A prospective study of psychosomatic reaction to hysterectomy
Ohkawa, R.; Tanaka, K.; Morikawa, S.; Takeda, S.; Katoh, K.
Nihon Sanka Fujinka Gakkai Zasshi 44(6): 676-682
1992
ISSN/ISBN: 0300-9165 PMID: 1506729 Document Number: 392294
Psychosomatic reaction to hysterectomy was prospectively studied by means of psychological tests and a questionnaire. One hundred and twenty patients who had simple hysterectomy were examined before and as long as one year after operation. The mean score for A-state, a state anxiety scale, was high before operation and rapidly declined postoperatively. SRQ-D and CMI, which represent depressive and neurotic states, respectively, showed rather high scores before and 2 weeks after opeartion. Mean scores in these psychological tests declined to a plateau within 6 months after operation, and there were less psychologcal and physiological symptoms and there were improved physical activity, showing that mostly patients can over come psychosomatic problems caused by hysteretomy. A close correlation was osberved between the results of psychological tests and the number of psychological symptoms. Forty patients with a high SRQ-D score showed abnormality in other scales. Psychosomatic disorders associated with hysterectomy are characterized by various symptoms but mainly by a depressive state. High SRQ-D patients were divided into three subgroups: A) the SRQ-D score is constantly high, B) theSRQ-D is high for the first several weeks, and C) the score increased after discharge. Patients in each subgroup showed signs of a characteristic personality. These results show that presence of a different psychosomatic approach to the patients personality.