scholarly journals An investigation of the efficacy and cognitive mechanisms of two brief interventions for anxiety sensitivity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma M. MacDonald
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Anxiety Sensitivity ◽  
Perceived Control ◽  
Brief Interventions ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
Interpretation Biases ◽  
Cognitive Mediators ◽  
Almost All

Anxiety Sensitivity (AS) is the fear of normal, arousal-related bodily sensations due to the belief that they have negative consequences. AS is a transdiagnostic construct, and high AS is associated with psychopathology, including panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, depression, and alcohol-use disorders. There is research and clinical interest in developing brief and transdiagnostic interventions to streamline treatment. Targeting AS through brief interventions may be one way to accomplish this goal. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation was to advance the literature on AS by examining the efficacy and transdiagnosticity of two brief interventions for AS. Cognitive mediators of change in AS were also examined. Target variables were psychopathology symptoms and cognitive processes, including interpretation biases, attentional biases, and perceived control. Study 1 investigated the immediate and short-term efficacy of a brief intervention that included a single session of psychoeducation and daily interoceptive exposure practices. Participants with high AS were randomly assigned to the intervention (n = 19) or health education control condition (n = 16). Participants in the intervention condition appeared to demonstrate reductions in AS, one facet of interpretation bias, social anxiety symptoms, and motivation to consume alcohol. Methodological issues, however, limited conclusions about the efficacy of the intervention. Finally, the three potential cognitive mediators did not mediate change in AS. Study 2 investigated the efficacy of a computerized cognitive bias modification (CBM) program. Participants with high AS were randomly assigned to 4 sessions of CBM (n= 24) or 4 sessions of sham training (n= 24). Sessions occurred over a 2-week period. At the end of the intervention period, the CBM condition appeared to show reductions in AS, interpretive biases, and almost all facets of psychopathology. However, similar changes were found in the control condition. Again, the three potential cognitive mediators did not mediate change in AS. Taken together, these findings provide limited support for the efficacy of psychoeducation and CBM as brief, transdiagnostic interventions. However, both studies must be interpreted in light of major limitations, which include limited homework completion in Study 1 and a control training task that induced training effects in Study 2.

scholarly journals An investigation of the efficacy and cognitive mechanisms of two brief interventions for anxiety sensitivity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma M. MacDonald
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Anxiety Sensitivity ◽  
Perceived Control ◽  
Brief Interventions ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
Interpretation Biases ◽  
Cognitive Mediators ◽  
Almost All

Anxiety Sensitivity (AS) is the fear of normal, arousal-related bodily sensations due to the belief that they have negative consequences. AS is a transdiagnostic construct, and high AS is associated with psychopathology, including panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, depression, and alcohol-use disorders. There is research and clinical interest in developing brief and transdiagnostic interventions to streamline treatment. Targeting AS through brief interventions may be one way to accomplish this goal. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation was to advance the literature on AS by examining the efficacy and transdiagnosticity of two brief interventions for AS. Cognitive mediators of change in AS were also examined. Target variables were psychopathology symptoms and cognitive processes, including interpretation biases, attentional biases, and perceived control. Study 1 investigated the immediate and short-term efficacy of a brief intervention that included a single session of psychoeducation and daily interoceptive exposure practices. Participants with high AS were randomly assigned to the intervention (n = 19) or health education control condition (n = 16). Participants in the intervention condition appeared to demonstrate reductions in AS, one facet of interpretation bias, social anxiety symptoms, and motivation to consume alcohol. Methodological issues, however, limited conclusions about the efficacy of the intervention. Finally, the three potential cognitive mediators did not mediate change in AS. Study 2 investigated the efficacy of a computerized cognitive bias modification (CBM) program. Participants with high AS were randomly assigned to 4 sessions of CBM (n= 24) or 4 sessions of sham training (n= 24). Sessions occurred over a 2-week period. At the end of the intervention period, the CBM condition appeared to show reductions in AS, interpretive biases, and almost all facets of psychopathology. However, similar changes were found in the control condition. Again, the three potential cognitive mediators did not mediate change in AS. Taken together, these findings provide limited support for the efficacy of psychoeducation and CBM as brief, transdiagnostic interventions. However, both studies must be interpreted in light of major limitations, which include limited homework completion in Study 1 and a control training task that induced training effects in Study 2.

scholarly journals Interpretation Bias Across Body Dysmorphic, Social Anxiety and Generalized Anxiety Disorder—A Multilevel, Diffusion Model Account

