Showing papers on "State-Trait Anxiety Inventory published in 1991"

Predictors of vulnerability to AIDS risk behavior relapse.

Abstract: The longitudinal research study of 68 gay men from a Southern town in 1987 was able to successfully identify 86% of those who were likely to relapse in unprotected anal intercourse. The men were followed 16 months after receiving 12 AIDs health risk reduction sessions. The mean age of the population was 32.7 years; 945 were white and 6% African-Americans or Hispanics. Multivariate discriminant analysis was used to identify the relative magnitude of each predictor variables contribution (minimum coefficient of + or - .30). Predictor variables included demographic data and sexual risk behaviors which the subject ranked by the degrees of pleasure on a 4 point scale. Also included were the role of intoxication in sexual behavior the Beck Depression Inventory the State Trait Anxiety Inventory the Health Locus of Control Scale (HLOC) and the AIDs Risk Behavior Knowledge Scale. Role plays involving each subject were rated by 2 judges on the overall skill in resisting coercive sexual pressures. After 16 months 41 reported no occurrence of unprotected anal sex during the preceding 16 months and 27 reported some occurrence of which the mean frequency was 5.9 occurrences in the preceding 4 months. The relapse population tended to be younger and more out about their homosexuality. The number of sexual partners use of intoxicants with sex and frequency of unprotected receptive anal intercourse were the strongest predictors. These predictors were the same for the relapsed men before the risk reduction sessions. These relapsed men also reported lower depression levels and higher scores on HLOC. Similar to cigarette smoking resuming risk behavior was related to the strength frequency and reinforcement value level of past behavior. Outness may be related to frequency of sexual contact and HLOC to beliefs that luck fate or other determine risk. Serostatus data was not collected. The limitation of this study was that situational dimensions such as the environment cognitive affective and interpersonal patterns were relevant but not included. Identification of such factors is a needed future research objective.

Changes in anxiety among abstinent male alcoholics.

Abstract: Symptoms of anxiety are prevalent features of alcoholics seeking treatment. In the present study levels of state anxiety among male primary alcoholics (with no preexisting major psychiatric disorders) were examined 3 times per week during inpatient treatment for alcoholism and again at 3 months following treatment. The 171 male alcoholics also completed the trait scale of the State Trait Anxiety Inventory upon admission to an inpatient program and at 3 months following treatment. Results indicate that recently detoxified males experience multiple anxiety symptoms, with 40% reporting significantly elevated levels of state anxiety at admission (greater than or equal to 75th percentile). By the second week of treatment state anxiety scores typically returned to the normal range although symptoms continued to decrease significantly with each week of continued abstinence. Elevated levels of anxiety symptoms were more common among primary alcoholics with a history of panic episodes or generalized anxiety disorder symptoms. While abstainers and relapsers did not differ in level of anxiety observed during treatment, the relapsers report significantly higher state and trait anxiety scores at follow-up.

5-HT2 receptor antagonism in dysthymic disorder: a double-blind placebo-controlled study with ritanserin.

Abstract: Thirty patients suffering from dysthymic disorder participated in a 6-week double-blind trial comparing ritanserin 10 mg and placebo. After a single-blind placebo wash-out period of one week, the test medication was administered during 5 weeks on a double-blind basis. Twenty-three patients completed the study. At the end of the trial, ritanserin was significantly superior to placebo in its effect as manifested on the 19-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, the Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety and the State Trait Anxiety Inventory X-1 and X-2. At the end of the study, the therapeutic effect was rated marked or moderate in 75% of the ritanserin-treated patients, but only in 18% of the controls. These data are consistent with the hypothesis of serotonin abnormalities in dysthymic disorder and suggest a therapeutic role of 5-HT2 antagonists. Ritanserin treatment was very well tolerated; no serious adverse experiences were reported.

Needs and anxiety levels in relatives of intensive care unit patients.

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to explore the perceived needs and anxiety levels of adult family members of intensive care unit (ICU) patients. The study was conducted over a 3-month period, on a convenience sample of 166 subjects selected from the total adult population of family members visiting an ICU patient in three Sudbury hospitals. Data were gathered using a self-report questionnaire, the Critical Care Family Needs Inventory (CCFNI) and Spielberger's State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Interviews were conducted in French or English according to the subject's preference. The major variables examined were: family needs; state and trait anxiety; on-site sources of worry; spiritual needs; level of knowledge of ICU from past experience or pre-surgery education; sociodemographic data. The Situational Anxiety Scale yielded a mean score of 45.24 and the Trait Anxiety Scale a mean score of 37.3. Inferential statistics demonstrated that family needs and situational anxiety were significantly related (P less than 0.0002). Furthermore, worries, trait anxiety, age and family needs explained 38% of the variation of situational anxiety. As well, spiritual needs and situational anxiety explained 33% of the variation of family needs.

