Evaluation of two test-anxiety reduction treatments in a secondary prevention program.
The study evaluated the effectiveness of both a new anxiety management training program and a cognitive modification procedure as part of a secondary prevention effort to identify and treat test anxiety early in the academic career of college students. Subjects were 40 college freshmen who had been identified as high test-anxious in an initial mail-out survey of the Test Anxiety scale. Subjects were randomly assigned to three experimental conditions: anxiety management training, a cognitive modification procedure, and a no-treatment control group. Results indicated that both the cognitive modification and anxiety management training treatments were effective in reducing test anxiety on a posttreatment administration of the Test Anxiety scale. Especially interesting, a significant difference in academic performance emerged between treatment and control groups three semesters after treatment, underscoring the preventive value of the program.
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010555:Personality Inventory; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D013732:Test Anxiety Scale; D013781:Texas