Anxiety has been mentioned as one of the relevant agents for the development and maintenance of coronary artery disease. In this study were evaluated the levels of State - Trait Anxiety of 100 patients assisted by the Service of Cardiovascular Rehabilitation of Instituto Dante Pazzanese de Cardiologia, São Paulo, Brasil. Patients were submited to the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory - STAI before physical activities, those who showed State Anxiety above the average were revaluated after the activities, to verify if the activities helped to diminish the levels of State Anxiety. The conclusion given from the results was that the patients benefited from this procedure, considering the decrease of anxiety levels studied. Hostility and sociability also stood out as ways of interrelations. Psychologicaly speaking, the authors suggest that the use of relaxing technics, group dynamics and psychological guidance as means to change the behavior and the life style of an individual, help to establish a better psychism functioning as well as a homeostasis balance.
coronary diseases; coronary diseases