scholarly journals Cognitive Vulnerabilities for Depression and Anxiety in Childhood: Specificity of Anxiety Sensitivity and Rumination

2014 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah M. Brown ◽  
Richard Meiser-Stedman ◽  
Harriet Woods ◽  
Kathryn J. Lester

Background: Childhood anxiety and depression frequently co-occur. Exploring specificity in cognitive processes for anxiety and depression in childhood can provide insight into cognitive vulnerabilities contributing to the development of anxiety and depressive disorders and inform targeted psychological interventions. Anxiety sensitivity and rumination are robust cognitive vulnerabilities for anxiety and depression, respectively. However, despite conceptual similarities, they are rarely considered together within a single study. Aims: The current study explored specific and shared associations between anxiety sensitivity subscales and rumination and anxiety and depressive symptoms in unselected children. Method: Multiple regression analyses explored to what extent specific self-reported anxiety sensitivity subscales (physical, social and mental concerns) and rumination predicted anxiety and depressive symptoms in 147 unselected children, aged 7–11 years. Results: Physical and social concern subscales of anxiety sensitivity were specifically associated with anxiety, whilst rumination was specifically associated with depressive symptoms. The mental concerns subscale of anxiety sensitivity was independently associated with both anxiety and depressive symptoms. These associations were only partially mediated by rumination. Conclusions: Anxiety and depression in young people are characterized by specific and shared cognitions. Evidence for shared and specific associations between the cognitive vulnerabilities of anxiety sensitivity and rumination, and anxiety and depression highlight the utility of transdiagnostic research and confirm that cognitive therapies may benefit from targeting cognitive concerns relating specifically to the patient's presenting symptoms.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arne Kodal ◽  
John J. Reilly ◽  
Fiona Muirhead ◽  
Gro Janne H. Wergeland ◽  
Paul Joachim Bloch Thorsen ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Anxiety and depressive disorders in children and adolescents are highly prevalent and account for more than half of all youth psychiatric disorders. Left untreated, anxiety and depression leads to numerous detrimental outcomes, including reduced quality of life, psychiatric and somatic comorbidity and even reduced lifespan. This puts a large strain on child and adolescent mental healthcare services (CAMHS) to provide effective treatments. However, even when provided the best evidence based treatment, between 40-50 % continue to report significant symptom burdens. Thus, there is an immediate need for supplemental and/or new treatment approaches. Physical activity as a supplementary treatment may be such an approach. However, research investigating this approach within this population is scant. This protocol paper describes the development and feasibility trial of a physical activity based intervention targeting anxiety and depressive symptoms in youth treated in CAMHS.Methods/design: The study is based on the UK Medical Council Research Framework (MRC) for developing and evaluating complex interventions. Feasibility and acceptability of the physical activity intervention (Confident, Active and Happy Youth) will be evaluated in an uncontrolled open-label trial using qualitative and quantitative data. Twenty youths with anxiety and/or depressive symptoms will be recruited. Acceptability of assessment procedures, the intervention, and perceived benefits and barriers to participation will be assessed, and qualitative interviews with participants, caregivers and referring specialists will explore contextual and practical factors associated with intervention delivery. Physical activity will be measured using the Actigraph GT3X+ monitor at baseline and post-intervention and change in anxiety and depression will be assessed. Discussion: This study will contribute to the development of supplementary physical treatment interventions for youth with anxiety and depression in contact with CAMHS. The goal is to examine new avenues of treatment that ultimately may improve upon current treatment outcomes of anxiety and depression. This work will be in preparation for a future definitive RCT of this approach, in line with the MRC framework.Trial registration: ClnicalTrials.gov, NCT05049759. Registered 19 August 2021 - Retrospectively registered.


2014 ◽  
Vol 44 (16) ◽  
pp. 3469-3480 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. M. Brown ◽  
M. A. Waszczuk ◽  
H. M. S. Zavos ◽  
M. Trzaskowski ◽  
A. M. Gregory ◽  
...  

