Effect of surgical anxiety on gastrointestinal symptoms in neurosurgery patients

This research was conducted in descriptive and correlational inquiry type. It took place at the Brain and Neurosurgery Clinic of Koç University Hospital between November 2022 and March 2023. The sample consisted of 104 patients. Data collection tools included Individual Information Form, Surgical Anxiety Scale, Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale, and Standardized Mini Mental Test. The data were analyzed using SPSS Statistics for Windows 25.0 program. As a result of the research, the surgical stress scores of the patients were found to be 33.92 ± 13.87 before surgery and 30.29 ± 10.06 after surgery. The Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale score was determined to be low, with 22.11 ± 8.40 before surgery and 28.84 ± 9.07 after surgery. Spearman correlation was applied to test the effect between Surgical Anxiety and Gastrointestinal Symptoms. As a result, a statistically significant and positive relationship was observed (p<0.05). It was found that patients with high levels of anxiety in the preoperative period experienced more gastrointestinal symptoms compared to those with low levels of anxiety.