Experiences of anxiety and stress in brain tumor patients in the preoperative period of neurosurgery

• Autor(a) principal: Celeste Almeida, Maria
• Data de Publicação: 2015
• Outros Autores: Lima, Lígia, Guerreiro, Ana
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: https://onco.news/index.php/journal/article/view/123
• topic: vivências de stresse; ansiedade; tumores cerebrais; neurocirurgia; pré-operatório; stress experiences; anxiety; brain tumors; neurosurgery; preoperative

Patients with brain tumors often experience stress and anxiety, especially when they are about to undergo surgery. This study aimed to comprehend more deeply the experiences of stress and anxiety of the person diagnosed with brain tumor who is attending a neurosurgical intervention, in the preoperative period. Five adult patients were interviewed, of both sexes and aged between 33 and 62 years. The results showed that stress and anxiety are common experiences to all patients in the preoperative period, dependent on the perception of disease severity, uncertainty of prognosis and anticipation of possible negative consequences for future life. Patients also indicated, as factors that promote stress, conditions associated with the hospitalization process, namely the interruption of their socioprofessional life. This study is a contribution to deepen knowledge about the experiences of patients with cerebral tumor in the preoperative period, enabling the identification of factors associated with stress and anxiety at this stage of the disease, which could be the focus of attention of nursing interventions.