Examining the Role of Anxiety Sensitivity in Sleep Dysfunction Across Anxiety Disorders

The co-occurrence between anxiety and depression symptoms among children with anxiety disorders is well-known, yet there is considerable heterogeneity in terms of explanatory factors. Although cognitive–affective processes have been hypothesized to play a prominent role, surprisingly, no research to date has examined the role of anxiety sensitivity in this co-occurrence. The present investigation examined the role of anxiety sensitivity in the co-occurrence of anxiety and depression symptoms among clinically anxious children. We expected that anxiety sensitivity would moderate the co-occurrence between anxiety and depression symptoms, such that higher anxiety would be related to higher depression among boys and girls with high (but not low) anxiety sensitivity. Participants ( N = 44, age range = 8–12 years; 52% female; 52% African American) were interviewed with the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule-IV: Children and Parent Versions and completed self-report measures of anxiety sensitivity, anxiety, and depression symptom severity. Controlling for child age, moderation analyses revealed that higher anxiety was related to higher depression only among girls with high anxiety sensitivity. Among girls with low anxiety sensitivity, the relation between anxiety and depression symptoms was not significant. Anxiety and depression symptoms were strongly correlated among clinically anxious boys irrespective of their levels of anxiety sensitivity. Anxiety sensitivity is an important factor related to anxiety–depression symptom co-occurrence among clinically anxious females in particular. Targeted interventions focused on anxiety sensitivity reduction may prove useful for reducing anxiety–depression symptom co-occurrence among clinically anxious girls. Future research should explore additional moderators that may explain the high correlation between anxiety and depressive symptoms observed among clinically anxious boys.

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The role of Anxiety Sensitivity in fear conditioning: a moderation effect

10.31234/osf.io/tu8h7 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Bianca Gerardo ◽

Raquel Nunes R. M. Guiomar ◽

Mariana Moura-Ramos ◽

Ana Ganho-Ávila

Keyword(s):

Anxiety Disorders ◽

Fear Conditioning ◽

Skin Conductance ◽

Anxiety Sensitivity ◽

Conditioned Fear ◽

Moderation Effect ◽

Skin Conductance Responses ◽

The Relationship ◽

Over Time

Anxiety sensitivity (AS; the degree of fear of experiencing or imagining experiencing anxiety symptoms and its possible consequences) is associated with expression of conditioned fear responses. However, findings regarding the relationship between AS and fear acquisition indexed by skin conductance responses are rather conflicting. Here we aim to clarify this interaction. We classified 144 women that underwent fear conditioning procedures as either high-AS or low-AS. We found that high-AS participants show one of two patterns maintained over time: poor stimuli discrimination or good stimuli discrimination. This suggests that different patterns of fear acquisition potentially support the distinction between anxiety disorders.

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Supplemental Material for Who Gets the Most Out of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety Disorders? The Role of Treatment Dose and Patient Engagement

Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology ◽

10.1037/a0033403.supp ◽

2013 ◽

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy ◽

Anxiety Disorders ◽

Patient Engagement ◽

Behavioral Therapy ◽

Cognitive Behavioral ◽

Treatment Dose

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Anxiety Disorders: The Role of Psychotherapy in Effective Treatment.

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e305482004-001 ◽

1998 ◽

Keyword(s):

Anxiety Disorders ◽

Effective Treatment

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Hierarchical Models of Mood and Anxiety Disorders and the Role of Temperament

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e682812011-001 ◽

2011 ◽

Author(s):

D. Ryan Hooper ◽

Michael J. Ross ◽

Jillon S. Vander Wal ◽

Terri L. Weaver

Keyword(s):

Anxiety Disorders ◽

Hierarchical Models ◽

Mood And Anxiety Disorders

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The Role of Circadian Rhythms, Light and Melatonin in SAD and Nonseasonal Affective and Anxiety Disorders

Current Psychiatry Reviews ◽

10.2174/1573400510666140702164109 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 214-222 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Alfred Lewy ◽

Joshua Tutek ◽

Liska Havel ◽

Macia Nikia

Keyword(s):

Circadian Rhythms ◽

Anxiety Disorders

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The role of personality traits in initiating and maintaining addictive behavior

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.eurpsy.2016.01.1049 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 33 (S1) ◽

pp. S307-S307

Author(s):

M. Manea ◽

B. Savu

Keyword(s):

