Objective:

To estimate frequency of preoperative anxiety (PA) and associated factors in pregnant women scheduled for elective cesarean section.

Methods:

Cross sectional study in full term pregnant women without uterine activity and without medical, surgical or obstetric complications. Was carried out before elective cesarean section in Cartagena, Colombia. Anonymous and voluntary participation with informed consent. A sociodemographic characteristic form and the Spanish version of the Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety and Information Scale (APAIS) were applied. Unadjusted logistic regression was performed to observe the association of the qualitative variables with PA and the correlation coefficient between the scores of the two subscales of the APAIS and the quantitative variables was estimated.

Results:

326 pregnant women were studied. Age 28, 5±6, 4 years; 7, 9 % teenagers; 24, 2 % primigravid, 81,9 % with previous cesarean section and 70,8 % without other previous surgery. 45, 0 % reported not being in any way worried about surgery/anesthesia and 7, 8 % wanted to know much more about the procedure. The frequency of PA and the need of much more information about surgery/anesthesia was 9, 2 %. The number of relatives in the waiting room was negatively correlated with PA, rho: -0,127[CI 95 %: -0,232 to -0,019]. The need of much more information about surgery/anesthesia was associated with increased frequency of PA, OR: 10, 9 [CI 95 %: 4, 54-26, 36]. Also, civil status was associated: free union and separate respect to married, OR: 3,7[CI 95 %: 1,5-9,2] and OR: 4,4[CI 95 %: 1,0-19,3], respectively.

Conclusion:

The frequency of PA before cesarean section was 9, 2 %. The need of much more information about surgery/anesthesia, was associated ten times greater presence of PA and the number of relatives in the waiting room was negatively correlated with AP, but the size of the correlation coefficient was interpreted as negligible.

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