Anxiety levels among standardized patients according to simulation scenario type: a cross-sectional study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21142/mecp.2026.1.2.e020Keywords:
Patient Simulation, Simulation Training, Anxiety, Medical EducationAbstract
Objectives: To examine the association between the type of simulation scenario and the level of anxiety experienced by standardized patients. Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted at a Clinical Simulation Center. Forty-six standardized patients (SPs) voluntarily participated. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), validated in Spanish (Cronbach’s α = 0.93), was used to assess anxiety immediately after each simulation. Emotional scenarios included receiving bad news, psychiatric evaluations, obstetric and emergency cases. Non-emotional scenarios involved physical examinations, preventive consultations, and imaging sessions. Descriptive statistics summarized demographic characteristics, and Fisher’s exact test was used to assess the association between scenario type and anxiety level (p < 0.05). Results: The mean age of the participants was 40.9 ± 13.9 years; 63.0% were women, and 93.5% had acting training. All SPs exhibited anxiety: 10.9% mild, 87.0% moderate, and 2.2% severe. The mean STAI score was 47.9 ± 6.2. No significant difference in anxiety levels was found between emotional and non-emotional scenarios (Fisher’s exact test p = 0.999). Conclusions: Although all the SPs experienced predominantly moderate measurable anxiety, no significant association with the simulation scenario was identified. However, these findings should be interpreted with caution due to limited statistical power and sample size. Anxiety was consistently observed across participants, suggesting it may be a common response to simulation activities. Further studies with larger samples and longitudinal designs are needed to clarify the determinants of anxiety among SPs.
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