A Feasibility Open Trial of a Brief Internet-Delivered Written Exposure Therapy for Worry

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 462-477
Author(s):  
Margaux Roch-Gagné ◽  
France Talbot
Keyword(s):  
Outcome Measures ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Exposure Therapy ◽  
Generalized Anxiety ◽  
Penn State Worry Questionnaire ◽  
Penn State ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Exposure Sessions ◽  
State Worry ◽  
Intent To Treat

Background: Cognitive exposure, a treatment of choice for hypothetical fears, involves listening repeatedly to a recorded scenario of one's worst hypothetical fear. A major limitation, however, is that the script cannot be easily modified. Aims: The current study assessed the feasibility of a brief guided internet-based written exposure therapy (iWET) for hypothetical fears, Mind at Peace. Method: Fifty-three adults presenting clinical levels of anxiety (GAD-7 ≥ 8) and worry (PSWQ ≥ 45) were recruited. A single group pre-test/post-test design including a 3-month follow-up was used. Mind at Peace is a 6-week iWET consisting of psychoeducation and five 30-minute weekly writing exposure sessions. Feasibility outcome measures included treatment adherence, attrition, treatment acceptability and preliminary efficacy. Primary outcome measures were the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) and the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ). Results: Attrition was higher (57%) and adherence lower (28%) than expected. Intent-to-treat repeated measures ANOVAs revealed significant and large improvements on the GAD-7 (ƞp2 = 0.36) and the PSWQ (ƞp2 = 0.23) with similar findings among study completers. Remission rates were higher on the GAD-7 than on the PSWQ, suggesting that Mind at Peace may primarily target general symptoms of generalized anxiety. Rates of acceptability varied, but nearly all study completers reported that they would recommend this treatment to a friend. Conclusions: This study provided valuable information on Mind at Peace. Methodological changes are proposed to improve its feasibility. A more definitive trial incorporating suggested methodological improvements is recommended.

scholarly journals Efficacy of Virtual Reality Based Worry Exposure Therapy on the Anxiety Severity and Worry in Generalized Anxiety Disorder

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 21
Author(s):  
Neda Keshavarz ◽  
Touraj Hashemi Nosrat Abad ◽  
Mansour Beyrami ◽  
Majid Mahmoud alilou ◽  
Abbas Bakhshipour Roudsari
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Exposure Therapy ◽  
Reliable Change Index ◽  
Single Subject ◽  
Generalized Anxiety ◽  
Penn State Worry Questionnaire ◽  
Penn State ◽  
State Worry

Background: Generalized anxiety disorder is one of the most common anxiety disorders observed in clinical centers and the general population. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of virtual reality-based worry exposure therapy on the Anxiety Severity and worry in patients with symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in the framework of a single-subject experimental design using Multiple baselines with a 6-week follow-up. Three women with GAD were selected through a structured clinical interview based on the criteria of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5 by Convenience Sampling among those who referred to the Counseling centers in Tabriz. The protocol of this study followed the manual by Becker and Margraf which describes imaginal exposure for GAD applied in 15 sessions. The only difference was that in this research exposure to virtual reality replaced with imagination. In this study, three 360-degree films were made by the researcher used for exposure. The content made in the form of 360-degree videos and displayed to patients through virtual reality tools. The scales to assess changes in Anxiety Severity and worry include The Penn State Worry Questionnaire and The Overall Anxiety Severity and Impairment Scale. Data analyzed with visuals inspection, improvement percentage, and reliable change index strategies. Results: Results showed that virtual reality-based worry exposure therapy has significant efficiency on the reduction of Anxiety Severity and worry clinically and statistically (p<0.05). Conclusion: Virtual reality-based worry exposure therapy has appropriate efficacy in reducing GAD symptom severity.

scholarly journals Penn State Worry Questionnaire-11 validity in Colombia and factorial equivalence across gender and nonclinical and clinical samples

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 451-457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco José Ruiz ◽  
Andrea Monroy-Cifuentes ◽  
Juan Carlos Suárez-Falcón
Keyword(s):  
Gold Standard ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Spanish Speakers ◽  
Clinical Samples ◽  
Generalized Anxiety ◽  
Valid Measure ◽  
Penn State Worry Questionnaire ◽  
Penn State ◽  
State Worry ◽  
The One

The Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) is the gold standard measure of the unspecific worry that characterizes generalized anxiety disorder. This study aims to explore the validity of the PSWQ in Colombia and its measurement invariance across gender and clinical and nonclinical participants. An abbreviated, 11-item version of the PSWQ by Sandín, Chorot, Valiente, and Lostao (2009) was used because the negatively worded items have shown to be problematic for Spanish speakers. Additionally, research has suggested that the negatively worded items of the PSWQ lack of practical utility. The PSWQ-11 was administered to a total of 1045 participants, including a sample of nonclinical participants (N = 710) and a sample of clinical participants (N = 335). The internal consistency of the PSWQ-11 across samples was excellent. The one-factor model showed an acceptable fit to the data. Metric and scalar invariance were observed across gender and clinical and nonclinical samples. In conclusion, the PSWQ-11 seems to be a valid measure of GAD-related worry in Colombia, whereas data on factorial equivalence data warrant the comparison of scores across gender and clinical and nonclinical samples.

