Modelling state anxiety in a medical setting: The mediating role of embarrassment

Little research has been conducted on the relationship between state anxiety and embarrassment in a medical setting. In the prcsent study, several personality and situational variables were examined as antecedents of state anxiety. A total of 277 patients who had come for an examination either as a response to a melanoma screening programme or due to a dermatological complaint participated in the study. Results showed that purpose of patient visit, physician's recommendation, trait anxiety, and embarrassment, were each correlated with state anxiety. Furthermore, using mediated regression analysis as well as structural equations, embarrassment was found to mediate between the above antecedents and state anxiety. The authors proposed a model linking all the variables and identifying their paths. Theoretical and practical considerations of the findings are discussed.