Disorders - Anxiety Disorders
Bernstein, A., Zvielli, A.
We present an experimental investigation of a novel intervention paradigm targeting attentional bias - Attention Feedback Awareness and
Control Training (A-FACT). A-FACT is grounded in the novel hypothesis that training awareness of (biased) attentional allocation will lead to greater
self-regulatory control of attention and thereby ameliorate attentional bias and its maladaptive sequelae. To do so, A-FACT delivers computerized,
personalized, real-time feedback regarding a person's (biased) allocation of attention concurrent with its expression. In a randomized control
experimental design, we tested A-FACT relative to an active placebo control condition among anxious adults (N=40, 52.5% women, M(SD)=24.3(4) years
old). We found that relative to the placebo control condition, A-FACT led to: (a) reduced levels of attentional bias to threat; (b) (non-
significantly) lower rate of behavioral avoidance of exposure to an anxiogenic stressor; and (c) faster rate of emotional recovery following the
stressor. The findings are discussed with respect to the novelty and significance of the proposed conceptual perspective, methodology, and
intervention paradigm targeting attentional bias. (copyright) 2014 Elsevier Ltd.
Behaviour Research & Therapy, 55(1) : 18-26
- Year: 2014
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any)
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Service Delivery & Improvement, Psychological Interventions
(any), Attention/cognitive bias
modification, Technology, interventions delivered using technology (e.g. online, SMS)
Bin-Sayeed, M. S., Shams, T., Fahim-Hossain, S., Rahman, M. R., Mostofa, A., Fahim-Kadir, M., Mahmood, S., Asaduzzaman, M.,
Ethnopharmacological relevance Previous studies conducted on animals linked consumption of Nigella sativa L. seeds (NS) to decreased anxiety and
improved memory. The present study, which was carried out at a boarding school in Bangladesh, was designed to examine probable effect of NS on mood,
anxiety and cognition in adolescent human males. Materials and methods Forty-eight healthy adolescent human males aged between 14 to 17 years were
randomly recruited as volunteers and were randomly split into two groups: A (n=24) and B (n=24). The treatment procedure for group A and B were one
capsule of 500 mg placebo and 500 mg NS respectively once daily for four weeks. All the volunteers were assessed for cognition with modified
California verbal learning test-II (CVLT-II), mood with Bond-Lader scale and anxiety with State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) at the beginning and
after four weeks of either NS or placebo ingestion. Results and discussion No parameter showed statistically significant variation between A and B in
measurements in the beginning, but after 4 weeks of one capsule of NS 500 mg intake, there was statistically significant variation of mood within
group B but there was not statistically significant variation between group A and B. No significant variation was found in state anxiety within
groups and between group A and B but in case of trait anxiety, significant variation was found within group B but not between group A and B. In case
of CVLT II, there was significant variation within B in immediate short-term recall at trial 4 and 5 whereas this difference was found only in case
of trial 5 between group A and B. Within group B, short term-free recall, long-term free recall and long-term cued recall had statistical difference
whereas between group A and B long-term free recall and long-term cued recall had statistical difference. No parameters had significant variation
within group A after placebo intake for 4 weeks. Conclusions Over the 4 weeks study period, the use of NS as a nutritional supplement been observed
to- stabilize mood, decrease anxiety and modulate cognition positively. However, long term study is suggested before using NS extensively.
(copyright) 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd.
Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 152(1) : 156-
162
- Year: 2014
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any)
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: Universal prevention
-
Treatment and intervention: Complementary & Alternative
Interventions (CAM), Homeopathic, plant-based medicines
Sadr-
Mohammadi, R., Kalantari, M., Molavi, H.
Objective: The aim was to
investigate the efficacy of life skills training on subjective well-being (SWB) among high school females. Method(s): The population study comprised
all female high school of Rafsanjan, Iran, in 2008-2009. Thirty students with the lowest scores according to the Molavi's SWB questionnaire were
considered eligible. At the next stage, the required sample of 30 students were selected randomly and divided into two groups of experimental (15
subjects) and control (15 subjects). Then, life skills training sessions were started for the experimental group (eight sessions in a 4-week period).
