The role of self-control strength in the development of state anxiety in test situations.
Self-control strength may affect state anxiety because emotion regulation is impaired in individuals whose self-control strength has been temporarily depleted. Increases in state anxiety were expected to be larger for participants with depleted compared to nondepleted self-control strength, and trait test anxiety should predict increases in state anxiety more strongly if self-control strength is depleted. In a sample of 76 university students, trait test anxiety was assessed, self-control strength experimentally manipulated, and state anxiety measured before and after the announcement of a test. State anxiety increased after the announcement. Trait test anxiety predicted increases in state anxiety only in students with depleted self-control strength, suggesting that increased self-control strength may be useful for coping with anxiety.
Universität Mannheim, Lehrstuhl Pädagogische Psychologie, 68131 Manheim, Germany. christoph.englert@sowi.uni-mannheim.de
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D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D004521:Educational Measurement; D004532:Ego; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010551:Personality / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult