Perioperative Anxiety in Adults: A Narrative Review of Pathophysiology, Assessment, and Multimodal Management...

Perioperative anxiety is a common psychophysiological stress response experienced by patients before and after surgery, with a global prevalence of approximately 48%. Its occurrence is influenced by multiple factors including age, sex, type of surgery, and psychosocial determinants. The underlying pathophysiological mechanisms are complex, involving multi-system interactions such as autonomic nervous system imbalance, dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, dysfunction of limbic system neural circuits, and neuroinflammation. Current assessment strategies are evolving from sole reliance on psychological scales toward multimodal approaches incorporating objective biomarkers including heart rate variability, cortisol, and electroencephalography. Management paradigms have shifted from traditional pharmacological premedication to integrated systems encompassing structured patient education, digital health tools, neuromodulation techniques, and cognitive behavioral therapy. However, significant gaps persist regarding standardized screening protocols, biomarker validation, and targeted intervention pathways for high-risk populations. Future management is likely to require more individualized risk assessment and intervention selection. Biomarker-based risk prediction, artificial intelligence-assisted intervention decision-making, and the deep integration of digital therapeutics such as virtual reality with existing enhanced recovery pathways will be key directions for improving patient outcomes and recovery quality. This structured narrative review summarizes current evidence on perioperative anxiety in adults, focusing on epidemiology, pathophysiological mechanisms, assessment tools, biomarkers, and multimodal management strategies.