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Prediction of anxiety and depression patterns among coronary patients using a markov process analysis
Author(s) -
Rodda Bruce E.,
Miller M. Clinton,
Bruhn John G.
Publication year - 1971
Publication title -
behavioral science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.371
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1099-1743
pISSN - 0005-7940
DOI - 10.1002/bs.3830160508
Subject(s) - anxiety , depression (economics) , minnesota multiphasic personality inventory , psychology , incidence (geometry) , clinical psychology , personality , medicine , psychiatry , social psychology , physics , optics , economics , macroeconomics
A Markov process analysis was applied in a study of anxiety and depression patterns among 31 male patients with coronary heart disease and 46 healthy male controls. Anxiety and depression were measured at six‐ to eight‐week intervals over a period of 15 months by the subjects' completion of shortened versions of the Bendig Anxiety and Welsh Depression subscales of the MMPI. The sequence of anxiety and depression states for each subject at each examination was used as input to the Markov analysis system. Patients had significantly higher anxiety scores over time than the controls. Patients under age 50 showed a fivefold greater incidence of anxiety and a higher degree of retention of high anxiety over time than controls in the same age group. The anxiety level of controls was low irrespective of age. While depression was a more persistent state among patients than controls, it was not found to be age‐related among either patients or controls. The implication of these findings in planning strategies of therapeutic intervention to circumvent the cumulative effects of anxiety and depression is discussed.