Background.The classification of anxiety and depressive disorders has long been debated and has important clinical implications. The present study combined a genetically sensitive design and multiple time points to investigate cognitive content specificity in anxiety and depressive disorder symptoms across anxiety sensitivity dimensions, a cognitive distortion implicated in both disorders.Method.Phenotypic and genetic correlations between anxiety sensitivity dimensions, anxiety and depressive disorder symptoms were examined at five waves of data collection within childhood, adolescence and early adulthood in two representative twin studies (n pairs = 300 and 1372).Results.The physical concerns dimension of anxiety sensitivity (fear of bodily symptoms) was significantly associated with anxiety but not depression at all waves. Genetic influences on physical concerns overlapped substantially more with anxiety than depression. Conversely, mental concerns (worry regarding cognitive control) were phenotypically more strongly associated with depression than anxiety. Social concerns (fear of publicly observable symptoms of anxiety) were associated with both anxiety and depression in adolescence. Genetic influences on mental and social concerns were shared to a similar extent with both anxiety and depression.Conclusions.Phenotypic patterns of cognitive specificity and broader genetic associations between anxiety sensitivity dimensions, anxiety and depressive disorder symptoms were similar at all waves. Both disorder-specific and shared cognitive concerns were identified, suggesting it is appropriate to classify anxiety and depression as distinct but related disorders and confirming the clinical perspective that cognitive therapy is most likely to benefit by targeting cognitive concerns relating specifically to the individual's presenting symptoms across development.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caterina Viganò ◽  
Roberta Calzolari ◽  
Paola Marianna Marinaccio ◽  
Cristina Bezzio ◽  
Federica Furfaro ◽  
...  

Background and Aims. This study investigated the proportion of CD patients in clinical remission with clinical depression, and coping strategies in those with severe depressive disorders.Materials and Methods. One hundred consecutive CD patients in clinical remission were screened for anxiety and depression by using Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and patients with depressive symptoms were further investigated by means of Cognitive Behavioural Assessment 2.0 and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Afterwards the coping strategies were assessed through the Brief-COPE questionnaire.Results. Twenty-one patients had anxious symptoms and 16 had depressive symptoms with or without anxiety. Seven of these patients (43.8%) showed significant depressive symptoms. Compared to patients without psychiatric disorders, these patients showed significant lower score in “positive reframing” (p: 0.017) and in “planning” (p: 0.046) and higher score in “use of instrumental social support” (p<0.001), in “denial” scale (p: 0.001), and in “use of emotional social support” (p: 0.003).Conclusions. Depressed CD patients in clinical remission may have dysfunctional coping strategies, meaning that they may not be able to implement functional strategies to manage at best stress related with their disease.


2000 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 443-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
CAROLYN ZAHN–WAXLER ◽  
BONNIE KLIMES–DOUGAN ◽  
MARCIA J. SLATTERY

The focus of this article is on internalizing problems that are experienced by children and adolescents. We provide an historical perspective, selectively examine the current state of knowledge, consider advances and gaps in what is known, and identify new research directions. Diagnosis, epidemiology, theory, and research first are considered separately for anxiety and depressive disorders. These internalizing problems, however, whether clinical or subclinical, share many common features and show high comorbidity rates. We emphasize the importance of systematic analysis of comorbid anxiety and depression, including their comorbidity with externalizing problems. This could lead to more valid classification of subtypes of internalizing problems and further an understanding of the diverse conditions that constitute internalized distress. We highlight the need to study anxiety and depression within a developmental psychopathology framework, as well as to include both categorical and dimensional assessments of these problems in the same research designs. This will be essential for understanding the complex interplay of biological and environmental processes that contribute to the emergence, progression, and amelioration of internalizing problems over time.


2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. s268-s269
Author(s):  
M. Moalla ◽  
M. Maalej ◽  
C. Nada ◽  
R. Sellami ◽  
J. Ben Thabet ◽  
...  

IntroductionSleep symptoms, depression and anxiety often coexist and tertiary students are a population group that are increasingly recognised to be at risk. However the rates of these conditions in the tunisian population are poorly understood.AimThe aim of this study was to evaluate sleep quality among medicine students during exam periods and identify correlations with anxiety and depression.MethodsThis is a descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study. It involved students of medicine University of Sfax during the period of exams. Each student filled out demographic questionnaire, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) to assess the quality of sleep and Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HAD) to screen for anxiety and depressive disorders.ResultsThe average age was 22.27 years. The sex ratio M/F was 0.66. The students were single in 96.7% of cases. The average score of PSQI was 6.67 ± 3.23. According to the PSQI, 53.3% of students had poor sleep quality. The anxiety score ranged from 0 to 7 with an average of 8.37. The depression score ranged from 0 to 16 with an average of 7.47. Anxiety and depressive symptoms were present in 26.7% of students. The PSQI score was significantly correlated with anxiety (p <0.01) and depression scores (P = 0.019).ConclusionAnxiety and depressive symptoms are common among students during exam periods. They are associated with poor quality sleep. The establishment of a helpline for students during exam time, with psychologists and psychiatrists, would help them better manage this difficult period.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas C. Jacobson ◽  
William Chen ◽  
Raphael Huang

