Assessment of Pre-Operative Stress Factors Faced by Elective Surgical Patients in General Surgery Department at Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar

Background: Perioperative anxiety among surgical patients remains a commonly overlooked issue that affects psychological well-being, postoperative pain, recovery, and overall patient satisfaction. Objective: To assess pre-operative stress factors among elective surgical patients and examine their associations with demographic characteristics. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 196 patients aged 18–85 years scheduled for elective surgery. Data was collected through face-to-face interviews using the Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety and Information Scale (APAIS). Data was analyzed using SPSS version 22. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were applied, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. Results: Pre-operative anxiety was associated with multiple psychological, informational, environmental, and socioeconomic stressors. Fear of postoperative pain was reported by 73.47% of patients, followed by fear of surgery (70.92%) and surgical complications (66.33%). Hospital environment-related discomfort was reported by 58.16%, while 60.71% expressed concerns about surgical expenses. Significant associations were observed between gender and fear of pain (χ² = 6.22, p = 0.0446), educational level and awareness of the purpose of surgery (χ² = 10.34, p = 0.0351), type of surgery and stress associated with intravenous cannulation (χ² = 10.91, p = 0.0010), and previous surgical experience and fear of negative outcomes (χ² = 4.33, p = 0.0375). Conclusion: Pre-operative stress among elective surgical patients is multifactorial, involving psychological, informational, environmental, and socioeconomic factors. Integrating structured pre-operative counselling, patient education, effective communication, and psychosocial support into routine surgical care may help address patients’ concerns and promote patient-centred perioperative care.