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fanny Alexandra Dietel ◽  
Anne Möllmann ◽  
Paul-Christian Bürkner ◽  
Sabine Wilhelm ◽  
Ulrike Buhlmann
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Diffusion Model ◽  
Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Body Dysmorphic Disorder ◽  
Interpretation Bias ◽  
Generalized Anxiety ◽  
Interpretation Biases ◽  
Model Account ◽  
Current Concerns

Abstract Background Interpretation biases are suggested to be transdiagnostic phenomena, but have rarely been compared across different disorders and current concerns. Methods We investigated explicit, decision-based, and more implicit, reaction time-based interpretation bias in individuals with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD; N = 29), social anxiety disorder (SAD; N = 36), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD; N = 22), and non-clinical controls (NC; N = 32), using an adapted Word Sentence Association Paradigm (WSAP). Results Results indicated that interpretation bias occurred transdiagnostically, while content-specific bias patterns varied meaningfully across groups. BDD and SAD shared explicit and, more inconsistently, implicit interpretation biases for appearance-related and social situations. The GAD group exhibited an explicit and implicit negative interpretation bias for general situations, and an additional implicit lack of positive bias. Mechanistic Wiener diffusion model analyses revealed that interpretation bias patterns were mainly driven by speeded information uptake, potentially mirroring disorder-specific associative memory organization. Conclusions These findings have important implications for understanding interpretation biases as both etiological and treatment factors.

scholarly journals Attention and Interpretation Biases and Attention Control in Youth with Social Anxiety Disorder

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 484-498 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee Pergamin-Hight ◽  
Shani Bitton ◽  
Daniel S. Pine ◽  
Nathan A. Fox ◽  
Yair Bar-Haim
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Social Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Attention Control ◽  
Interpretation Biases

scholarly journals Cultural Aspects of Social Anxiety Disorder: A Qualitative Analysis of Anxiety Experiences and Interpretation

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abolafzl Mohammadi ◽  
Imaneh Abasi ◽  
Mehdi Soleimani ◽  
Seyed Tayeb Moradian ◽  
Taha Yahyavi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Social Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Inductive Method ◽  
Cultural Aspects ◽  
Purposeful Sampling ◽  
Almost All ◽  
And Coping

Objective: Anxiety is a complex phenomenon on which culture has a prominent influence. The present study aimed to investigate the cultural aspects of social anxiety disorder (SAD) in an Iranian population. Method: A qualitative content analysis research was done to answer the study question. A total of 16 individuals with social anxiety disorder (six men and 10 women) were selected using purposeful sampling method (M = 24.43, SD = 4.56). The study was conducted in Tehran, Urmia, and Sanandaj- Iran. Participants were from different ethnic backgrounds (LOR, FARS, TURK, and KURD). Data were analyzed by thematic analysis using an inductive method. Results: Analysis of participants’ records yielded five distinct categories with some subcategories, which are as follow: (1) anxiety experiences; (2) core beliefs; (3) reasons of being anxious; (4) effects of SAD on life aspects; and (5) coping strategies. Conclusion: It seems that symptoms of social anxiety and its underlying beliefs, causes and effects and coping strategies are almost experienced and interpreted in a way that could be the same as DSM-5 clinical presentation of social anxiety, with the exception that somatic symptoms are experienced by almost all participants

Interpretation bias across body dysmorphic, social anxiety and generalized anxiety disorder – a multilevel, diffusion model account

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fanny Alexandra Dietel ◽  
Anne Möllmann ◽  
Paul - Christian Bürkner ◽  
Sabine Wilhelm ◽  
Ulrike Buhlmann
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Diffusion Model ◽  
Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Body Dysmorphic Disorder ◽  
Interpretation Bias ◽  
Generalized Anxiety ◽  
Interpretation Biases ◽  
Model Account ◽  
Current Concerns

Interpretation biases are suggested to be transdiagnostic phenomena, but have rarely been compared across disorders and current concerns. We investigated explicit, decision-based and more implicit, reaction time-based interpretation bias in individuals with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD; N = 29), social anxiety disorder (SAD; N = 36), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD; N = 22), and non-clinical controls (NC; N = 32), using an adapted Word Sentence Association Paradigm (WSAP). Results indicated that interpretation bias occurred transdiagnostically, while content-specific bias patterns varied meaningfully across groups. BDD and SAD shared explicit and, more inconsistently, implicit interpretation biases for appearance-related and social situations. The GAD group exhibited a negative interpretation bias for general situations, and an additional implicit lack of positive bias. Mechanistic Wiener diffusion model analyses revealed that interpretation bias was mainly driven by speeded information uptake, potentially mirroring disorder-specific associative memory organization. These findings have important implications for the understanding of interpretation biases as both etiological and treatment factors.

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