Control group did not receive any intervention. The method of data processing at a descriptive level was through using central tendency indicators,
dispersion, frequency, and percentage. Student's t-test was used for analysis of independent variables. Result(s): The greatest R2 (0.48)
was observed for SWB. The R2 coefficients for neurosis, stress-depression, vitality, and life determination were 0.27, 0.15, 0.20, and
0.09, respectively. Conclusion(s): Life skills training showed the greatest effect regarding SWB of the students. Copyright © 2014, Brieflands. All
rights reserved.
Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and Behavioral
Sciences, 8(2) : 63-67
- Year: 2014
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any), Depressive Disorders
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions
(any), Skills training, Other Psychological Interventions
Barbosa, Peter, Raymond, Gaye, Zlotnick, Cheryl, Wilk, James, Toomey, Robert, Mitchell, James
Introduction: Graduate healthcare students experience significant stressors during professional training. Mindfulness-Based Stress
Reduction (MBSR) is a behavioural intervention designed to teach self-regulatory skills for stress reduction and emotion management. This study
examines the impact of MBSR training on students from five healthcare graduate programs in a quasi-experimental trial.; Methods: A total of 13
students completed the MBSR program and were compared with 15 controls. Both groups answered validated questionnaires measuring anxiety, burnout and
empathy at baseline, at conclusion of the course (week 8) and 3 weeks post-course completion (week 11).; Results: Significant decrease in anxiety at
weeks 8 and 11 compared with baseline (P<0.001 and P<0.01, respectively) was observed using the Burns Anxiety Inventory. Significant increase in
empathy at week 8 (P<0.0096) was observed using the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy. Week 11 demonstrated a decrease in empathy from baseline
(not statistically significant) across all subjects. No significant differences in burnout scores at weeks 8 and 11 were observed between those in
the intervention and control groups.; Conclusions: These results provide supportive evidence of MBSR as a behavioural intervention to reduce anxiety
and increase empathy among graduate healthcare students.;
Education for Health, 26(1) : 9-14
- Year: 2013
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any)
- Type: Controlled clinical trials
-
Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions
(any), Mindfulness based
therapy
Parker, B., Turner, W.
Background: The sexual abuse of
children and adolescents is a significant worldwide problem. It is associated with a wide variety of negative psychological, social and physical
consequences for the victims. These effects can often be seen immediately following sexual abuse, but they may manifest later on and sometimes only
in adult life. There are a number of different interventions aimed at helping children and adolescents who have been sexually abused, and
psychoanalytic/psychodynamic psychotherapy has a long-established tradition of being used for such victims. In this review, we set out to find the
evidence for its effectiveness specifically in children and adolescents who have been sexually abused. Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of
psychoanalytic/psychodynamic psychotherapy for children and adolescents who have been sexually abused. Search methods: We searched the following
databases in May 2013: CENTRAL, Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Sociological Abstracts, Social Science Citation Index, Conference Proceedings
Citation Index - Social Science and Humanities, LILACS and WorldCat. We also searched three trials registers, checked the reference lists of relevant
studies and contacted known experts. Selection criteria: Randomised and quasi-randomised trials comparing psychoanalytic/psychodynamic psychotherapy
with treatment as usual or no treatment/waiting list control for children and adolescents up to age of 18 who had experienced sexual abuse at any
time prior to the intervention. Data collection and analysis: The review authors (BP and WT) independently screened search results to identify
studies that met eligibility criteria. Main results: No studies were identified that met the inclusion criteria for this review. Authors'
conclusions: There are no randomised and quasi-randomised trials that compare psychoanalytic/psychodynamic therapy with treatment as usual, no
treatment or waiting list control for children and adolescents who have been sexually abused. As a result, we cannot draw any conclusions as to the
effectiveness of psychoanalytic/psychodynamic psychotherapy for this population. This important gap emphasises the need for further research into the
effectiveness of psychoanalytic/psychodynamic psychotherapy in this population. Such research should ideally be in the form of methodologically
high-quality, large-scale randomised controlled trials. If these are not conducted, future systematic reviews on this subject may need to consider
including other lower quality evidence in order to avoid overlooking important research. Copyright © 2013 The Cochrane Collaboration.
