Patients' expectations as predictors of orthognathic surgery outcomes

In an attempt to assess the role of vigilant and avoidant coping styles on postsurgical outcomes in orthognathic surgery, 114 patients were asked to rate their expectations of problems associated with surgery in three areas 6 to 12 months before surgery. Patients completed questionnaires five more times over the course of 3 years, from just before to 2 years after surgery. Presurgical expectations of problems were significant predictors of postsurgical reports of experiences, dissatisfaction, and mood disturbances up to 2 years after surgery. Contrary to the hypothesis that vigilant copers would have better outcomes than avoidant copers, the results suggest that patients who anticipate few problems with surgery (avoidant copers) report better psychological outcomes than patients who expect numerous problems (vigilant copers) before undergoing surgery.