Trait-Anxiety Differences among Medical Students

Abstract
This study investigated the degree to which age, year of study, sex, and marital status predict trait anxiety, as measured by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, among 131 medical students in four classes of a six-year medical school. Univariate analysis showed men had lower trait-anxiety scores than women, and married students had lower scores than single students. Trait-anxiety declined with age and year of study. Multivariate analysis showed that sex was the best predictor of trait-anxiety among these students and that age was a significant predictor even when year of study was held constant. It is suggested that trait-anxiety declines with age among young adults as they successfully cope with the developmental challenges, including professional socialization, of this stage of life.

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