Anxiety sensitivity and its relationship to spontaneous and cued panic attacks in college students.

Asmundson GJ, Norton GR.

Department of Psychology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.

The present study was an attempt to clarify the relationship that exists between anxiety sensitivity and panic attacks. The Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI) and the Anxiety Questionnaire were administered to 463 college students to determine their levels of anxiety sensitivity and history of spontaneous and cued panic attacks. High anxiety sensitive Ss experienced more spontaneous panic attacks than the medium or low anxiety sensitive Ss. Additionally, high anxiety sensitive Ss reported more cued panic attacks than the medium or low anxiety sensitive Ss. These results suggest that both spontaneous and cued panic attacks may play a prominent role in the development of anxiety sensitivity.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8442745&dopt=Abstract anxiety medicine




Trait anxiety and anticipatory immune reactions in women receiving adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer.

Fredrikson M, Furst CJ, Lekander M, Rotstein S, Blomgren H.

Medical Psychology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.

We compared peripheral blood cell counts as well as mitogen activity and natural killer-cell activity in women undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer in the hospital prior to chemotherapy with assessment at home 2 days earlier. Patients compared to controls had an increased number of white blood cell counts in the hospital as compared to those at home, mediated by an increased total number of granulocytes. Among patients, those with high compared to low trait anxiety evidenced immune system changes. Total number of monocytes were reduced in patients with high compared to low trait anxiety and natural killer-cell activity tended to be compromised in the high anxiety group. Helper/inducer T-cells isolated from hospital blood samples were lower in patients with high as compared to low trait anxiety, while no difference was observed in samples taken at home. Conditioned nausea was associated with trait anxiety and patients with as compared to without conditioned nausea displayed immune changes similar to changes observed as a function of trait anxiety. State anxiety measured at the hospital did not relate to immune measures. The observed increase in granulocytes is consistent with an interpretation both in terms of conditioning and anticipatory stress. The anticipatory immunosuppression in patients with high compared to low trait anxiety is consistent with the hypothesis that chemotherapy patients may develop conditioned immunosuppression after repeated pairings of treatment-related stimuli with the unconditioned immunosuppressive effect of chemotherapy.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8471800&dopt=Abstract anxiety medicine




Comparison of bulimics, obese binge eaters, social phobics, and individuals with panic disorder on comorbidity across DSM-III-R anxiety disorders.

Schwalberg MD, Barlow DH, Alger SA, Howard LJ.

Center for Stress and Anxiety Disorders, Albany, New York 12203.

Eighty-two women, presenting as normal-weight bulimics, obese binge eaters, social phobics, and individuals with panic disorder, were compared on anxiety, depression, and substance abuse. All were administered the Anxiety Disorder Interview Schedule-Revised and completed the Michigan Alcohol Screening Test, Drug Abuse Screening Test, and Self-Consciousness Scale. A striking proportion of eating disorder subjects were comorbid for one or more anxiety disorders, the most frequent diagnoses being generalized anxiety disorder and social phobia. The results suggest that the place of anxiety in bulimia nervosa goes beyond that discussed within the context of the anxiety reduction model. Conflicting comorbidity findings among this and prior investigations are noted, however, and discussed in terms of the issue of differential diagnosis between eating and anxiety disorders.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1430607&dopt=Abstract anxiety medicine




Depression and anxiety in coronary artery bypass grafting patients.

Rymaszewska J, Kiejna A, Hadrys T.

Department of Psychiatry, Medical University, Pasteura 10, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland. ankarym psych.am.wroc.pl

PURPOSE: Heart surgery is a factor triggering off specific emotional and physiological responses of a patient. In spite of positive somatic effects of surgery, depression and anxiety can persist or appear for the first time after the operation worsening the patient's psychosocial functioning and quality of life. The aim of this study is to offer a prospective view on the incidence and course of self-reported depression and anxiety in coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) patients. SUBJECT AND METHODS: After informed consent, 53 patients who submitted to CABG were examined a few days before and after the operation and 3 months after CABG. They completed the Spielberger Anxiety Questionnaire and Beck Depression Inventory. RESULTS: Approximately 55% of the patients had high a level of anxiety preoperatively. Shortly after the surgery, 34% of patients and after 3 months 32% of them had clinically relevant level of anxiety. Thirty-two percent of patients before the surgery, 28% immediately after CABG and 26% at follow-up were depressed. CONCLUSIONS: High preoperative depression, state and trait anxiety scores appear to be predictors of postoperative psychological outcome. Preoperative assessment can identify patients at risk for clinical levels of postoperative anxiety and depression. Psychological preventive counseling and psychiatric intervention can reduce patients' emotional distress, medical and economic costs.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12814847&dopt=Abstract anxiety medicine




Natural history of phobic anxiety.

Katerndahl DA.

Department of Family Practice, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio 78284-7795.

The characteristics of those with phobic anxiety--anxiety with or without avoidance of specific fear-provoking situations--seen in family practice have not been previously described. However, patients with agoraphobia--extreme avoidance of fear-provoking situations--are frequently seen in the general health sector. In addition, panic attacks, which are spontaneous episodes of intense anxiety associated with at least four autonomic symptoms that build rapidly in intensity, are believed to be antecedent to phobic anxiety. This secondary analysis used 29 patients with panic attacks. During a structured interview, these patients completed a phobic anxiety questionnaire and the Health Locus of Control questionnaire. Of the 21 patients with phobic anxiety, 16 (76%) reported that they avoided at least one situation. Although patients frequently left home during the week (mean = 10.8 times), 11 (58%) felt that their fears controlled their lives. Patients' responses generally supported the model of fear causing anticipatory anxiety that in turn causes avoidance; however, panic attacks frequently began after phobic anxiety but before the fear was reported by patients to control their lives. Recognition and early intervention with those with phobic anxiety may minimize its severity and pervasiveness.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1481710&dopt=Abstract anxiety medicine




Effects of mood manipulation and anxiety on performance of an emotional Stroop task.

Richards A, French CC, Johnson W, Naparstek J, Williams J.

Department of Psychology, Birkbeck College, University of London, UK.

In Study 1 subjects high and low in trait anxiety were asked to identify the colour of anxiety-related, anxiety-matched neutral, happiness-related and happiness-matched neutral words. There were two types of stimulus presentation: blocked trials, where stimuli were blocked with respect to their valence, and mixed trials, where stimuli were mixed with respect to their valence. Subjects high in trait anxiety took longer to identify the colour of anxiety-related compared to matched neutral words for blocked-trial presentation only. In Study 2 subjects were exposed to either a positive or a negative mood-manipulation followed by a mixed-trial Stroop task. The mood manipulation procedure was successful in producing predicted changes in self-reported state anxiety. Analyses showed that high-trait-anxiety subjects exhibited interference effects consistent with the induced mood. No such effects were observed for the low-trait-anxiety subjects.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1486362&dopt=Abstract anxiety medicine




The effect of testing anxiety on blood pressure.

MacDonald M, Spink KS, Faulkner R.

The effect of stress on blood pressure is under debate. Of concern, with the trend toward fitness, is whether anxiety about one's body image may also raise blood pressure. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of testing anxiety on the blood pressure of persons taking a lifestyle and fitness evaluation test. First year nursing students had their blood pressures measured by fitness program technicians as part of a fitness test. Students then had their blood pressures measured by the same technicians in a non-testing situation. Students also completed a social physique anxiety scale to separate those with high and low physique anxiety. Analysis of variance revealed that there was a significant difference in diastolic blood pressure between the evaluative (during the fitness test) and the non-evaluative situations (p = 0.0001). There was no significant difference in blood pressure in those students with high versus low social physique anxiety but those with high anxiety had higher diastolic blood pressures during the non-evaluative situation than did those with low anxiety. These findings indicate that, while the evaluative situation appears to be a more important factor in the evaluation of diastolic blood pressure than anxiety regarding one's physique or body image, there is an interaction effect that should be further examined.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=7848535&dopt=Abstract anxiety medicine




Anxiety and depression: a 40-year perspective on relationships regarding prevalence, distribution, and comorbidity.

Murphy JM, Horton NJ, Laird NM, Monson RR, Sobol AM, Leighton AH.

Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA. murphy.jane mgh.harvard.edu

OBJECTIVE: Building on a report about the prevalence of depression over time, this paper examines historical trends regarding anxiety in terms of its prevalence, its distribution by age and gender, and its comorbidity with depression. Methods for conducting such time trend analysis are reviewed. METHOD: Representative samples of adults were selected and interviewed in 1952, 1970, and 1992. Logistic regressions were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Although twice as common as depression, the prevalence of anxiety was equally stable. Anxiety was consistently and significantly more characteristic of women than men. A re-distribution of rates in 1992 indicated that depression but not anxiety had significantly increased among younger women (P = 0.03). Throughout the study, approximately half of the cases of anxiety also suffered depression. CONCLUSION: The relationships between anxiety and depression remained similar over time with the exception that depression came to resemble anxiety as a disorder to which women were significantly more vulnerable than men. Social and historical factors should be investigated to assess their relevance to this change.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=15049772&dopt=Abstract anxiety medicine




Working status and anxiety levels of urban educated women in Calcutta.

Mukhopadhyay S, Dewanji A, Majumder PP.

Indian Statistical Institute, Anthropometry and Human Genetics Unit, Calcutta.

The primary objective of the present study was to assess the impact of out-of-home employment on anxiety levels of mothers. A study group of working mothers resident in Calcutta (India) was compared with a socioeconomically similar group of non-working mothers with respect to their anxiety level, measured by the Anxiety Scale Questionnaire, in terms of the total anxiety score and its various personality components. The possible relationships between anxiety score and age of these mothers as well as their children were studied. Non-working mothers showed higher anxiety levels than their working counterparts with respect to the total anxiety score as well as its components, although the differences were statistically non-significant. The anxiety scores of non-working mothers showed increasing values with increasing age of children. This trend was absent among the working mothers. The age of these mothers was not related to their anxiety level.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8225816&dopt=Abstract anxiety medicine