Nazım ERKURT, Murat ÇAKAR, Tahsin Olgun BAYRAKTAR, Doğa KORUN, Ali KAFADAR, Ali YÜCE
Türk Geriatri Dergisi - 2026;29(3):389-396
Introduction: This study aimed to evaluate the temporal changes in anxiety and depressive symptoms among primary caregivers of elderly patients with hip fractures during a prolonged preoperative hospitalization period. Materials and Method: This prospective observational study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital between January and February 2026 and included 81 primary caregivers of patients with intertrochanteric or femoral neck fractures and a preoperative hospital stay >=7 days were included. State anxiety (STAI-State) and depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory) were assessed at study enrollment (baseline), on the third day after enrollment, and on the day of surgery. Temporal changes were analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) Results: Mean time to surgery was 8.3+/-2.2 days. After adjustment, STAI-State scores showed a significant time effect (p=0.021), with a decrease between the third day after enrolment and the day of surgery. Depression scores also demonstrated a significant time effect (p=0.013), with lower scores on the day of surgery than at baseline. Conclusion: Anxiety and depressive symptoms among caregivers of elderly patients with hip fractures change over the course of prolonged preoperative hospitalization. These findings suggest that repeated preoperative psychological assessments may help clinicians identify caregivers requiring additional psychological support and provide appropriate interventions.
