State and trait anxiety in children's mothers with coelic diseases:preliminary data

The anxiety is a complex combination of negative emotions that include, fear, apprehension and often associated with physical feelings sensations. There are two types of anxiety: trait anxiety and state anxiety. Trait anxiety is a stable characteristic of personality that evidences formality which subject perceives dangerous situations. State anxiety is a temporary interruption of emotions that points out subjective sensation of tension, apprehension and associated with autonomous nervous system. Objective. Children’s mothers with congenital disease have high levels of anxiety (like our study about anxiety in Down children’s mothers). We wanted to evaluate the present of anxiety in celiac children’s mothers (total celiac patients =268; F = 187; M = 85) in follow-up from January 1991 to April 2008. Materials and methods. We studied to random 40 celiac children’s mothers, previous informed consent; we applied Scale State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Adults (STAI) to evaluate levels of state and trait anxiety. In the questionnaire thereA100 Abstracts / Digestive and Liver Disease 40 (2008) A41–A118 are 40 questions: 20 related to trait anxiety and 20 related to state anxiety. In the score answers are associated with level of anxiety of subject. Four levels of anxiety are correlated second points: until 20 points evidence absence of anxiety, the range 20–40 light anxiety, the range 41–60 moderate anxiety, 61–80 serious anxiety. Results. We obtained that all celiac patient’s mothers had important scores of anxiety with STAI. We observed the distribution of different levels of anxiety: 15 mothers presented light anxiety (37.5%), 24 presented moderate anxiety (60%), 1 (2.5%) mother presented serious anxiety. Additional investigations are required to define this relation between mother’s anxiety and celiac disease. Conclusion. The anxiety, as all the emotional reactions, has an adapted function; it is of must importance to our survival. If the anxiety chronically presents, has a strong impact on the subject’s life. It reduces operational abilities, than it becomes trouble of anxiety. This data evidences dif- ficulty of celiac patient’s mothers to accept and to manage of Celiac disease (M.C.). Gluten free diet represents the only and decisive base of treatment of M C; with diet is obtained a complete regression of intestinal lesions of mucosal, and also secondary complications. The time of elaboration of emotional impact with MC can be long and suffered; is necessary suitable support.