title: Home measures of anxiety, avoidant coping and defence as predictors of anxiety, heart rate and skin conductance level just before invasive cardiovascular procedures.
abstract: The question was whether anxiety, heart rate and skin conductance level just before invasive cardiac procedures could be predicted by anxiety related measures obtained at patients homes approximately 3 weeks before treatment. Trait measures of avoidant coping and defence were provided by sixty-three male and thirty-three female patients who were scheduled for a diagnostic or interventional heart catheterization. In hospital physiological measures were registered continuously during a 20 min interview and subsequently patients reported their anxiety. Results with hierarchical regression analysis showed that sex, age, medical variables and state anxiety at home explained 62% of state anxiety in hospital. Female sex predicted high anxiety in hospital while advanced age predicted low anxiety. Medical variables and measures of coping and defence did not add a significant contribution to this prediction of anxiety. Skin conductance and heart rate measures could not be predicted by the psychological measures collected at home.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: de Jong
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Erdman
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: van den Brand
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Verhage
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Passchier
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D001143:Arousal; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization / Q000523:psychology*; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D005260:Female; D005712:Galvanic Skin Response; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D006339:Heart Rate; D006349:Heart Valve Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D010552:Personality Assessment; D012803:Sick Role; D012931:Social Environment