moderate in 36,0%±4,80 cases and severe in 4,0%±1,95 cases. Compared with state anxiety during the confinement period, state anxiety during the late postoperative period has significantly decreased. Conclusion: 23% of the patients had a moderate trait of anxiety and 1% had severe trait anxiety before cesarean section. a) During the confinement period, state anxiety is dominated by the moderate form (58%), depending directly upon postoperative stress. b) During the late postoperative period, the level of state anxiety is decreased, predominant being light state anxiety (60%).