| Abstract: | Designed and tested a method for preparing surgical patients to actively cope with the stress of hospitalization and surgery. The effects of a stress inoculation procedure on patients' anxiety, pain, and postoperative adjustment were examined. 24 surgery patients (aged 14–62 yrs) were assigned either to a stress inoculation intervention or to a standard hospital instructions control. Results demonstrate the utility of stress inoculation training in providing surgical patients with a self-regulation technique to reduce their experiences of anxiety and pain and improve their postoperative adjustment, including the reduction of reliance on analgesia and number of postoperative recovery days. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
