Disorders - Anxiety Disorders
Biddle,
S. J., Asare, M.
To
synthesise reviews investigating physical activity and depression, anxiety, self-esteem and cognitive functioning in children and adolescents and to
assess the association between sedentary behaviour and mental health by performing a brief review. Searches were performed in 2010. Inclusion
criteria specified review articles reporting chronic physical activity and at least one mental health outcome that included depression,
anxiety/stress, self-esteem and cognitive functioning in children or adolescents. Four review articles reported evidence concerning depression, four
for anxiety, three for self-esteem and seven for cognitive functioning. Nine primary studies assessed associations between sedentary behaviour and
mental health. Physical activity has potentially beneficial effects for reduced depression, but the evidence base is limited. Intervention designs
are low in quality, and many reviews include cross-sectional studies. Physical activity interventions have been shown to have a small beneficial
effect for reduced anxiety, but the evidence base is limited. Physical activity can lead to improvements in self-esteem, at least in the short term.
However, there is a paucity of good quality research. Reviews on physical activity and cognitive functioning have provided evidence that routine
physical activity can be associated with improved cognitive performance and academic achievement, but these associations are usually small and
inconsistent. Primary studies showed consistent negative associations between mental health and sedentary behaviour. Association between physical
activity and mental health in young people is evident, but research designs are often weak and effects are small to moderate. Evidence shows small
but consistent associations between sedentary screen time and poorer mental health.
British Journal of Sports Medicine, 45(11) : 886-
895
- Year: 2011
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any)
- Type: Systematic reviews
-
Stage: Universal prevention, At risk (indicated or selected prevention), Disorder established (diagnosed disorder)
-
Treatment and intervention: Complementary & Alternative
Interventions (CAM), Physical activity, exercise
Dehghan-Nayeri, Nahid, Adib-Hajbaghery, Mohsen
Objectives: Design and Setting: Interventions: Results: Conclusions:
This study conducted to assess the effects of relaxation techniques on anxiety and the quality of life of female dormitory students.A non-randomized
controlled trial was conducted in 4 female dormitories of Tehran University of medical sciences.The students of four dorms were randomly allocated to
the experimental and control groups. The Spielberger inventory and a modified version of WHO quality of life questionnaire were administered to both
groups. Then the experimental group was taught to do the relaxation techniques for two months. A post-test conducted on both groups after two
months.Significant differences were noticed between anxiety and quality of life of the two groups after the intervention. The overall quality of life
score was significantly higher in experimental group after the two months of relaxation exercises.relaxation techniques can be effective for
improving the students' anxiety that in turn will improve their quality of life especially in the examination periods.\rCopyright © 2011 Elsevier
Ltd. All rights reserved.
Complementary Therapies in
Medicine, 19(4) : 194-200
- Year: 2011
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any)
- Type: Controlled clinical trials
-
Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Complementary & Alternative
Interventions (CAM), Relaxation
Eismont, E. V., Lutsyuk, N. V., Pavlenko, V. B.
We estimated the efficacy of using the technique of feedback (FB) by EEG characteristics (EEG-FB, neurotherapy) with the aim of
reducing increased anxiety levels in healthy 10- to 14-year-old children. The anxiety level was estimated using the Prikhojan anxiety test, the
Spielberger-Khanin questionnaire, and the House-Tree-Person projective drawing technique. Positive effects of series of neurotherapy sessions were
obvious. After training was completed, we observed significant increases in the ratios of the amplitudes of alpha and theta rhythms, semsorimotor and
theta rhythms, as well as of the modal frequency of the EEG alpha rhythm in tested persons of the experimental group (n=7). In the control group
(n=10), changes in these values did not reach the significance level. In the experimental group of tested persons subjected to EEG-FB sessions, the
anxiety level decreased appreciably; in addition, the indices \"feeling of inferiority\" and \"frustration\" decreased significantly. In the control
group, alterations of these psychological indices were not unidirectional. Therefore, modifications of the EEG pattern, which occurred in the course
of training and were accompanied by a decrease in the anxiety level in the experimental group, can be indicative of the expediency of EEG-FB for the
reduction of high anxiety levels in children and teenagers. (copyright) 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.