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2013 (7) (no
pagination)(CD008162) :
- Year: 2013
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any), Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Depressive Disorders, Suicide or self-harm behaviours (excluding non-suicidal self-harm)
- Type: Systematic reviews
-
Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions
(any), Psychodynamic/Psychoanalysis
Bennett, Kathryn, Manassis, Katharina, Walter, Stephen
D, Cheung, Amy, Duda,
Stephanie, Rice,
Maureen, Baer, Susan, Barrett, Paula, Bodden, Denise, Cobham, Vanessa E., Dadds, Mark R., Ginsburg, Golda, Heyne, David, Hudson, Jennifer L., Kendall, Philip C., Liber,
Juliette, Warner, Carrie Masia, Mendlowitz, Sandra, Nauta, Maaike H., Rapee, Ronald M., Silverman, Wendy, Siqueland, Lynne, Spence, Susan H, Utens, Elisabeth, Wood, Jeffrey J.
Background: Investigations of age effects on youth anxiety outcomes in randomized trials (RCTs) of
cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) have failed to yield a clear result due to inadequate statistical power and methodologic weaknesses. We conducted an
individual patient data metaanalysis to address this gap. Question: Does age moderate CBT effect size, measured by a clinically and statistically
significant interaction between age and CBT exposure? Methods: All English language RCTs of CBT for anxiety in 6 - 19 year olds were identified using
systematic review methods. Investigators of eligible trials were invited to submit their individual patient data. The anxiety disorder interview
schedule (ADIS) primary diagnosis severity score was the primary outcome. Age effects were investigated using multilevel modeling to account for
study level data clustering and random effects. Results: Data from 17 of 23 eligible trials were obtained (74%); 16 studies and 1,171 (78%) cases
were available for the analysis. No interaction between age and CBT exposure was found in a model containing age, sex, ADIS baseline severity score,
and comorbid depression diagnosis (power = 80%). Sensitivity analyses, including modeling age as both a categorical and continuous variable, revealed
this result was robust. Conclusions: Adolescents who receive CBT in efficacy research studies show benefits comparable to younger children. However,
CBT protocol modifications routinely carried out by expert trial therapists may explain these findings. Adolescent CBT protocols are needed to
facilitate the transportability of efficacy research effects to usual care settings where therapists may have less opportunity for CBT training and
expertise development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved). (journal abstract)
Depression & Anxiety, 30(9) : 829-
841
- Year: 2013
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any)
- Type: Systematic reviews
-
Stage: Disorder established (diagnosed disorder)
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions
(any), Cognitive & behavioural therapies (CBT)
Bussell, J.
Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate
whether acupuncture can improve memory and reduce anxiety.; Design, Setting and Subjects: A two-group, randomized, single-blind study involving 90
undergraduate university students was conducted from January to December of 2011.; Interventions: Subjects completed the State-Trait Anxiety
Inventory (STAI) form Y-1 (State Anxiety, SA) and Y-2 (Trait Anxiety, TA). Then, each subject lay on a treatment table for 20 minutes. The
acupuncture group had needles inserted into select acupoints; control subjects did not. Subjects then completed the STAI form Y-1 again, after which
they completed the Automated Operation Span Task (AOSPAN) - a computerized test of working memory.; Main Outcome Measures: Performance on the AOSPAN
and the STAI scores were the main measures of the outcomes.; Results: The acupuncture group scored 9.5% higher than the control group on the AOSPAN
Total Correct Score (65.39 vs. 59.9, p=0.0134), and committed 36% fewer math errors (2.68 vs. 4.22, p=0.0153). Acupuncture subjects also reported
lower SA after intervention than control subjects (26.14 vs. 29.63, p=0.0146).; Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Journal of Acupuncture & Meridian Studies, 6(5) : 241-
246
- Year: 2013
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any)
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: Universal prevention
-
Treatment and intervention: Complementary & Alternative
Interventions (CAM), Acupuncture, acupressure
Cavanagh, K., Strauss, C., Cicconi, F., Griffiths,
N., Wyper, A., Jones, F.
