Differences in anxiety and role experiences between three age groups of women with heart disease

Anxiety and role experiences in women may be related to age, developmental changes, social roles, and life circumstances such as cardiac disease. One hundred fifty-five women participated in a cross sectional survey on anxiet y and role experiences in early middle-age, midlife, and elderly women afte r heart surgery. MANOVA analysis revealed significant differences for anxie ty and role experiences by age. Compared with older women, early middle-age women had lower balance between role rewards and concerns and a poorer mat ch between ideal and actual role function, which may be a contributing fact or for their increased anxiety. Copyright (C) 2001 by W.B. Saunders Company .