Neurophysiology, 43(1) : 53-
61
- Year: 2011
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any)
- Type: Controlled clinical trials
-
Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions
(any), Biofeedback, neurofeedback, audio/video feedback
Frattaroli, Joanne
Our study sought to determine whether experimental disclosure could improve exam performance and
psychological health in students taking a graduate school entrance exam. Students preparing for the GRE, MCAT, LSAT, or PCAT were randomly assigned
to write expressively about their upcoming exam or to a neutral writing condition. Participants completed measures of depressive symptoms and test
anxiety before and after writing, and exam scores were collected. The experimental disclosure group had significantly higher test scores and
significantly lower pre-exam depressive symptoms than the neutral writing group. Although benefits for depressive symptoms were found in expressive
writers regardless of exam type, the advantage of expressive writing for test performance was only observed in students taking the MCAT or LSAT.
(PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved) (journal abstract)
Emotion, 11(3) : 691-
696
- Year: 2011
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any)
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Complementary & Alternative
Interventions (CAM), Creative expression: music, dance, drama, art
Fisak-Jr, Brian J, Richard, Dan, Mann, Angela
The purpose of this study
was to provide a comprehensive review of the effectiveness of child and adolescent anxiety prevention programs. Mean weighted effect sizes were
calculated, and studies were encoded for potential moderator variables. A statistically significant effect size of .18 was obtained at post-
intervention, which is consistent with effect sizes reported in reviews of depression, eating disorder, and substance abuse prevention programs.
However, the effect sizes obtained at follow-up yielded mixed results. Significant moderators of program effectiveness were found including provider
type (professional versus lay provider) and the use of the FRIENDS program. In contrast, program duration, participant age, gender, and program type
(universal versus targeted) were not found to moderate program effectiveness. Clinical implications and directions for future research are discussed,
including the need for more long-term follow-up, early prevention programs, and studies that systematically examine the impact of parent involvement
on program effectiveness.\r© Society for Prevention Research 2011
Prevention Science, 12(3) : 255-
268
- Year: 2011
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any)
- Type: Systematic reviews
-
Stage: Universal prevention, At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Service Delivery & Improvement, Psychological Interventions
(any)
Davis-III,
TE., May, Anna., Whiting, Sara E.
Research on treatments for childhood anxiety disorders has increased greatly in
recent decades. As a result, it has become increasingly necessary to synthesize the findings of these treatment studies into reviews in order to draw
wider conclusions on the efficacy of treatments for childhood anxiety. Previous reviews of this literature have used varying criteria to determine
the evidence base. For the current review, stricter criteria consistent with the original Task Force (1995) guidelines were used to select and
evaluate studies. Studies were divided by anxiety disorder; however, many studies combine various anxiety disorders in their samples. As a result,
these were included in a combined anxiety disorder group. Using more traditional guidelines, studies were assigned a status of well-established,
probably efficacious, or experimental based on the available literature and the quality of the studies. While some treatments do meet the criteria
for well-established status, it is clear from this examination that gaps remain and replication is necessary to establish many of these treatments as
efficacious. In addition, there still appears to be a lack of research on the effects of treatment on the physiological and cognitive aspects of fear
and anxiety. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved) (journal abstract)
Clinical Psychology Review, 31(4) : 592-
602
- Year: 2011
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Social phobia (social anxiety disorder), Specific
Phobia
- Type: Systematic reviews
-
Stage: Disorder established (diagnosed disorder)
-
Treatment and intervention: Biological Interventions
(any), Psychological Interventions
(any)
Hongratanaworakit, T.
Although blended essential oils are increasingly being used for the improvement of the quality of life and for the relief of various symptoms
in patients, the scientific evaluation of the aroma-therapeutic effects of blended essential oils in humans is rather scarce. In this study, we
hypothesized that applying blended essential oil would provide a synergistic effect that would have a chance for success in treating depression or
anxiety. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to investigate the effects of the blended essential oil on autonomic parameters and on
emotional responses in humans following transdermal absorption. The blended essential oil consisted of lavender and bergamot oils. Human autonomic
parameters, i.e. blood pressure, pulse rate, breathing rate, and skin temperature, were recorded as indicators of the arousal level of the autonomic
nervous system. In addition, subjects had to rate their emotional condition in terms of relaxation, vigor, calmness, attentiveness, mood, and
alertness in order to assess subjective behavioral arousal. Forty healthy volunteers participated in the experiments. Blended essential oil was
applied topically to the skin of the abdomen of each subject. Compared with placebo, blended essential oil caused significant decreases of pulse
rate, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure, which indicated a decrease of autonomic arousal. At the emotional level, subjects in the blended
essential oil group rated themselves as 'more calm' and 'more relaxed' than subjects in the control group. This finding suggests a decrease of
subjective behavioral arousal. In conclusion, our investigation demonstrates the relaxing effect of a mixture of lavender and bergamot oils. This
synergistic blend provides evidence for its use in medicine for treating depression or anxiety in humans.
Natural Product Communications, 6(8) : 1199-
1204
- Year: 2011
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any)
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: Universal prevention
-
Treatment and intervention: Complementary & Alternative
Interventions (CAM), Other complementary & alternative
interventions
Grassi, Alessandra, Gaggioli, Andrea, Riva, Giuseppe
A Stress Inoculation Training-based protocol
tested if multimedia audio-video content induced emotional changes and reduced exam anxiety in university students. Seventy-five participants took
part in six experimental sessions consisting of viewing multimedia content and performing relaxation exercises. Participants were randomly assigned
to five experimental groups: 1) audio and video narrative on mobile phone (UMTS); 2) audio and video narrative on DVD (DVD), 3) audio narrative on
MP3 player (M3), 4) audio narrative on CD (CD), 5) control group (CTRL). Results showed that audio/video content induced a significant reduction in
exam anxiety and an increase of relaxation in students, compared to the audio-only contents.
Studies in Health Technology & Informatics, 167 : 57-
62
- Year: 2011
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any)
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: Universal prevention
-
Treatment and intervention: Complementary & Alternative
Interventions (CAM), Service Delivery & Improvement, Psychological Interventions
(any), Other Psychological Interventions, Relaxation, Technology, interventions delivered using technology (e.g. online, SMS)
Heiervang, E, Wergeland, G. J., Fjermestad, K., Haugland, B. S. M., Ost, L.
G., Havik, O. E., Oeding, K., Bjanullstad, J.
F.
Introduction: Efficacy studies of CBT for childhood anxiety disorders have found significant effects for up to 70% of the patients, but less
is known about the effectiveness with youths in routine clinical care. We have therefore studied the effectiveness of the FRIENDS for Life program in
seven child and adolescent mental health outpatient clinics in Western Norway. Method: Subjects were randomized to group or individual treatment,
some with a preceding wait-list period with a mean duration equal to the treatment period of 10 weeks. A total of 183 referred youths aged 8-15 years
with separation anxiety, generalized anxiety or social anxiety disorder were included. There were few exclusion criteria. Pre-, post- and 1 year
follow-up assessments included the Anxiety Disorder Interview Schedule for children and parents, Spence Children's Anxiety Scale and the Short Mood
and Feelings Questionnaire. Results: Significant improvement was observed both for individual and group treatment with regard to diagnostic status,
anxiety symptoms and depressive symptoms, with little change after the wait-list period. Post-treatment around had recovered from their principal
diagnosis. There was a moderate effect size on anxiety and depressive symptoms. Preliminary data show continuing effects at 1 year follow-up, with no
significant effect of treatment format. Discussion: The study is one of the largest studies of CBT for anxiety in children carried out in regular
clinics with regular clinicians. The FRIENDS for Life CBT program seems to be an effective treatment when delivered in ordinary clinical settings,
with equal effects for individual and group formats. Conclusion: Manualised CBT is effective for childhood anxiety disorders in ordinary clinical
care both at short- and long-term (1 year) and may be recommended for clinical use.
