The influence of resistance exercise training on the levels of anxiety in ischemic stroke

Abstract

The aim of this pilot study was to analyze the effect of a strength training program on indicators of trait and state anxiety in patients with ischemic stroke. The subjects were divided into two groups: experimental group (EG) consisting of 11 subjects aged 51.7±8.0 years and a control group (CG) with 13 subjects aged 52.5±7.7 years. EG underwent 12 weeks of strength training, with a frequency of three times a week. For data collection, a State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) was used. Significant differences were found between pre- and posttest in EG for trait anxiety (43.2±12.5 pretest 39.9±7.3 posttest) and state anxiety (46.9±7.6 pretest 44.9±7.7 posttest) with no differences in CG for trait anxiety (42.9±12.2 pretest 42.6±12.1 posttest) and state anxiety (47.4±8.1 pretest 47.5±8.0 posttest). In the evaluation between the groups, significant differences were found for all indicators of trait anxiety (39.9±7.3 EG; 42.6±12.1 CG) and state anxiety (44.9±7.7 EG; 47.5±8.0 CG). This pilot study indicates that strength training may provide an improvement in trait and state anxiety more than one year after stroke. © 2012 Felipe José Aidar et al.