Substance Abuse ◽

Anxiety Disorders ◽

Personality Traits ◽

Trait Anxiety ◽

Psychiatric Clinic ◽

Strongly Correlated ◽

Addictive Disorder ◽

Substance Disorders ◽

Competing Interest

IntroductionIt is well known that certain personality traits are more linked to drug abuse than others. Psychiatrists are more likely to emphasize the importance of impulsivity in the connection with substance disorders but in the following study we found an important percentage of patients that have a substance abuse were linked to anxiety through impulsiveness as a personality trait.ObjectivesMost youths admitted for a substance abuse are highly impulsive. Our quest was to differentiate what component of impulsivity was more frequently linked to a substance use disorder.MethodsIn the study were included 50 patients admitted in the 3rd Psychiatric Clinic, Substance Dependences Department, Cluj-Napoca. For the identification of the drug abused we used the multitest screening kit in correlation with the results from the Forensic Medicine Institute of Cluj-Napoca. Each patient completed the Barratt Impulsivity Scale and the Swedish Universities Scales of Personality.ResultsHigh scores on BIS-11 strongly correlated with attentional impulsiveness (Pearson's r correlation = .838) which means high inattention and cognitive instability this being linked with anxiety disorders. Cognitive Instability was correlated with Psychic Trait Anxiety (r = 0.29) and Motor Impulsiveness with Somatic Trait Anxiety (r = 0.3). Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE.ConclusionsThe underrecognized anxiety disorders in young adults whom are admitted for an addictive disorder prefrontal cortex is known to be the source of both impulsivity and could be linked to anxiety as well (valence asymmetry hypothesis). Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

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Typhoon eye effect versus ripple effect: the role of family size on mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan

Globalization and Health ◽

10.1186/s12992-021-00685-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Tooba Lateef ◽

Jiyao Chen ◽

Muhammad Tahir ◽

Teba Abdul Lateef ◽

Bryan Z. Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Anxiety Disorders ◽

Family Size ◽

Health Care Providers ◽

Vulnerable Groups ◽

Ripple Effect ◽

Health Issues ◽

Care Providers ◽

Populous Country

Abstract Background The recent outbreak of COVID-19 has impacted adversely upon the mental health of millions of people worldwide. Impacts on the mental health conditions and the associated predictors relating to adults in Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world, during the COVID-19 remain understudied. Our aim was to investigate distress, anxiety, and overall mental health and their associated predictors among Pakistani adults in this pandemic. We specifically examine mental health issues based on the distance from the epicenter, (a predictor that has revealed opposing evidence in other countries) based on the theories of typhoon eye effect and ripple effect. The sample consisted of 601 adults who were surveyed online about 2.5 months into the outbreak across Pakistan with varying distances from the epicenter of COVID-19 of Karachi. Results The results showed that 9.2 and 19.0% of the participants surpassed the cut-off criteria for distress and anxiety disorders, respectively. Overall, the distance from the epicenter positively predicted the mental health of adults in Pakistan, and family size negatively moderated this effect. The distance from the epicenter negatively predicted distress and anxiety disorders for adults in large families, which are quite common in Pakistan. Conclusion The evidence of the study interestingly finds that the prediction of the mental health of people by their distance from the epicenter depends on family size. The evidence of this study can help to provide initial indicators for mental health care providers to screen vulnerable groups in Pakistan, a populous country that continues struggling to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Merging Our Understanding of Anxiety and Exposure: Using Inhibitory Learning to Target Anxiety Sensitivity in Exposure Therapy

Behavior Modification ◽

10.1177/01454455211005073 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 014544552110050

Author(s):

Chandra L. Bautista ◽

Ellen J. Teng

Keyword(s):

Anxiety Disorders ◽

Anxiety Sensitivity ◽

Alternative Explanation ◽

Standard Treatment ◽

Three Dimensions ◽

Fear Of Anxiety ◽

Learning Research ◽

Inhibitory Learning ◽

Number Of Individuals ◽

Basic Learning

Exposure-based therapies are the gold standard treatment for anxiety disorders, and recent advancements in basic and clinical research point to the need to update the implementation of exposure. Recent research has highlighted the importance of transdiagnostic factors such as anxiety sensitivity (AS), or fear of anxiety-related sensations. Elevated AS is common among all anxiety disorders and contains three dimensions, or expectancies, that can be used to guide treatment. Recently, treatments directly targeting AS have shown potential in reducing symptoms of anxiety. In addition, inhibitory learning theory (ILT) provides an alternative explanation of exposure processes based on basic learning research. ILT extends the current framework by accounting for renewal of fear, which is important given the substantial number of individuals who experience a return of symptoms following treatment. The current paper will provide an overview of ILT and discuss several ILT techniques that can be used to target AS. These two converging bodies of research hold strong potential for optimizing treatment for anxiety.

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