Guided imagery relaxation therapy on preoperative anxiety: a randomized clinical trial

OBJECTIVE: to evaluate the effect of relaxation therapy with guided imagery on state anxiety and cortisol in the immediate preoperative period in patients submitted to bariatric surgery by videolaparoscopy. METHOD: a randomized, triple-blind clinical trial in a large teaching hospital in the interior of Minas Gerais. Twenty-four patients who would undergo video-laparoscopic bariatric surgery were randomly allocated in two groups, namely 12 in the control group and 12 in the experimental group. State anxiety was assessed by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and blood cortisol levels were measured before and after the intervention or standard care. Descriptive analyzes were used for the quantitative variables and Student’s t-test for independent samples, in the analysis of the differences between the state anxiety scores and cortisol levels. RESULTS: the experimental group presented a statistically significant reduction of the state anxiety scores (p = 0.005) as well as of cortisol levels (p <0.001) after the intervention. CONCLUSION: guided imagery relaxation therapy is an effective nursing intervention for the reduction of state anxiety and blood cortisol levels in the preoperative period in patients undergoing video-laparoscopic bariatric surgery. Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials: RBR-5qywrf.