Effectiveness of reminiscence therapy on anxiety among hospitalized elderly undergoing abdominal surgery

Abstract

ABSTRACT Introduction: Elderly patients having abdominal surgery report decreased independence and different rehabilitation needs. Hospitalized elderly patients undergoing surgery may experience anxiety due to various reasons such as fear of surgery and anesthesia, fear of surgical complications, discomfort, and pain during or after surgery. Reminiscence therapy is commonly used for boosting the psychological well-being of the geriatric population. Teaching elderly patients how to employ anxiety-reducing interventions like reminiscence therapy will have a positive effect on the course of their rehabilitation. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the level of anxiety among hospitalized elderly undergoing abdominal surgery and to determine the effectiveness of reminiscence therapy on anxiety among hospitalized elderly undergoing abdominal surgery. Materials and Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted in the surgical unit. The Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC) provided ethical approval (INC/IEC/2021/SPL.1146 and dated on 28/07/21). Participants were recruited after written consent. A total of 60 study participants were enrolled using the purposeful sampling technique and were randomized into experimental and control groups by alternate allocation. The data were gathered in July–September 2021 by interviewing patients in accordance with a schedule that included sociodemographic profile, clinical profile, and Geriatric Anxiety Scale. Results: Findings show that there is a significantly higher percentage of study participants who had mild anxiety (96.6%) in the experimental group (P ≤ r0.001), after the intervention, while no change was observed in the control group which showed that reminiscence therapy had a significant effect on anxiety among hospitalized elderly undergoing abdominal surgery. Conclusion: It is observed that a considerable proportion of elderly patients who are admitted to hospitals for abdominal surgery suffer from anxiety. These psychiatric distresses might exacerbate the physical disease and slow the rehabilitation process. Reminiscence therapy is an acceptable mental health intervention that can be organized for their management.