Prevalence of Severe Anxiety among Elective Caesarean Section Mothers and their Perceived Complications of Anaesthesia in Malaysia

Abstract

Introduction: Many women experience psychological problems during pregnancy. One of the major psychological problems is anxiety. Pregnancy related anxiety can lead to various negative effects not only on mother’s health, but also on their socio-dynamic factors as well as the infant’s development. Preoperative anxiety among obstetric patients is known to be much higher compared to other surgical patients. Aim: In this study we assessed the prevalence of severe anxiety among elective caesarean section mothers and their perceived complications of anaesthesia in Malaysia. Method: This study was conducted among 280 pregnant women in the obstetrics and gynaecology department in a tertiary hospital in Malaysia. The pregnant women’s level of anxiety was assessed using the 20-item S-anxiety scale, preoperative and postoperative. Results: Pre-operative, out of the 280 respondents, 70 (25%) were classified as having severe anxiety. Among those with previous SVD, 41.7% had severe level of anxiety compared to only 21.2% among those with previous LSCS (p=0.008). At post-operative assessment, 27 (9.6%) were classified as having severe anxiety. Overall, there was a significant reduction in the level of anxiety from pre to post operative (p <0.001). The perceived complications from general anaesthesia were death (34.3%), coma (32.1%) and postoperative pain (30%) and the perceived complications from regional anaesthesia were back pain (27.9%) and paralysis (27.9%). Conclusion: Preoperative anxiety in women undergoing caesarean section is high. Preoperative anxiety should be evaluated for further planning of coping strategies to overcome their anxiety and fear.