Invasiveness of Radiological Procedures: State-Trait Anxiety in Women Undergoing 3 Different Investigations and 3 Months Follow-Up

Authors: FATMA GÜL AKSOY, AYŞEGÜL ÖZDEMİR, YASEMİN GENÇ

Abstract: Over the past decade, there has been considerable growth in interest in the application of stress management techniques for the preparation of patients needing to undergo noxious medical procedures. Here, we studied state-trait anxiety in women awaiting three different radiological examinations; abdominal ultrasonography, mammography, and hysterosalpingography, which involved various degrees of intrusiveness, and low, intermediate, and high levels of pain and physical/emotional discomfort respectively. We aimed to investigate whether the degree of anxiety corresponded to the level of invasiveness. In addition, we examined the impact of demographic variables on the degree of anxiety and conducted three months of follow-up measurements. Our results suggest that in order to plan appropriate strategies for stress reduction, the medical team, including radiologists and technicians, should be aware of expected levels of state anxiety.

Keywords: intrusiveness, invasiveness, radiological examinations, state-trait anxiety, women

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