Family and anxiety in intensive care units

Introduction: The hospitalization of one of family members, especially in the intensive care ‎unit, as a crisis can cause anxiety of his family and relatives.‎ Objective: The aim of this study was to determine personal effective factors on patient ‎family members’ anxiety in intensive care units. ‎ Material and Methods: In this cross – sectional, descriptive study, ‎‏218‏‎ family members from ‎‏130‏‎ inpatient of ICU in the Poorsina and Razi hospitals at ICU section were studied. Two ‎instruments were used in this study: one scale was made by researcher and the other, standard ‎scale hospital anxiety depression scale. Collected data analyzed by SPSS ‎‏14‏‎ and chi-square ‎test, exact fisher test and logistic regression test were used.‎ Results: Findings showed that ‎‏77.1%‏‎ of patients’ family members in ICU were anxious. Also ‎effective factors on patient family members anxiety using logistic regression test showed odd ‎ratio to attempt to demographical differences to one increase, patient's consciousness ‎‏9.726‏‎(OR=‎‏9.726‏‎) (P=‎‏0.017‏‎) increased, in female sex ‎‏6.171‏‎(OR=‎‏6.171‏‎) (P= ‎‏0/005‏‎), family ‎decision making for treatment for example operating patient ‎‏6.433‏‎(OR=‎‏6.433‏‎) (P=‎‏0.007‏‎) ‎family age ‎‏0.939‏‎ (OR=‎‏0.939‏‎) (P=‎‏0.044‏‎) increased anxiety.‎  Conclusion: Because most of these research units were anxious in order to prevent anxiety ‎and its adverse effects, recognition of effective factors in family anxiety is extremely ‎important and needs to be noticed as a priority of care. So it is suggested that nurses should ‎recognize these factors and then to assist ICU's patients' family. In this way the nursing care ‎will perform in family center form and so to prevent destructive effects of anxiety to ‎recognize these factors a nurse should assist patients' family in ICU. Nursing - care needs to ‎be family - centered so to prevent destructive effects of anxiety.‎