Abstract
The purposes of this study were to examine the coping behaviors of families during the surgical wait and the differences in attributes and in nursing care. Subjects were 62 people whose family members had undergone surgery under general anesthesia in Hospital A (response rate: 76.5%). This quantitative descriptive study was conducted using a self-completion questionnaire. The questionnaire included question items related to: 1) the attributes of family members, 2) the nursing care, and 3) twenty-four items that constitute a coping measure scale based on a 3D-model by Kamimura et al. According to the study results, the families' coping behaviors while waiting were characterized by "positive interpretations" and "distractions". There were significant differences in the levels of coping depending on the number of people waiting, whether or not the surgery was performed as scheduled, and the age of family members (p<.05). It is important to provide family members with intervention, such as emotional support, particularly when they are waiting alone or the surgery is not completed within the scheduled time, to inform them of the progression of the surgery and encourage them to think positively.
