Anxiety and Associated Factors in Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

Background and purpose: Anxiety is a common disorder in patients which has a major role in social function, resumption of work, daily activity, and quality of life. This research aimed at investigating the level of anxiety in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was performed in 96 patients aged 35-70 years old at Mazandaran Heart Center, Sari, Iran. The patients were selected via purposive sampling. Anxiety assessment was performed by the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Results: The mean age of the patients was 55.92±7.65, and the mean scores for state and trait anxiety were 54.84±5.54 and 53.21±5.06, respectively. There was a significant difference between males and females in the level of state-anxiety (53.72±5.1, 55.96±5.7, respectively, p= 0.05). We found a significant association between state anxiety and age (p= 0.02). State and trait anxiety were significantly different in patients with various job status (employed [55±8.67], housewife [56.29±5.5], and self-employed [53.34±4.69]) (p=0.041). Conclusion: In current study, patients undergoing cardiac artery bypass surgery experienced a moderate level of anxiety but patients of lower age, women, and employed patients reported higher levels of anxiety. Therefore, more attention should be paid to these groups.