Evidence-based assessment of treatment outcomes for late-life generalized anxiety disorder using the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) and Penn State Worry Questionnaire – Abbreviated (PSWQ-A)

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Carly Johnco ◽  
Viviana M. Wuthrich ◽  
Gretchen A. Brenes ◽  
Julie Loebach Wetherell ◽  
Jan Mohlman
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Treatment Outcome ◽  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Treatment Response ◽  
Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Late Life ◽  
Generalized Anxiety ◽  
Penn State Worry Questionnaire ◽  
Penn State ◽  
State Worry

ABSTRACT Objective: The Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) is a commonly used measure of treatment outcome for late-life generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). However, there is considerable variability in the definitions used to define treatment response and remission. This study aimed to provide empirically derived guidelines for assessing treatment response and remission among older adults with GAD using the PSWQ and the abbreviated PSWQ (PSWQ-A). Design: Longitudinal assessment of GAD symptoms pre- and posttreatment. Participants: Participants were 259 older adults aged 60–86 years with a diagnosis of GAD who were assessed before and after treatment. Intervention: Participants were randomly assigned to cognitive behavioral therapy or control (waitlist, discussion group, or supportive therapy) conditions. Measurements: Signal-detection analyses using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) methods were used to determine optimal agreement between structured diagnostic interviews and scores on the PSWQ and PSWQ-A. Results: Results suggest that a score of ≤51 was optimal for defining diagnostic remission status on the PSWQ, and a score of ≤24 was optimal on the PSWQ-A. A 9% reduction or ≥4-point reduction was optimal for assessing treatment response on the PSWQ. The PSWQ-A was poor at identifying treatment response status. Conclusions: Findings suggest that most of the previously used definitions have underestimated the treatment effects for late-life GAD. However overall, the PSWQ and PSWQ-A are suboptimal for assessing treatment outcome for late-life GAD. The standardization of response and remission criteria has implications for comparison between treatment trials, and for the benchmarking of outcomes in clinical practice.

scholarly journals Normative data for the Dutch version of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire

2009 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 69-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin van der Heiden ◽  
Peter Muris ◽  
Arjan E. R. Bos ◽  
Henk van der Molen ◽  
Martijn Oostra
Keyword(s):  
Normative Data ◽  
Dutch Version ◽  
Penn State Worry Questionnaire ◽  
Penn State ◽  
State Worry

Penn State Worry Questionnaire in emotional disorders: validation and normative data for Portuguese population

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
João Tiago Oliveira ◽  
Divo Faustino ◽  
Fátima Freitas ◽  
Miguel M. Gonçalves ◽  
Eugénia Ribeiro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Disorders ◽  
Normative Data ◽  
Portuguese Population ◽  
Penn State Worry Questionnaire ◽  
Penn State ◽  
State Worry

scholarly journals Worry and perceived risk of contagion during the COVID-19 quarantine in the Jalisco population: Preliminary Study

Salud Mental ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (6) ◽  
pp. 253-261
Author(s):  
Jesua Iván Guzmán-González ◽  
Franco Giordano Sánchez-García ◽  
Saúl Ramírez-de los Santos ◽  
Francisco Gutiérrez-Rodríguez ◽  
David Palomino-Esparza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Preventive Measures ◽  
Indirect Measure ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Penn State Worry Questionnaire ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Penn State ◽  
The Face ◽  
State Worry

Introduction. Preventive measures taken during periods of health crisis, specifically in pandemics, have consistently been associated with detrimental effects on mental health. Isolation and loneliness are indirect effects of these preventive measures. Given these premises, monitoring the behavior of the population in the face of these eventualities becomes important. Worry as an indirect measure of anxiety and stress enables one to recognize subjects who are vulnerable to phenomena of high uncertainty, since measures taken to avoid excessive contagion can have high costs for this population. This phenomenon has been consistently observed in other pandemics such as H1/N1 influenza. Objective. To determine the prevalence of worry and perceived risk of contagion in the Guadalajara population during the COVID-19 quarantine and to identify differentiating effects. Method. A total of 255 people from western Mexico (Guadalajara, Jalisco) voluntarily participated by answering the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) adapted to Mexican population. The average age of the respondents, aged between 18 and 70 years, was 31.71 (± 5.19). A total of 170 women and 85 men participated in the study. Results. 40.12% of the population scored high levels of worry, making them vulnerable to mental health conditions. Subjects favored the prevention of a contagion regardless of whether they were self-isolated. The only variable that had a differential effect was sex (p < .05), and there were no differences in educational attainment, occupational demandingness, and isolation between the groups. Discussion and conclusion. A preventive attitude was observed among the participants, and so it is important to implement strategies that will prevent mental health costs in those who express excessive worry to avoid saturating mental health services.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document