Frequency of Psychological Changes in Surgical Patients: A Prospective Cross-Sectional Multi-Center Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.60127/sjms.4.3.2026.93Keywords:
Post-operative, psychological changes, anxiety, depression, surgery, cross sectionalAbstract
Objectives: To find how often patients have psychological symptoms in surgery-related cases.
Methodology: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted from 1st June to 10th of August 2025 across five hospitals in Sialkot. One hundred fifty post-operative patients (age ≥11 years) were enrolled consecutively. Participants completed a 20-item symptom questionnaire (0 = Never to 4 = Always). Analyses included descriptive statistics, reliability testing (Cronbach’s α), exploratory factor analysis, and multiple linear regression. Results are reported as β coefficients with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and model fit (R²).
Results: The questionnaire showed excellent reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.92). Factor analysis supported four groups of symptoms: Anxiety, Depression, Irritability, and Hypervigilance, explaining 62% of the variance. Symptoms reported “Often” or “Always” included feeling overwhelmed (24.7%), feeling tired (22.7%), and excessive worry (20.7%). In the regression model (F(6,143) = 8.24, p < 0.001, R² = 0.26), female gender (β = 4.10; 95% CI: 1.98–6.22; p < 0.001) and being 1–6 months after surgery (β = 3.85; 95% CI: 1.45–6.25; p = 0.002) predicted higher distress scores.
Conclusion: Psychological changes after surgery are common. Females and patients in the 1–6 month recovery period show higher distress
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Copyright (c) 2026 Tasleem Abbas, Hamna Saeed, Fatima Masood, Hamza Shahzad, Hassan Shahzad, Mushahad Faiz (Author)
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