Charles D. Spielberger’s research while affiliated with University of South Florida and other places

The present study examines the psychometric properties of the Farsi version of Spielberger's (1988) State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI-2) for Iranian university students. 1140 students were selected from Tehran University, and Spielberger's State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2 with one of the five instruments were completed by them. These instruments consisted of Multi-dimensional Anger Inventory (MAI; Siegel, 1986), Over-controlled Hostility Scale (O-H: Megargee, Cook, & Mendelson Bortner, 1976) Oxford Happiness Inventory (OHI; Argyle, 1998), Emotional Intelligence (FEIS-41; Besharat, 2007) and NEO-Five Factor Inventory (NEO-PI; Mc Cera & Costa, 1999). The results showed a significant relation between STAXI-2 and its subscales, and the majority of scores on parallel instruments. Factor analysis indicated the existence of multi-factorial model that consistent with the original structure. According to the findings, STAXI-2 has a reasonable reliability, internal consistency, and construct, content, concurrent, convergent, divergent and discriminant validity. Therefore, this tool can be used in research and clinical settings. (C) The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

This study investigated differences between asthma patients and a control group of healthy individuals in their responses to eight measures of trait anxiety and the experience, expression and control of anger. The Inventory of Situations and Responses of Anxiety (ISRA) and a Spanish adaptation of State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI) were administered to medical outpatients diagnosed as suffering from bronchial asthma and a control group of healthy persons closely matched for age and gender. Asthma patients had significantly higher ISRA trait anxiety scores, reported more physiological and motor anxiety, thoughts of insecurity, as well as more anxiety in relation to four different situational areas. The asthma patients also reported experiencing anger more frequently, and without provocation, than healthy persons as reflected in higher STAXI T-Anger, Angry Temperament, and Anger-Out scores. These results provide evidence of the importance of dealing with negative emotions in the treatment of bronchial asthma patients.

The current research investigates gender differences in test anxiety level and academic performance of medical students. A sample of 150 medical students (75 males and 75 females) was drawn from the Services Institute of Medical Sciences (SIMS) within the age range of 17-24 years. Purposive sampling technique was used. ∗ Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI) by Professor Emeritus Dr. Charles D. Spielberger (1980) was individually administered to the participants. The author granted written permission for the use of TAI in this research. The results suggested that the female medical students reported significantly higher test anxiety level as compared to the male medical students (t = - 5.02, df = 148, **p < .01). Moreover, the results suggested that the male medical students achieved statistically significant higher GPAS as compared to the female medical students (t = 3.66, df = 148, **p < .01). Furthermore, significant negative relationship was found between test anxiety and academic performance of medical students (r = -.21, ** p < .01). The findings of this research have implications for helping professionals and academia in addressing the test anxiety of the students in higher education so that timely and effective counseling and therapeutic interventions could be introduced in medical colleges and universities.

The purpose of this article is to focus on unique issues that are encountered in the crosscultural adaptation of measures of emotions. We take into consideration the cross-cultural equivalence of the concept of emotion, and how cultural differences influence the meaning of words that are utilized to describe these concepts. The critical need to take the state-trait distinction into account in adapting measures of emotional states and personality traits is then discussed. The effects of language and culture in adapting measures of the experience, expression, and control of anger in Latin-America are also reviewed. The construction of the Latin American Multicultural State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory is described.

The nature of anger, hostility, and aggression and the relations among these concepts are considered in this chapter. The evolution of the concepts of anger and aggression from the ancient writings of Plato and Aristotle to those of Darwin and Freud is noted. Recent research findings on the relationships between anger, Type A behavior, and coronary heart disease (CHD) are also reviewed, and the essential distinction between anger as an emotional state and individual differences in anger as a personality trait is clarified. Conceptual definitions of anger, hostility, and aggression are examined as components of the AHA! Syndrome, in which anger is clearly an essential emotional motivator of both hostility and aggression. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the ubiquitous nature of anger in daily life and the use of the State–Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI) to assess the experience, expression, and control of anger in research and the diagnosis and treatment of anger-related problems.

Depression is the most prevalent mental disorder and one of the most important health problems in Chile. The current study shows data for validity and reliability of the State subscale (S-DEP) of the Chilean experimental version of the State-Trait Depression Questionnaire (ST-DEP). The procedure conducted with the original version of the questionnaire was replicated on a sample of 300 university students. The utilized measures were the State Depression Questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and neutral depressive, mild depressive, and moderate depressive vignettes. Results indicated that the factor structure was replicable, the internal consistency was good, and the situations were ranked as expected. The scale distinguishes intensities of depression. Clinicians and researchers in Chile are provided with a new measure for state depression.

As Seymour Sarason (1959), a major early contributor to theory and research on test anxiety, observed, “We live in a test-conscious, test-giving culture in which the lives of people are in part determined by their test performance” (p. 26). Consequently, it is not surprising that test anxiety is a pervasive problem for many students who are so disturbed by the stress associated with taking tests that they experience substantial decrements in performance in evaluative situations. During examinations, individuals high in test anxiety are more likely to experience frequent and intense elevations in anxiety as an emotional state (S-Anxiety), greater activation of the autonomic nervous system, and more self-centered worry and task-irrelevant thoughts that interfere with attention and performance. Given these characteristics, test anxiety can be viewed as a situation-specific personality trait (Spielberger, Gonzalez, Taylor, Algaze, & Anton, 1978). Keywords: stress; test anxiety; TAI; worry; emotionality

Negative effects of stress in the workplace on the health and well-being of workers have been observed throughout human history. The phrase “mad as a hatter” came into the English language long before anyone knew that mercury in the materials used in making hats affected the central nervous system (Kahn, 1981). In the nineteenth century, descriptions of the “black lung” disease of coal miners recognized a causal link between a hazardous work environment and a particular physical disorder. The World Health Organization has noted that “…occupational health and the well-being of working people are crucial prerequisites for productivity and are of utmost importance for overall socioeconomic and sustainable development” (2000, p. 2). In a recent survey by Northwestern National Life, many employees viewed their jobs as the number one stressor in their lives. Keywords: JSS; job stress; job pressure; organizational support

In 1872, Darwin (1965) observed that anger (rage) was a powerful emotion that motivated “animals of all kinds, and their progenitors before them, when attacked or threatened by an enemy, to fight and protect themselves” (p. 74). Anger is reflected in facial expressions (e.g., reddened face, clenched teeth), muscular tension, and accelerated heart rate, and it differs from rage “only in degree, and there is no marked distinction in their characteristics” (Darwin, 1965, p. 244). Keywords: anger; aggression; hostility; STAXI; emotion; personality; anger expression; anger control