The Factorial Structure of the Chinese Version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis

Abstract: The factor structure of responses to the Chinese version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (C-STAI) in a sample of 2150 Chinese secondary school students was examined using the LIS-REL approach to confirmatory factor analysis. The results showed that a 3-factor model (State+, Calmness, and Happiness) and a 2-factor model (Trait+ and Trait-) could provide an adequate fit for the item responses to the A-State and A-Trait scales, respectively. When all item responses were included for analyses, it was found that while a 4-factor model (State+, State-, Trait+, and Trait-) was able to fit the data, a 5-factor model (State+, Calmness, Happiness, Trait+, and Trait-) was found to provide the best fit. The factorial structure of the C-STAI is discussed with reference to previous research findings and conceptual frame-works on the STAI.

Effects of aerobic exercise training on symptomatic women with mitral valve prolapse.

Abstract: The effects of a 12-week aerobic exercise training protocol on 32 symptomatic women with mitral valve prolapse were studied. Subjects were randomly assigned to control or exercise groups. Exercise subjects completed a 12-week (3 times per week) exercise training program based on guidelines established by the American Heart Association for phase II cardiac rehabilitation programs; control group subjects maintained normal activities. Before and after training, subjects underwent maximal multistage treadmill testing, and measurements were obtained for plasma catecholamine levels at rest and during peak exercise; they completed the State Trait Anxiety Inventory and General Well-Being Schedule. Weekly symptom frequency of chest pain, arm pain, palpitations, shortness of breath, fatigue, headache, mood swings, dizziness and syncope were monitored for the 12-week period. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance, multivariate analysis of covariance, and analysis of covariance with repeated measures. Compared with control subjects, the exercise group showed a significant (p less than 0.05) decrease in State Trait Anxiety Inventory scores, an increase in General Well-Being scores, an increase in functional capacity and a decline in the frequency of chest pain, fatigue, dizziness and mood swings. No statistically significant differences were noted in catecholamine levels at rest or during peak exercise. These findings support the use of aerobic exercise in the management of symptomatic women with mitral valve prolapse.

Relationships of anxiety scores to screening and training status of air traffic controllers

Abstract: The present study assessed the relationship between anxiety, as measured by the State-Trait Personality Inventory (STPI), and success of post-strike air traffic control specialist (ATCS) trainees at the FAA Academy and during field training. The STPI was administered to students who entered the FAA Academy between June 1984 and September 1985. Academy test scores were obtained for 1,790 students in the en route option. Criterion data included the field training status of the Academy graduates as of July 1988. Statistical analyses determined the relationships between ATCS student scores on the STPI measures and a) normative data and b) Academy screening and field training results. ATCS students reported significantly lower state (current level) and trait (proneness) levels of anxiety than did either college students or military recruits. Trainees who had relatively high scores (for ATCSs) on a combined index of the trait and state measures of anxiety exhibited significantly higher a) percentages of Academy failures/withdrawals, b) percentages of option switches in the field, and c) overall field attrition, than did trainees with low scores. Results support the operation of some personality-related self-selection among ATCS applicants regarding anxiety and the importance of this low anxiety characteristic for ATCS job success.

Comparison of two instructional methods on the levels of physiologic and psychologic stress as measured by blood cortisol and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory.

Abstract: This study was designed to determine whether a systematic or nonsystematic instructional strategy affected the levels of physiologic and psychologic stress as measured by blood cortisol levels and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) in students in the postsecondary educational setting. A convenience sample consisting of 43 subjects was randomly assigned to either a systematic or nonsystematic teaching group. The blood cortisol and STAI were measured 1 and 2 weeks before the treatment and following the treatment on the day of the study. Results of the study demonstrated that there were differential posttreatment increases in the amount of physiologic stress, as measured by blood cortisol levels produced by either instructional method. However, between the control measurement 1 week before the treatment and the posttreatment measurement, there were no effects observed for the psychologic STAI measures for either group. Accounting for the circadian rhythm effect of cortisol, there was a significant "buffering effect" in stress experienced by the subjects in the systematic teaching group. More specifically, the nonsystematic teaching group experienced a 55.42% rate increase in cortisol compared to a 10.74% rate increase for the systematic teaching group which was statistically significant. The systematic teaching method may be more effective in preventing physiologic stress in the educational setting and possibly in the clinical practice of anesthesia nursing. Additionally, the results suggested that the STAI may be inappropriate when used as an index of stress in certain educational settings.