Impact of Religiousness on Preoperative Anxiety in Patients Undergoing a Surgical Procedure at Bacha Khan Medical Complex Swabi, Pakistan

Abstract

Background: Anxiety prior to surgery, a very common psychological experience for patients waiting for surgery, is associated with negative effects on both physiological status and recovery from surgery. Many individuals use religion as one way to cope with anxiety or stress. Therefore, this research sought to assess whether there is a relationship between religiosity and the amount of anxiety experienced by patients waiting for surgery.

Methodology: This was an analytical cross-sectional study that took place at the Bacha Khan Medical Complex (BKMC), located in Swabi, Pakistan. A total of 178 adult male Muslim patients who had never undergone surgery and were scheduled to undergo their first surgery, used consecutive sampling to form the sample group. Both the Muslim Daily Religiosity Assessment Scale (MUDRAS) and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) were used to collect data. Descriptive statistics and correlational statistical analyses were completed using SPSS.

Results: The results indicated a statistically significant negative correlation between religiosity and the amount of anxiety experienced prior to surgery (p < 0.000). The average anxiety score was 10.45 ± 7.16. Approximately two-thirds of the participants (n = 117, 65.73%) reported high religiosity, and about 21% of the participants (n = 37, 20.79%) reported low religiosity. In addition, the study demonstrated that individuals who reported higher religiosity experienced significantly less anxiety than those who did not.

Conclusion: There is a statistically significant inverse correlation between religiosity and the amount of pre-surgical anxiety experienced by patients who are undergoing surgery. Thus, these findings provide evidence that religious beliefs/practices function as a protective factor and also as a non-pharmacologic means to help alleviate pre-surgical anxiety. As such, the findings of this study support the inclusion of religious counseling and spiritual support into standard perioperative care to improve overall health and possibly reduce the risk of complications during the recovery process from surgery.