The effect of hypnosis and meditation on state and trait anxiety and locus of control

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of hypnosis and meditation upon state anxiety, trait anxiety, and locus of control. Another purpose was to investigate the association of some biographical factors with treatments success. A total of 95 individuals participated in the study. The participants were all volunteers, most of them students at Texas A&M University. There was no attempt to limit participation to those who were highly anxious, nor were there restrictions on the basis of sex, social class, ethnicity or education. All subjects were given the Spielberger State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Internal-External Control scale (I-E Scale); and all answered some question regarding expectancy sets and biographical information. Three treatment conditions were used. The first group was an hypnosis group, the second a meditation group and the third a waiting list treatment control group. A fourth group, placebo attention, was attempted but was discontinued. The groups were divided into smaller sections that were treated as similarly as possible and facilitated by a common group leader (this author). Treatment lasted six weeks. Groups met once a week for treatments of 45 and conducted home treatments an additional three times weekly. Subject were all given the Stat Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the Rotter Internal-External Control Scale; and they provided some biographical data. These instruments were administered at the first group session and before the last group session, sex weeks later. The data that emerged from the scales were analyzed using an analysis covariance with the pretest as the covariate. Post hoc comparisons using the Scheffé method were later performed, and correlations were generated between treatment effects and biographical variables. Results of the analysis of covariance revealed a significant difference among the means of the three groups for state anxiety and trait anxiety but not for locus of control. Post hoc comparisons indicated significant differences among the two treatment groups and the control group for the variables of state anxiety and the variable of trait anxiety.