Mediating effects of preoperative fear and anxiety on postoperative pain intensity

Objective: To identify the mediating effects of preoperative fear and anxiety on postoperative pain intensity in people undergoing elective surgeries up to six months after surgery. Methods: This is an observational and longitudinal study with quantitative analysis, carried out with 172 adult patients admitted to a hospital and undergoing elective surgeries. The instruments used were: form for characterizing sociodemographic, clinical and surgical variables; Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; Surgical Fear Questionnaire; and Numeric Rating Scale for pain assessment. The interviews were carried out during the preoperative period, 48 hours after surgery and monthly until six months after surgery. For the descriptive statistical analysis of the explanatory variables, the absolute and relative frequencies, mean, standard deviation, median and minimum and maximum values were used. The relationship between the variables studied was analyzed using measures of correlation and mediating effects (structural equation model, maximum likelihood method). Results: During the postoperative period (6 months), the mean pain ranged from 4.86 to 1.19. The means for anxiety (7.62) and fear (25.2) related to surgery were calculated. The analysis of variables showed a positive correlation between both preoperative fear and anxiety with the highest pain levels assessed at different moments in the postoperative period. Furthermore, preoperative anxiety exerted a mediating effect on the relationship between fear related to surgery, manifested in the preoperative period, and postoperative pain in the first 48 hours after surgery. Conclusion: Psychological variables, such as preoperative fear and anxiety, influenced postoperative pain intensity in people undergoing elective surgeries. Nursing interventions aimed at anxiety and fear may be useful for surgical patients.