A CUSP CATASTROPHE ANALYSIS OF ANXIETY LEVELS IN PRE-UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Nonlinear or discontinuous change was analyzed by applying a catastrop he shift model to data collected on the anxiety levels of Year 12 stud ents immediately before and immediately after they received offers of university places. Students' anxiety levels were expected to be subjec t to rapid change from prearrival of university offers to postarrival of offers. This process is described, in catastrophe shift terms, as d iscontinuous or nonlinear change and can indicate a change in state ra ther than a linear change in degree. Significant differences were reve aled in anxiety levels from prearrival of offers to postarrival of off ers for Preference Groups 1, 2, and 3. Bimodality was also revealed, u sing analysis of variance (ANOVA); however, analysis using cubic regre ssion indicated that only Preference Groups 1 and 2 demonstrated signi ficant nonlinear change. These findings suggest that the use of cubic regression analysis to identify nonlinear change may reveal more compl ex changes than is indicated by the use of ANOVA alone.