State and trait anxiety correlates of illness behavior in survivors of myocardial infarction.

State and trait anxiety correlates of eight dimensions of illness behavior in response to myocardial infarction, were examined for 120 survivors of myocardial infarction. Six of eight illness behavior dimensions were found to be significantly associated with measures of state anxiety or trait anxiety or both. Trait anxiety was most predominently associated with illness behavior, inviting the conclusion that those persons who normally respond to crises with difficulty, will behave similarly in response to serious illness. It was suggested that recognition of this may be of use to clinicians faced with the care of survivors of myocardial infarction.