Abstract:
This study investigated the relationship between religious commitment, emotion regulation, social support and pre-operative anxiety among surgical inpatients. Two hundred and ten inpatients drawn from surgical wards of UNTH participated in this study. They comprised 93 males and 117 females who were aged 18-80 years. State Anxiety scale of State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (Spielberger et al, 1970) was used to assess anxiety, while Religious Commitment Inventory (Worthington et al, 2003), Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (Gross & John, 2003), and Mulidimentional Scale of Perceive Social Support (Zimet et al, 1990) were used in assessing predictor variables before surgery. After surgery, State Anxiety scale of State-Trait Anxiety Inventory was re-administered. Data were analysed using hierarchical multiple regression statistics. Results showed that the predictor variables: Interpersonal religious commitment (β = -.321, p<.001), Intrapersonal religious commitment (β = -.464, p<.001), Cognitive reappraisal (β = -.245, p<.001), and Social support (β = -.837, p <.001) were significantly and negatively related to pre-operative anxiety except for Emotion suppression which was found to be positively related to pre-operative anxiety (β = .403, p<.001) respectively. There was a significant drop in anxiety from the pre-operation to the post-operation period. Based on the results of this study, the researcher suggested some possible clinical applications of the findings and avenue for further research.
