Trait anxiety and coping style as predictors of pre-operative anxiety

A situationally specific measure of trait anxiety based on the Endler model was a better predictor of pre-operative state anxiety than the STAI trait anxiety scale in 54 patients undergoing colonoscopy. Lower self-reported pre-operative anxiety was found for (a) repressors, who report low trait anxiety and high defensiveness on the Marlowe-Crown scale, than for (b) truly low anxious patients, who report low trait anxiety and low defensiveness.