Anxiety, critical thinking and information processing during and after breast biopsy.

State anxiety (STAI), critical thinking ability (CTA), and judged duration were tested for coping relatedness and change over time in 85 women, aged 18 to 60, who were experiencing breast biopsy. Participants were tested after hospital admission but before diagnostic results were known. Six to eight weeks later, women whose results were benign were tested again--when an acute crisis is considered concluded. Findings revealed extremely high state anxiety levels prior to biopsy and compromised reasoning ability at a critical time when demands on cognitive functioning were high.