Objectives: There is growing evidence that mindfulness has
positive consequences for both psychological and physical health in both clinical and non-clinical populations. The potential benefits of mindfulness
underpin a range of therapeutic intervention approaches designed to increase mindfulness in both clinical and community contexts. Self-guided
mindfulness-based interventions may be a way to increase access to the benefits of mindfulness. This study explored whether a brief, online,
mindfulness-based intervention can increase mindfulness and reduce perceived stress and anxiety/depression symptoms within a student population.
Method: One hundred and four students were randomly allocated to either immediately start a two-week, self-guided, online, mindfulness-based
intervention or a wait-list control. Measures of mindfulness, perceived stress and anxiety/depression were administered before and after the
intervention period. Results: Intention to treat analysis identified significant group by time interactions for mindfulness skills, perceived stress
and anxiety/depression symptoms. Participation in the intervention was associated with significant improvements in all measured domains, where no
significant changes on these measures were found for the control group. Conclusions: This provides evidence in support of the feasibility and
effectiveness of shorter self-guided mindfulness-based interventions. The limitations and implications of this study for clinical practice are
discussed. (copyright) 2013 Elsevier Ltd.
Behaviour Research & Therapy, 51(9) : 573-
578
- Year: 2013
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any), Depressive Disorders
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: Universal prevention
-
Treatment and intervention: Service Delivery & Improvement, Psychological Interventions
(any), Mindfulness based
therapy, Technology, interventions delivered using technology (e.g. online, SMS)
Chan, Ee
Suen, Koh, David, Teo, Yan Choo, Hj-Tamin, Rozita, Lim, Alice, Fredericks, Salim.
Background: Qigong, a traditional Chinese exercise, has a potential role in the
management of stress.; Objective: To examine the influence of Qigong training on depression, anxiety and stress.; Design: A randomised control trial
among first year student participants.; Methods: Qigong was practised twice a week by the study group (n = 18) while a control group (n = 16) had no
intervention. The Depression, Anxiety and Stress (DASS-21) and Patient Health Questionnaires (PHQ) were administered. Salivary biomarkers were also
measured over a 10-week period.; Results: After 10 weeks, only the Qigong group showed a statistically significant improvement in their depression,
anxiety and stress scores. Similarly, increases in secretion rates of salivary immunoglobulin-A, and decreases in salivary cortisol concentrations
were seen only in the Qigong group.; Conclusions: The practice of Qigong improves psychological states and mucosal immunity; as indicated by
psychometric tests and biochemical markers of stress.; Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Complementary
Therapies in Clinical Practice, 19(4) : 179-183
- Year: 2013
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any)
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: Universal prevention
-
Treatment and intervention: Complementary & Alternative
Interventions (CAM), Mind-body exercises (e.g. yoga, tai chi, qigong)
Chandla, S.
