Social support and its relation to fear and anxiety in patients awaiting coronary artery bypass grafting

Summary• The purpose of this study was to ascertain social support resources available for patients awaiting coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and the effect of social support on their fear and anxiety.• A postal questionnaire was sent to 270 patients awaiting CABG in one hospital, 207 of whom responded. Norbeck's Social Support Questionnaire (NSSQ) was used. The quality of basic cardiac information (QBCI) and the social support wanted (WSS) by patients were measured with an instrument developed for this study. Fear was measured with the Bypass Grafting Fear Scale (BGFS) developed for this study. Anxiety was measured with Spielberger's State‐Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). The results were analysed using frequency and percentage distributions, cross‐tabulation, non‐parametric tests and logistic regression.• Heart patients' spouses provided the most emotional and tangible aid. Low emotional support from the social network was associated with high anxiety. Half the patients rated the quality of basic information as good or excellent. Those who perceived the quality of information to be excellent experienced mild fear. Those who displayed high fear wanted informational support from nurses more often than patients with lower fear.• We conclude that the fear and anxiety of patients awaiting CABG are connected with their social support resources.