ABSTRACT
Objective:
To investigate the association between anxiety and depression symptoms and sex and age among preoperative patients submitted to their first cardiac surgery.
Methods:
This is a correlational cross-sectional study, with 84 participants. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale was used. Student's t-test for independent samples (sex), ANOVA (age group), and linear regression analysis were used, with a significance level of 5%.
Results:
Women had more anxiety and depression symptoms, with higher mean values and statistically significant differences (p = 0.007 and p = 0.001). In the regression analysis, sex was significant in the model (p = 0.011). Considering age, the differences regarding the presence of these symptoms were not statistically significant, either in ANOVA or in the regression analysis.
Conclusion:
Women had more anxiety and depression symptoms in the preoperative period of cardiac surgeries. Nurses should consider these results during the educational plan preparation for surgical patients.
Keywords:
Perioperative nursing; Anxiety; Depression; Thoracic surgery