Social expectancies and self-perceptions in anxiety-disordered children.

Chansky TE, Kendall PC.

Agoraphobia and Anxiety Treatment Center, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004, USA.

The link between anxiety and negative social expectancies was examined by comparing 47 anxiety-disordered children with 31 nonanxiety-disordered controls on social expectancies, social anxiety, and self-perceived social competence. Participants were exposed to a videotape of confederate children playing a game, being told the children were next door. In anticipation of joining the play, social expectations were assessed via thought-listing and a questionnaire. Parent, teacher, and child measures of sociability were completed prior to the experimental session. Results indicated that anxiety-disordered children reported significantly more negative social expectations, lower social self-competence, and higher levels of social anxiety than controls. Parents and teachers each rated the anxiety-disordered children as significantly more socially maladjusted than controls. Social anxiety was the best predictor of social expectancies. Given the importance of healthy peer relations, treatment implications for anxiety-disordered children are highlighted.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=9276781&dopt=Abstract anxiety medicine




Lifetime comorbidity among anxiety disorders and between anxiety disorders and other mental disorders in adolescents.

Lewinsohn PM, Zinbarg R, Seeley JR, Lewinsohn M, Sack WH.

Oregon Research Institute, Eugene 97403-1983, USA.

We examine the lifetime comorbidity among anxiety disorders, and between anxiety disorders and other mental disorders, in a large (n = 1,507) community sample of high school students on whom extensive diagnostic data were available. Three diagnostic groups were formed: those with a lifetime anxiety disorder (n = 134); those with a nonanxiety disorder (n = 510); and those who had never met criteria for a mental disorder (n = 863). The intra-anxiety comorbidity rate was relatively low (18.7%), and was strongly associated with being female (92%). The lifetime comorbidity between anxiety and other mental disorders (primarily MDD) was substantial (73.1%) and was not associated with being female.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=9276783&dopt=Abstract anxiety medicine




The effect of episodic anxiety on an in vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection treatment outcome: a pilot study.

Eugster A, Vingerhoets AJ, van Heck GL, Merkus JM.

Department of Psychology & Health, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands. a.eugster uvt.nl

This study examines whether the inconsistent and contradictory findings from prospective studies on the effect of psychosocial factors on treatment outcome of in vitro fertilization (IVF) can be explained by the fact that no clear distinction has been made between acute and chronic emotional stress responses. Because chronicity is difficult to measure within the context of an IVF-procedure, the focus of the present study was on episodic anxiety. We compared its predictive value on treatment outcome after the second IVF and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) with the predictive value of trait anxiety and acute anxiety. In a prospective study with 47 women who failed to conceive after the first IVF, state anxiety was measured both before and after the first IVF treatment. Episodic anxiety was operationalized as high state anxiety both before and after the first IVF treatment Student's t-test and logistic regression analysis were used to determine the predictive value of episodic anxiety compared with acute or trait anxiety. Women with episodic anxiety, but not those with high levels of trait or acute anxiety, were less likely to become pregnant after the second IVF/ICSI. The results suggest that future studies should differentiate between acute and chronic stress, when examining the effects of psychosocial factors on treatment outcome after a fertility treatment

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=15376405&dopt=Abstract anxiety medicine




Anxiety as a predictor of alcohol preference in rats?

Langen B, Fink H.

Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universitat Berlin, Koserstr. 20, Berlin 14195, Germany.

Many clinical studies based on retrospective self-reports indicate a relationship between anxiety and increased alcohol consumption or relapse in individuals with alcohol abuse or dependence. However, by these retrospective studies it cannot be definitely concluded whether the alcohol abuse or the anxiety was first. In the present study, alcohol-consuming behaviour was determined in three rat strains showing different anxiety-related behaviour but being not genetically selected for high or low alcohol consumption. The innate anxiety of the three rat strains (Harlan-Fischer, Wistar-BgVV and Wistar-Harlan) was measured by the elevated plus maze test. Thereafter voluntary ethanol intake was measured for 3 months followed by a progressive ratio paradigm, in which the number of responses required to obtain alcohol was successively increased during session. The point at which rats ceased to respond (breaking point) was taken as a measure of their motivation to obtain ethanol. The study revealed that Harlan-Fischer rats showing most anxiety-related behaviour in the elevated plus maze test displayed the lowest ethanol intake [g/kg/d b.w.] and the lowest breaking points in the progressive ratio paradigm. The Wistar-Harlan rats with least anxiety-related behaviour and the Wistar-BgVV rats with medium anxiety-related behaviour drank more alcohol and showed higher breaking points than the Harlan-Fischer rats. Thus, in the present study, a distinct relationship between innate anxiety and alcohol-consuming behaviour in rat strains not genetically selected for high and low ethanol intake could not be shown.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=15380856&dopt=Abstract anxiety medicine




Type D personality is associated with increased anxiety and depressive symptoms in patients with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator and their partners.

Pedersen SS, van Domburg RT, Theuns DA, Jordaens L, Erdman RA.

Department of Psychology and Health, Room P503a, Tilburg University, Warandelaan 2, PO Box 90153, 5000 LE Tilburg, The Netherlands. S.S.Pedersen uvt.nl

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms in patients with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) and their partners, and the role of personality factors and social support as determinants of distress. METHODS: Of all surviving patients (n = 221) having had an ICD implanted between October 1998 and January 2003, 182 patients and 144 partners completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Type D Personality Scale, and the Perceived Social Support Scale. Type D personality defines those who tend to experience increased negative distress and who do not express these negative emotions in social interactions. Clinical variables for the patients were obtained from medical records. RESULTS: Thirty-one percent of patients versus 42% of partners suffered from symptoms of anxiety (p =.048); symptoms of anxiety were particularly prevalent in male partners. Twenty-eight vs. 29% suffered from depressive symptoms (p =.901). In patients, Type D personality was independently related to anxiety (OR: 7.03; 95% CI: 2.32-21.32) and depressive symptoms (OR: 7.40; 95% CI: 2.49-21.94) adjusting for all other variables. Underlying cardiac disease pathology did not explain differences in patient distress. In partners, Type D personality was independently associated with increased symptoms of anxiety (OR: 8.77; 95% CI: 3.19-24.14) and depression (OR: 4.40; 95% CI: 1.76-11.01).CONCLUSION: Partners experienced similar levels of depression but higher levels of anxiety compared with ICD patients. Personality was an important explanatory factor of distress in both ICD patients and their partners. Research is now warranted to investigate the implications of this finding for the clinical course of ICD patients, as Type D personality has been associated with adverse prognosis in patients with coronary artery disease.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=15385696&dopt=Abstract anxiety medicine