[Relationship between perioperative anxiety and postoperative recovery]

One day before surgery and three days postoperatively, 118 cholecystectomy patients were investigated by means of several self-report anxiety-question(naire)s. On the basis of these, the patients were assigned to either the category more anxious postoperatively (A+) or the category less anxious postoperatively (A-). A+ patients rated preoperatively lower and postoperatively higher on the anxiety-question(naire)s than A- patients, and they stayed longer in hospital postoperatively.