Automatic thoughts as predictors of Turkish university students’ state anxiety

The aim of the study was to examine the correlation between automatic thoughts and state anxiety. A total of 220 (119 females, 101 males) fourth-year students at Mehmet Akif Ersoy University, Turkey, completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI; Spielberger, Gorsuch, & Lushene, 1980) and the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire (ATQ; Hollon & Kendall, 1980) when they were preparing for their final examinations. The predictor variable of the study was automatic (negative, dysfunctional) thoughts, while the predicted variable was state anxiety. Simple linear regression analysis was used to examine the data. Consistent with the researchers’ expectations, automatic thoughts were a significant predictor of state anxiety. State anxiety explained 39% of the total variance in relation to students’ automatic thoughts. Findings are discussed in the light of possible developments at Turkish universities to train students to overcome these thought patterns and the resultant anxiety.