# The effect of mandala activity on postoperative pain, anxiety, and analgesia use in gynecologic oncology patients: a randomized controlled trial

## TL;DR

A study found that doing mandala activities after surgery helped gynecologic oncology patients feel less pain and anxiety and use less pain medication.

## Contribution

This is the first randomized controlled trial to show mandala activity's impact on postoperative outcomes in gynecologic oncology patients.

## Key findings

- Mandala activity significantly reduced postoperative anxiety levels compared to the control group.
- Patients in the mandala group reported lower pain scores after surgery.
- Mandala activity was associated with reduced analgesia use postoperatively.

## Abstract

Non-pharmacological complementary therapies in cancer treatment strengthen care. This study aims to investigate the effects of mandala activity on postoperative pain, anxiety level and analgesia use in gynaecological oncology patients.

This study is a randomised controlled, two-group pretest/posttest comparative study. The study included 42 patients who underwent open abdominal hysterectomy at a training and research hospital in Istanbul between 1 February and 1 August 2023. Introductory Information Form, Visual Analog Scale (VAS), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-I), Postoperative Patient Evaluation Form and Mandala Activity Booklet were used throughout the study.

Preoperative State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-I) score was significantly higher in the control group (63.48 ± 5.31) compared to the intervention group (56.33 ± 7.65) (p < .05). Postoperatively, the STAI-I score of the control group decreased to 47.43 ± 8.29, while the intervention group showed a significant decrease to 31.52 ± 6.73. In addition, the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores of the control group decreased from 7.17 ± 1.42 preoperatively to 0.82 ± 1.46 postoperatively, while the intervention group scores decreased from 6.68 ± 2.11 to 1.77 ± 1.79, indicating that mandala activity was significant (p < .05).

In conclusion, this study showed that postoperative mandala activity effectively reduced pain and anxiety levels and influenced the use of analgesia in gynecologic oncology patients.