Summary
Studies show that the increase in these levels would be related, with the curricular advance upon being faced with situations of greater complexity, with age and gender. The objective of this study was to determine anxiety levels frequency: trait and state in dental students. Study of cross section nested in a cohort stratified by curricular advance, age and gender. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) assessed anxiety. Sample was constituted by 269 students of first to fifth year that consented to participate and were present in the activity. Of 269 students, 56.9% corresponded to females. Average age 21.9 ± 2.94 DS. The Anxiety-State scale averages scores for semesters 2º (45.3); 4º (46.4); 6º (48.7); 8º (48.8); 10º; (55,5) (p=0.0002). In Anxiety-Trait scale, the averages were (36.4); (41.5); (43.9); (41.5); (47.0) respectively (warning of medium (3044), high levels of anxiety (45 and more) (p=0.0000). According to sex in Anxiety-State scales and Anxiety-Trait, there were no significant differences (p>0.05). According to age in Anxiety/State scale, a significant association and low correlation (p=0.0122, r=0.1523) was present. The correlation was not significant between age and scale of Anxiety/Trait (p=0.0597, r=0.1147). The anxiety appears as a frequent phenomenon in dental students. The levels of anxiety are higher with tendency to increase in proportion to curricular advance. There was no relation between sex and age. The careers of dentistry should plan for educational strategies to handle anxiety considering the risk in the emotional and physical health of the student body.
KEYS WORDS: dental students, anxiety levels, trait, state.
How to cite this article
CORSINI, M. G.; BUSTOS, M. L.; FUENTES, N. J. & CANTIN, M. Anxiety Levels in the Dental Student Community. Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco – Chile. nt. J. Odontostomat., 6(1):51-57, 2012.
