ABSTRACT

This is a preliminary study focused on the magnesium deficit - anxiety relationship. The importance of magnesium in nervous cell metabolism involves also the magnesium impact in the biochemical anxiety hypothesis. This link: magnesium-anxiety mediated by stress is not sufficiently studied. We are used a 2X2 design, where the independent variables are the intervention and the group type (experimental/placebo), and the dependent variables are seric magnesium, somatization, anxiety trait and state. We have obtained significant results regarding the somatization change (p<0.001) and state anxiety (p<0.01). The somatization and state anxiety are mediated by cognitive variables that involve the use of defense mechanisms.

KEYWORDS: anxiety, therapy, defense mechanisms