S., Sood, S., Dogra, R., Das, S., Shukla, S. K., Gupta, Sanjay
There has been an increasing interest in pranayamic breathing exercises which have been known to improve the
quality of life. Present study was conducted to find out the effect of Bhastrika and Anulom Vilom Pranayam and yogasana on heart rate variability,
general well being, cognition and anxiety levels of the medical students. Ninety-six medical students were randomly divided into two groups. One
group performed Bhastrika and Anulom Vilom Pranayam and the second Suryanamaskar for six weeks. The subjects were made to fill in PGI memory scale,
Hamilton- anxiety scale and psychological general well being schedule and recording of heart rate variability parameters was done, before and after
six weeks of pranayam practice. The results showed highly significant increase in high frequency (HF) components of heart rate variability and
decrease in low frequency (LF) components and LF/HF inthe group practising pranayam. There was also highly significant improvement of cognition,
general well being and anxiety as shown by the PGI memory scale, Hamilton- anxiety scale and psychological general well being schedule scores in this
group. In the yogasana group no significant changes were observed in the heart rate variability, cognition and anxiety although psychological general
well being schedule scores significantly improved after six weeks practice of yogasana. The study shows that practice of slow breathing type of
pranayam for six weeks improves cognition, anxiety and general well being and Increases the parasympathetic activity. Whereas there was no effect of
the yogasana on the above parameters except improvements in the general well being.;
Journal of the Indian
Medical Association, 111(10) : 662-665
- Year: 2013
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any)
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: Universal prevention
-
Treatment and intervention: Complementary & Alternative
Interventions (CAM), Mind-body exercises (e.g. yoga, tai chi, qigong)
Britton, Jennifer C., Bar-Haim, Yair, Clementi, Michelle A., Sankin, Lindsey S., Chen, Gang, Shechner, Tomer, Norcross, Maxine A., Spiro, Carolyn N., Lindstrom, Kara M., Pine, Daniel S.
Attention Bias Modification Treatment (ABMT), an emerging treatment
for anxiety disorders, is thought to modify underlying, stable patterns of attention. Therefore, ABMT research should take into account the impact of
attention bias stability on attention training response, especially in pediatric populations. ABMT research typically relies on the dot-probe task,
where individuals detect a probe following an emotional-neutral stimulus pair. The current research presents two dot-probe experiments relevant to
ABMT and attention-bias stability. In Experiment 1, anxious youth receiving 8-weeks of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) were randomly assigned to
ABMT that trains attention towards happy faces (n=18) or placebo (n=18). Two additional comparison groups, anxious youth receiving only CBT (n=17)
and healthy comparison youth (n=16), were studied. Active attention training towards happy faces did not augment clinician-rated response to CBT;
however, individuals receiving training exhibited reductions on self-report measures of anxiety earlier than individuals receiving CBT only. In
Experiment 2, healthy youth (n=12) completed a dot-probe task twice while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging. Intra-class correlation
demonstrated stability of neural activation in response to attention bias in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and amygdala. Together, these two
studies investigate the ways in which attention-bias stability may impact future work on ABMT.; Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights
reserved.
Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 4 : 52-64
- Year: 2013
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any)
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions
(any), Cognitive & behavioural therapies (CBT), Attention/cognitive bias
modification
Blanco, Carlos, Bragdon,
Laura B., Schneier, Franklin R., Liebowitz, Michael R.
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a highly prevalent and often disabling disorder. This paper
reviews the pharmacological treatment of SAD based on published placebo-controlled studies and published meta-analyses. It addresses three specific
questions: What is the first-line pharmacological treatment of SAD? How long should treatment last? What should be the management of treatment-
resistant cases? Based on their efficacy for SAD and common co-morbid disorders, tolerability and safety, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
(SSRIs) and venlafaxine should be considered the first-line treatment for most patients. Less information is available regarding the optimal length
of treatment, although individuals who discontinue treatment after 12-20 wk appear more likely to relapse than those who continue on medication. Even
less empirical evidence is available to support strategies for treatment-resistant cases. Clinical experience suggests that SSRI non-responders may
benefit from augmentation with benzodiazepines or gabapentin or from switching to monoamine oxidase inhibitors, reversible inhibitors of monoamine
oxidase A, benzodiazepines or gabapentin. Cognitive-behavioural is a well-established alternative first line therapy that may also be a helpful
adjunct in non-responders to pharmacological treatment of SAD.;
International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, 16(1) : 235-
249
- Year: 2013
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any)
- Type: Systematic reviews
-
Stage: Disorder established (diagnosed disorder)
-
Treatment and intervention: Biological Interventions
(any), Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), Anxiolytics including benzodiazepines