Factor analysis of the items of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory.
The present investigation was designed to determine by factor analysis the nature of the items that comprise the A-State and A-Trait scales of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Three factors were identified. Factor I was defined exclusively by items from the A-State scale. The underlying dimension tapped by the scale was interpreted as state anxiety (how one feels at a particular moment in time); support thus was provided for Spielberger's A-State concept. Items from the A-Trait scale, however, identified two separate factors, neither of which was clearly consonant with Spielberger's concept of A-Trait. Factor II appeared to tap state anxiety according to how the individual generally feels or a typical level of state anxiety as remembered over an indefinite period of time. Factor III was interpreted as a measure of neuroticism.
D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010555:Personality Inventory