Given the high incidence of anxiety and depressive disorders and the very few persons who receive treatment for these disorders (Wilhelm et al., 2019), researchers have become increasingly interested in standalone treatments for anxiety and depression. As the ubiquity of smartphones has grown across the globe, both academia and industry alike are increasingly developing and testing standalone interventions which might treat anxiety and depressive symptoms. In a recent meta-analysis, Weisel et al. (2019) summarized and concluded that apps contribute to significant reductions in depressive symptoms (Hedges’ g = 0.33) but no significant reductions in anxiety symptoms. The paper concludes that “smartphone apps as standalone psychological interventions cannot be recommended based on the current level of evidence”. The current comment further evaluates the evidence base for making these summary claims.


2020 ◽  
pp. 136346152094655 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Zvolensky ◽  
Jafar Bakhshaie ◽  
Justin M. Shepherd ◽  
Natalia Peraza ◽  
Andres G. Viana ◽  
...  

The Latinx population suffers from mental health inequalities. Although past work has implicated acculturative stress and anxiety sensitivity as important individual difference factors for anxiety and depression in this group, it is presently unclear how they work together to influence more severe anxiety and depressive symptom expression among Latinx. To help address this gap in the existing literature, the current study evaluated the role of concurrent anxiety sensitivity and acculturative stress, in terms of anxiety and depressive symptoms and disorders, in a Latinx population in a primary care setting. Participants included 142 Latinx individuals (86.7% female; Mage = 39.66, SD = 11.34). After accounting for shared variance, the results indicated that both anxiety sensitivity and acculturative stress were significantly associated with anxious arousal symptoms, social anxiety, and depressive symptoms. However, anxiety sensitivity, but not acculturative stress, was significantly related to a number of mood and anxiety disorders. These findings suggest the importance of assessing both anxiety sensitivity and acculturative stress in routine mental health screening, as both factors may be related to poorer psychological health among this group.


2004 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan L. Williams ◽  
John H. Riskind

Bowlby’s attachment theory contends that all individuals develop working models of self and significant others, based on early experiences, that have important implications for understanding adult psychopathology. From a social cognitive perspective these “working models” can be conceptualized in terms of relational schemas that have the same functions as other types of schemas (e.g., organizing information, guiding future behavior, etc.). Cognitive vulnerability models have proposed a pessimistic explanatory style that confers vulnerability to depression and a looming maladaptive style that confers vulnerability to anxiety. The present study examines the pattern of relationships between adult romantic attachment, cognitive vulnerabilities to anxiety and depression, self-reported anxious and depressive symptoms, and both general and specific relationship outcomes. Results suggest that higher levels of attachment insecurity were associated with increased psychological symptoms, higher levels of cognitive vulnerabilities, and greater general and relationship impairments. Moreover, cognitive vulnerabilities partially mediated the relationship between adult attachment and anxious and depressive symptoms, suggesting that insecure attachments may represent a developmental antecedent to cognitive vulnerabilities to anxiety and depression.


