Women’s acute anxiety variations before and after epidural anesthesia for childbirth

AbstractObjective: This study assessed changes in anxiety during different phases of childbirth in a sample of women demanding epidural anesthesia.Design: Prospective, longitudinal case series.Sample: A total of 133 women who demanded epidural anesthesia for childbirth answered the questionnaires.Methods: Anxiety state was measured using the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) questionnaire. The STAI-S (anxiety state) was administered in three phases during childbirth: Phase 1 was before applying epidural anesthesia, Phase 2 was 45 min after the application of epidural anesthesia and Phase 3 was at less than 24 h after delivery. Data were collected in two general hospitals: a third-level public hospital and a well-recognized private hospital.Main outcome measures: STAI scores.Results: Anxiety state decreases significantly after applying the epidural anesthesia (Phase 2) compared to before anesthesia (Phase 1), and it remains low levels 24 h after childbirth (Phase 3). There were statistically significant...