THE EFFECT OF FEEDBACK ON ANXIETY LEVELS DURING ULTRASOUND SCANNING FOR OVARIAN-CANCER

Women undergoing ultrasound scanning for the detection of ovarian canc er benefit psychologically from the examination, which has been shown to reduce levels of anxiety, depression, hostility and complaints abou t somatic symptoms. However, it is not completely clear what aspects o f the ultrasound examination are responsible for these effects, and ho w these beneficial psychological effects vary under different circumst ances. This study examined, in particular, the effect of various level s of feedback on patients' anxiety levels before and after ultrasound examination. Two hundred and seven women were randomly assigned to two different experimental conditions: high feedback and low feedback. Th e subjects' levels of anxiety (both trait and state anxiety) were meas ured immediately before and after the ultrasound examination. The wome n's individual risk factors for ovarian cancer were also recorded. Thi s study showed a significant decrease in the level of trait anxiety fo llowing ultrasound scanning. The decrease in anxiety did not relate to the level of feedback provided to the patients, nor to the woman's de gree of risk for ovarian cancer. The results are discussed in terms of possible implications for clinical care and the allocation of resourc es in the medical system.