Stress and Affiliation: Hospital Roommate Effects on Preoperative Anxiety and Social Interaction

Fifty-three preoperative men were studied who were assigned to a hospital roommate who varied in terms of the similarity of the roommate's health problem and surgical status. The similarity of a roommate's particular type of health problem to that of the patient exerted little detectable influence. However, patients assigned to a preoperative roommate were more anxious compared with those assigned a postoperative or nonsurgical roommate. Affiliation was also significantly greater with fellow preoperative roommates compared with postoperative roommates. The possibility that the obtained roommate effects on anxiety are mediated directly by affiliation is explored. Additional mechanisms and theoretical implications for basic research involving social comparison, stress, and affiliation relationships are discussed. Practical considerations for hospital policy also are considered.