Social support and pre-operative anxiety in patients undergoing elective surgical procedures: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

ABSTRACT: Pre-operative anxiety may adversely affect post-operative recovery and treatment satisfaction. This systematic review assessed the impact of social support on pre-operative anxiety in elective surgery patients. MEDLINE via Ovid, Embase, PsycINFO, Web of Science, CINAHL Plus, Emcare and LILACS were searched for publications (1950-2021). Fourteen studies were included for descriptive analysis and five for meta-analysis. The pooled estimate in the meta-analysis was r = -0.372 (95% CI: -0.578 to -0.122). Stronger social support was weakly associated with reduced pre-operative anxiety, but the quality of available evidence was low. The findings suggest potential benefit in enhancing utilisation of support networks before elective surgery.

SUBMITTER: Kok XLF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10026156 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature