Disorders - Anxiety Disorders
Leventhal, K. S., Gillham, J., DeMaria, L., Andrew, G., Peabody, J., Leventhal, S.
We conducted a randomized controlled trial of a 5-
month resilience-based program (Girls First Resilience Curriculum or RC) among 2308 rural adolescent girls at 57 government schools in Bihar, India.
Local women with at least a 10th grade education served as group facilitators. Girls receiving RC improved more (vs. controls) on emotional
resilience, self-efficacy, social-emotional assets, psychological wellbeing, and social wellbeing. Effects were not detected on depression. There was
a small, statistically significant negative effect on anxiety (though not likely clinically significant). Results suggest psychosocial assets and
wellbeing can be improved for girls in high-poverty, rural schools through a brief school-day program. To our knowledge, this is one of the largest
developing country trials of a resilience-based school-day curriculum for adolescents.
Journal of Adolescence, 45 : 284-
295
- Year: 2015
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any), Depressive Disorders
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: Universal prevention
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions
(any), Skills training, Other Psychological Interventions, Positive
psychology
Nehmy, T. J., Wade, T. D.
Objective: The aim of the
current study was to evaluate a prevention program targeting unhelpful perfectionism and self-compassion, designed to prevent growth of negative
affect (NA). Method: Four schools participated in the research, where grade levels were allocated to either the intervention (\". Healthy Minds\") or
the control condition (N=688 individuals; mean age 14.90 years), and assessments occurred at baseline, post-intervention, and 6- and 12-month
follow-up. Results: There were no significant between group differences at post-intervention but at 6-month follow-up the intervention group had
significantly lower unhelpful perfectionism, self-criticism and NA than the controls. Only significant between-group differences in unhelpful
perfectionism were retained at 12-month follow-up (Cohen's d=.24). Examination of the sub-group lower in NA at baseline showed the intervention
group was significantly less likely to have elevated NA at 6-month follow-up than controls, indicating a prevention effect. Discussion: The effects
obtained in the current study provide support for the utility of a perfectionism intervention for reducing transdiagnostic outcomes, including
unhelpful perfectionism, self-judgment, and NA, and preventing the growth of NA. Ways of producing longer terms effects for NA need to be further
investigated, as does the impact of the intervention on different types of psychopathology. Trial registration: ACTRN12614000650695.
Behaviour Research & Therapy, 67 : 55-
63
- Year: 2015
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any), Depressive Disorders, Eating Disorders
(any)
- Type: Controlled clinical trials
-
Stage: Universal prevention
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions
(any), Psychoeducation, Other Psychological Interventions
Millings, A., Morris, J., Rowe, A., Easton, S., Martin, J. K., Majoe, D., Mohr, C.
Background: Internet interventions for mental health
concerns are known to be effective, but how can developing technology be utilised to improve engagement and augment the effectiveness of these
programs? One option might be to incorporate feedback about the user's physiological state into the program, via wearable sensors. Objectives: This
mixed-methods pilot study sought to examine whether the effectiveness of an online intervention for stress in students could be augmented by the use
of prototype wearable sensors. Methods: Students who were stressed, but not depressed, were allocated to a stress management program alone (n = 34),
with sensors (n = 29), or to no intervention (n = 35). Interventions lasted 4 weeks. Outcome measures included measures of stress, anxious, and
depressive symptoms, and were measured immediately after the interventions and 4 weeks later. Participants in the two program groups were interviewed
to gain feedback about the program and the sensors. Results: Significant pre-post reductions in stress (p = .019) were observed for those in the
program alone group. Significant reductions in depressive symptoms were observed among postgraduates (p = .006), but not undergraduates, in the
program only group. The program plus sensors group had a broadly similar, but weaker set of results, indicating that the sensors impeded, rather than
augmented, the effectiveness of the program. Qualitative data explicate this finding, highlighting participation burden as a key issue. Participants
provided detailed feedback about the program, the sensors, and biofeedback exercises, which are summarised and discussed with reference to the
quantitative findings. Conclusions: The newly developed stress management program could be an effective way to improve student mental health.
Wearable sensor technology, particularly biofeedback exercises, may be a useful contribution for the next generation of e-therapies, but further
development of the prototypes is needed and their reliability and usability will likely affect user responses to them.
Internet Interventions, 2(3) : 330-339
- Year: 2015
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any), Depressive Disorders
- Type: Controlled clinical trials
-
Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Service Delivery & Improvement, Psychological Interventions
(any), Other Psychological Interventions, Biofeedback, neurofeedback, audio/video feedback, Technology, comparing delivery mode (e.g. online vs. face-to-face)
Monga, S., Rosenbloom, B. N., Tanha, A., Owens, M., Young,
A.
Objective Childhood anxiety
disorders (AD) are prevalent, debilitating disorders. The most effective treatment approach for children less than 8 years old requires further
investigation. The study's primary objective was to compare 2 cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) group programs. CBT was delivered to children 5 to
7 years old and their parents (child-parent) or only to parents (parent-only), whereas children attended group sessions but did not receive CBT.
Method Using a prospective, repeated measures, longitudinal study design, 77 children (29 male, mean age = 6.8 years; SD = 0.8 year) with AD and
their parents participated in either a 12-week child-parent or parent-only CBT group treatment after a 3-month no-treatment wait-time. Well-validated
treatment outcome measures were completed at 5 assessment time points: initial assessment, pretreatment, immediately posttreatment, 6 months, and 12
months posttreatment. A mixed models analysis was used to assess change in AD severity and global functioning improvements from baseline within each
treatment and between treatments. Results No significant changes were noted in child-parent or parent-only treatment during the 3-month no-treatment
wait time. Both treatments saw significant improvements posttreatment and at longer-term follow-up with significant reductions in AD severity
measured by clinician and parent report and increases in global functioning. Significantly greater improvements were observed in the child-parent
compared to the parent-only treatment. Conclusion This study suggests that both parent-only and child-parent group CBT improves AD severity in
children 5 to 7 years old. Study results suggest that involvement of both children and parents in treatment is more efficacious than working with
parents alone.
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 54(2) : 138-
146
- Year: 2015
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any)
- Type: Controlled clinical trials
-
Stage: Disorder established (diagnosed disorder)
-
Treatment and intervention: Service Delivery & Improvement, Psychological Interventions
(any), Cognitive & behavioural therapies (CBT), Other Psychological Interventions, Other service delivery and improvement
interventions
Menezes, C. B., Bizarro, L.
Meditation has been associated with positive psychological
outcomes, but few studies have investigated brief interventions. This randomized controlled pilot study assessed the effects of five days of focused
meditation on positive and negative affect, state and trait anxiety, as well as concentrated attention in a nonclinical sample distributed in two
groups (experimental = 14, 51.8% female, Mage = 23.9; control = 19, 62% female, Mage = 24.9). The instruments used were the Positive Affect and
Negative Affect Scale, State and Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Concentrated Attention Test. The meditation group reduced negative affect and trait
anxiety, and also improved correct responses on the attention test, relative to controls. These preliminary findings indicate that even short focused
meditation training may help improve some psychological variables. It is discussed that the early manifestation of these benefits may be especially
relevant to strengthen the motivation to continue and practice regularly. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (journal
abstract).
Paideia, 25(62) : 393-401
- Year: 2015
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any)
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: Universal prevention
-
Treatment and intervention: Complementary & Alternative
Interventions (CAM), Meditation
Menezes, C. B., Bizarro, L.
Meditation has been increasingly studied and
applied as a form of mental training that seeks to foster healthier emotion regulation. This study investigated whether 6 weeks of training focused
meditation (FM; n = 35) improves emotion regulation processes (i.e., general emotion dysregulation and difficulties in regulatory strategies) and
emotion regulation outcomes (i.e., state and trait anxiety) in healthy college students compared with progressive relaxation (PR; n = 37) and a
wait-list control (WLC) group (n = 27). Based on an intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis, only the FM group exhibited improvements in total emotion
dysregulation, particularly 2 strategies (i.e., limited access to effective emotion regulation strategies and nonacceptance of emotional responses),
and trait anxiety. The weekly frequency of practice correlated with lower limited access to effective emotion regulation strategies, impulse control
difficulties, and lack of emotional clarity only among meditators. Additionally, reductions of emotion dysregulation correlated with reductions of
trait anxiety. Conceptual considerations regarding the relationship between the type of meditation and emotion regulation processes are discussed.
The present study provides evidence of the potential therapeutic efficacy of meditation.
Psychology &
Neuroscience, 8(3) : 350-365
- Year: 2015
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any)
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: Universal prevention
-
Treatment and intervention: Complementary & Alternative
Interventions (CAM), Meditation
Mondin, T. C., de-Azevedo-
Cardoso, T., Jansen, K., Del-Grande-da-Silva, G., de-Mattos-Souza, L. D., da-Silva, R. A.
Objective: To evaluate the effect of cognitive therapy on biological rhythm and depressive and anxious symptoms in a twelve-month
follow-up period. In addition, correlations between the reduction of depression and anxiety symptoms and the regulation of biological rhythm were
observed. Methods: This was a randomized clinical trial with young adults from 18 to 29 years of age who were diagnosed with depression. Two models
of psychotherapy were used: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Narrative Cognitive Therapy (NCT). Biological rhythm was assessed with the
Biological Rhythm Interview of Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (BRIAN). Severity of depressive and anxious symptoms was assessed by the Hamilton
Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS), respectively. The sample included 97 patients who were divided within
the protocols of psychotherapy. Results: There was a significant reduction in depressive and anxious symptoms (p < 0.001) and an increase on
regulation of biological rhythm (p < 0.05) at the twelve-month follow-up. Moreover, we showed a positive correlation between the reduction of
depressive symptoms and regulation of biological rhythm (r = 0.638; p < 0.001) and between the reduction of anxious symptoms and regulation of
biological rhythm (r = 0.438; p < 0.001). Conclusion: Both models showed that cognitive therapy was effective on the reduction of depressive and
anxious symptoms and on the regulation of biological rhythm at a twelve-month follow-up evaluation. This study highlights the association between
biological rhythm and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Limitation: We did not assess genetic, hormonal or neurochemical factors and we did not
include patients under pharmaceutical treatment or those with severe symptomatology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
(journal abstract).
Journal of Affective Disorders, 187 : 1-9
- Year: 2015
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any), Depressive Disorders
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: Disorder established (diagnosed disorder)
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions
(any), Cognitive & behavioural therapies (CBT), Other Psychological Interventions
Aboalshamat, K., Hou, X. Y., Strodl, E.
BACKGROUND: Psychological distress is well-documented worldwide among medical and dental
students. Few studies have assessed the impact of self-development coaching programs on the students' psychological health. The aim of the study was
to evaluate the effect of a self-development coaching programme on the psychological health and academic performance of preclinical medical and
dental students at Umm Al-Qura University, Saudi Arabia.\rMETHODS: Four-hundred and twenty-two participants (n = 422, 20-22 years) fulfilled the
study requirements and were invited into a parallel-randomised controlled trial that was partially blinded. Participants were stratified by faculty,
gender, and academic year, and then randomised. A total of 156 students participated in the intervention group (IG) and 163 students participated in
the control group (CG). The IG received the selfdevelopment programme, involving skills and strategies aimed to improve students' psychological
health and academic performance, through a two-day workshop. Meanwhile, the CG attended an active placebo programme focussing on theoretical
information that was delivered through a five-hour workshop. Both programmes were conducted by the same presenter during Week 1 of the second
semester of the 2012-2013 academic year. Data were gathered immediately before (T1), one week after (T2) and five weeks (T3) after the intervention.
Psychological health was measured using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21), the General Self-Efficacy (GSE), and the Satisfaction With
Life Scale (SWLS). Academic performance was measured using students' academic weighted grades (WG). Student cognitive and emotional perceptions of
the intervention were measured using the Credibility/Expectancy Questionnaire (CEQ).\rRESULTS: Data from 317 students, who completed the follow ups,
were analysed across the three time periods (IG, n = 155; CG, n = 162). The baseline variables and demographic data of the IG and CG were not
significantly different. The IG showed short-term significant reductions in depression and anxiety in compared to CG from T1 to T2. The short-term
changes in stress, GSE and SWLS of the IG were not significantly different from those of the CG. While both groups showed a significant change on
most of the psychological variables from T1 to T3, no significant differences were found between the groups in this period. In addition, no
significant difference was found in WG between the IG and CG after the intervention. No harms relevant to the intervention were reported.
\rCONCLUSION: The investigated self-development coaching programme showed only a short-term improvement on depression and anxiety compared with an
active control. There was no effect of the intervention on academic performance.\rTrial registration: actrn12614000896673.
BMC Medical
Education, 15 : 134
- Year: 2015
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any)
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions
(any), Other Psychological Interventions
Pachankis, J. E., Hatzenbuehler, M. L., Rendina, H. J., Safren, S. A., Parsons, J. T.
Objectives: We tested the preliminary efficacy of a transdiagnostic cognitive-behavioral treatment adapted to improve depression, anxiety, and
co-occurring health risks (i.e., alcohol use, sexual compulsivity, condomless sex) among young adult gay and bisexual men. Treatment adaptations
focused on reducing minority stress processes that underlie sexual orientation-related mental health disparities. Method: Young gay and bisexual men
(n = 63; M age = 25.94) were randomized to immediate treatment or a 3-month waitlist. At baseline, 3-month, and 6-month assessments, participants
completed self-reports of mental health and minority stress and an interview of past-90-day risk behavior. Results: Compared to waitlist, treatment
significantly reduced depressive symptoms (b =-2.43, 95% CI:-4.90, 0.35, p <.001), alcohol use problems (b =-3.79, 95% CI:-5.94,-1.64, p <.001),
sexual compulsivity (b =-5.09, 95% CI:-8.78,-1.40, p <.001), and past-90-day condomless sex with casual partners (b =-1.09, 95% CI:-1.80,-0.37, p
<.001), and improved condom use self-efficacy (b = 10.08, 95% CI: 3.86, 16.30, p <.001). The treatment yielded moderate and marginally significant
greater improvements than waitlist in anxiety symptoms (b =-2.14, 95% CI:-4.61, 0.34, p =.09) and past-90-day heavy drinking (b =-0.32, 95% CI:-0.71,
0.07, p =.09). Effects were generally maintained at follow-up. Minority stress processes showed small improvements in the expected direction.
Conclusion: This study demonstrated preliminary support for the first intervention adapted to address gay and bisexual men's co-occurring health
problems at their source in minority stress. If found to be efficacious compared to standard evidence-based treatments, the treatment will possess
substantial potential for helping clinicians translate LGB-affirmative treatment guidelines into evidence-based practice.
Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology, 83(5) : 875-886
- Year: 2015
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any), Depressive Disorders
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions
(any), Cognitive & behavioural therapies (CBT)
Niles, A. N., Craske, M. G., Lieberman, M.
D., Hur, C.
Exposure is an effective
treatment for anxiety but many patients do not respond fully. Affect labeling (labeling emotional experience) attenuates emotional responding. The
current project examined whether affect labeling enhances exposure effectiveness in participants with public speaking anxiety. Participants were
randomized to exposure with or without affect labeling. Physiological arousal and self-reported fear were assessed before and after exposure and
compared between groups. Consistent with hypotheses, participants assigned to Affect Labeling, especially those who used more labels during exposure,
showed greater reduction in physiological activation than Control participants. No effect was found for self-report measures. Also, greater emotion
regulation deficits at baseline predicted more benefit in physiological arousal from exposure combined with affect labeling than exposure alone. The
current research provides evidence that behavioral strategies that target prefrontal-amygdala circuitry can improve treatment effectiveness for
anxiety and these effects are particularly pronounced for patients with the greatest deficits in emotion regulation.\rCopyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd.
All rights reserved.
Behaviour Research & Therapy, 68 : 27-
36
- Year: 2015
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any), Specific
Phobia
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions
(any), Exposure therapy, Exposure
and response prevention, Other Psychological Interventions
Ratanasiripong, P., Park, J. F., Ratanasiripong, N., Kathalae, D.
Background: The current study investigated the efficacy of two brief intervention programs-biofeedback
and mindfulness meditation-on levels of state anxiety and perceived stress in second-year Thai nursing students as they began clinical training.;
Method: Eighty-nine participants from a public nursing college in Thailand were randomly assigned to one of three groups: biofeedback group,
mindfulness meditation group, or a control group. All participants were given pre- and postintervention surveys, which included demographic
information; the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (State Anxiety Scale); and the Perceived Stress Scale.; Results: Findings indicated that biofeedback
significantly reduced anxiety and maintained stress levels in nursing students. Mindfulness meditation similarly decreased anxiety levels, while also
significantly lowering stress levels. The biofeedback group exhibited significant reduction in anxiety levels among the three groups at
postintervention.; Conclusion: Despite stressors and demands nursing students experience as they begin clinical practice, study findings support the
use of biofeedback and mindfulness meditation interventions to assist nursing students in managing stress and anxiety.; Copyright 2015, SLACK
Incorporated.
Journal of Nursing Education, 54(9) : 520-524
- Year: 2015
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any)
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: Universal prevention
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions
(any), Mindfulness based
therapy, Biofeedback, neurofeedback, audio/video feedback
Peris, T. S., Compton, S. N., Kendall, P. C., Birmaher, B., Sherrill, J., March, J., Gosch, E., Ginsburg,
G., Rynn, M., McCracken,
J.T., Keeton, C. P., Sakolsky, D., Suveg,
C., Aschenbrand, S., Almirall, D., Iyengar, S., Walkup, J. T., Albano, A. M., Piacentini, J.,
Objective: To evaluate changes in the trajectory of youth
anxiety following the introduction of specific cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) components: relaxation training, cognitive restructuring, and
exposure tasks. Method: Four hundred eighty-eight youths ages 7-17 years (50% female; 74% < 12 years) were randomly assigned to receive either CBT,
sertraline (SRT), their combination (COMB), or pill placebo (PBO) as part of their participation in the Child/Adolescent Anxiety Multimodal Study
(CAMS). Youths in the CBT conditions were evaluated weekly by therapists using the Clinical Global Impression Scale-Severity (CGI-S; Guy, 1976) and
the Children's Global Assessment Scale (CGAS; Shaffer et al., 1983) and every 4 weeks by blind independent evaluators (IEs) using the Pediatric
Anxiety Ratings Scale (PARS; RUPP Anxiety Study Group, 2002). Youths in SRT and PBO were included as controls. Results: Longitudinal discontinuity
analyses indicated that the introduction of both cognitive restructuring (e.g., changing self-talk) and exposure tasks significantly accelerated the
rate of progress on measures of symptom severity and global functioning moving forward in treatment; the introduction of relaxation training had
limited impact. Counter to expectations, no strategy altered the rate of progress in the specific domain of anxiety that it was intended to target
(i.e., somatic symptoms, anxious self-talk, avoidance behavior). Conclusions: Findings support CBT theory and suggest that cognitive restructuring
and exposure tasks each make substantial contributions to improvement in youth anxiety. Implications for future research are discussed. (PsycINFO
Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (journal abstract).
Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology, 83(2) : 239-
252
- Year: 2015
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any), Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Specific
Phobia
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: Disorder established (diagnosed disorder)
-
Treatment and intervention: Biological Interventions
(any), Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), Antidepressants
(any), Psychological Interventions
(any), Cognitive & behavioural therapies (CBT)