2020 ◽  
pp. 23-30
Author(s):  
Nataliia Maruta ◽  
Viktoriia Fedchenko

The objective: evaluation of the effectiveness of the drug Giacintia (escitalopram) – coated tablets, 10 mg in the treatment of patients with anxiety and depressive symptoms in the structure of adaptation disorders. Materials and methods. The study involved 38 patients with adaptive disorders, mixed anxiety-depressive response to ICD-10 (F 43.22). All patients received Giacintia at a dose of 10 mg per day, due to the sufficient therapeutic effect of this dosage. A comprehensive approach was used, which included methods: clinical and psychopathological; psychodiagnostic, based on the scale «Questionnaire of severity of psychopathological symptoms» (Symptom Check List-90-Revised – SCL-90-R), hospital scale of anxiety and depression (HADS) and the scale of social adaptation Sheehan (SDS); methods of mathematical statistics. Results. Peculiarities of patients’ clinical condition and its dynamics were assessed before treatment (day 1), during therapy (day 14), and after treatment (day 90). As a result of Giacintia therapy, a significant improvement in the mental state of patients was found. When studying the regression of psychopathological symptoms, the positive dynamics of depressive disorders in this category of persons was observed by the end of the second week of therapy, and on the part of anxious – up to 21 days of therapy. Examination of patients at the end of the 90-day course of Giacintia treatment revealed a significant reduction in all previously recorded symptoms of anxiety and depression compared with baseline (p<0.05). On the SCL-90-R scale, on day 14 of therapy, patients showed a significant decrease in obsessive-compulsive symptoms, signs of paranoia (suspicion), hostility (feelings of anger), depressive symptoms, and phobic anxiety. Subsequently, there was a significant decrease in existing psychopathological symptoms and a probable decrease in all scales on day 90 of therapy with the studied antidepressant (t≥2,3477). At the time of the final assessment, the indicator on the scale of depression decreased to 0,52 points, and on the scale of anxiety – to 0,56 points, which indicates a reduction in clinically = pronounced anxiety and depressive symptoms. According to the HADS scale at the initial assessment of clinical and psychopathological manifestations of anxiety and depression, clinically expressed symptoms of anxiety were registered in 71,05 % of individuals (mean score – 15,00±2,39 points), subclinical – in 28,95 % of individuals (mean score – 8,82±0,75 points). At the same time, clinically pronounced symptoms of depression were registered in 81,58 % of individuals (mean score – 15,23±2,33 points), subclinical – in 18,42 % of individuals (mean score – 8,43±0,53 points). A significant decrease in the percentage of clinically pronounced manifestations of depressive symptoms was registered on day 14 of therapy (57,89 % of individuals, p<0,05). At the time of the final HADS assessment, clinically significant symptoms of anxiety and depression were completely reduced in the study group and were represented only by subclinical manifestations in 13,16 % of patients and 11,43 % of patients, respectively. Conclusions. The results of the study showed high efficacy and good tolerability of the drug Giacintia in the treatment of anxiety and depressive symptoms in the structure of adaptation disorders. Giacintia has not only a balanced pronounced thymoanaleptic effect, but also provides increased professional, social and family activity and improves the quality of life of patients in general. Especially important is the good tolerability of the drug confirmed by the study, the unstable transient nature of adverse events, their insignificant severity, which is a significant advantage in the formation of patients’ commitment to treatment and achieving a deeper and more lasting therapeutic effect. Thus, the use of Giacintia can successfully overcome adaptation disorders and prevent their transformation into chronic conditions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noga Oschry-Bernstein ◽  
Netta Horesh-Reinman ◽  
Adar Avnon ◽  
Tomer Mevorach ◽  
Alan Apter ◽  
...  

Background:: The separateness of anxiety disorder and depressive disorder as two distinct disorders is often questioned. The aim of the current study is to examine whether there is a different profile of life events and personality characteristics for anxiety and depression disorders in adolescents. Methods:: One hundred forty-six adolescents participated in the study, 57 boys and 89 girls, ranging in age from 11-18 years (mean=15.08+1.97). The study group included 92 adolescents with a clinical diagnosis of depression or anxiety, and the comparison group included 54 teenagers with no known psychopathology. Results:: Multinomial logistic regression produced different predictive profiles for anxiety disorder and for depressive disorders. Life event variables, especially minor life events and early traumas, were found to be predictors for depression. Furthermore, interaction was found between early trauma and minor life events in the prediction of depression, such that the existence of trauma weakened the statistical correlation between minor life events and the onset of depression. In addition, contrary to the literature regarding adults, it was found that during adolescence personality variables have a unique contribution as predictive factors for vulnerability to the onset of anxiety and depression, thus reducing the significance of life events. Conclusion:: Our findings suggest that different profile of life events and personality characteristics can be identified for the two disorders. In addition, it appears that early traumas are a dominant factor that overshadows more recent life events at the onset of depression among adolescents.


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