European Child & Adolescent
Psychiatry, 20 : S45
- Year: 2011
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any), Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Social phobia (social anxiety disorder)
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions
(any), Cognitive & behavioural therapies (CBT)
Ginsburg, Golda S., Kendall, Philip C., Sakolsky, Dara, Compton, Scott N., Piacentini,
John, Albano, Anne Marie, Walkup, John T., Sherrill, Joel, Coffey, Kimberly A., Rynn, Moira A., Keeton, Courtney P., McCracken, James T., Bergman,
Lindsey, Iyengar,
Satish, Birmaher, Boris, March, John
Objective: To report on remission rates in anxious youth who participated in the Child/Adolescent Anxiety Multimodal Study (CAMS). The CAMS, a
multisite clinical trial, randomized 488 children and adolescents (ages 7–17 years; 79% Caucasian; 50% female) with separation, social, and/or
generalized anxiety disorder to a 12-week treatment of sertraline (SRT), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), their combination (COMB), or clinical
management with pill placebo (PBO). Method: The primary definition of remission was loss of all study-entry anxiety disorder diagnoses; additional
definitions of remission were used. All outcomes were rated by independent evaluators blind to treatment assignment. Predictors of remission were
also examined. Results: Remission rates after 12 weeks of treatment ranged from 46% to 68% for COMB, 34% to 46% for SRT, 20% to 46% for CBT, and 15%
to 27% for PBO. Rates of remission (i.e., achieving a nearly symptom-free state) were significantly lower than rates of response (i.e., achieving a
clinically meaningful improvement relative to baseline) for the entire sample. Youth who received COMB had significantly higher rates of remission
compared to all other treatment groups. Both monotherapies had higher remission rates compared to PBO, but rates were not different from each other.
Predictors of remission were younger age, nonminority status, lower baseline anxiety severity, absence of other internalizing disorders (e.g.,
anxiety, depression), and absence of social phobia. Conclusions: For the majority of children, some symptoms of anxiety persisted, even among those
showing improvement after 12 weeks of treatment, suggesting a need to augment or extend current treatments for some children. (PsycINFO Database
Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved) (journal abstract)
Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology, 79(6) : 806-
813
- Year: 2011
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any), Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Social phobia (social anxiety disorder)
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: Disorder established (diagnosed disorder)
-
Treatment and intervention: Biological Interventions
(any), Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), Psychological Interventions
(any), Cognitive & behavioural therapies (CBT), Other Psychological Interventions
Heyne, David, Sauter, Floor M., Van-Widenfelt, Brigit M., Vermeiren, Robert, Westenberg, P.
Michiel
The
main objectives were to evaluate efficacy and acceptability of a developmentally sensitive cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety-based school
refusal in adolescence. Twenty school-refusing adolescents meeting DSM-IV anxiety disorder criteria participated in a non-randomized trial, together
with parents and school staff. Outcome was assessed at post-treatment and 2-month follow-up. Treated adolescents showed significant and maintained
improvements across primary outcome variables (school attendance; school-related fear; anxiety), with medium to large effect sizes. Half of the
adolescents were free of any anxiety disorder at follow-up. Additional improvements were observed across secondary outcome variables (depression;
overall functioning; adolescent and parent self-efficacy). The treatment was rated as acceptable by adolescents, parents, and school staff, which may
help explain the very low attrition rate. Social anxiety disorder was the most common disorder among adolescents still meeting anxiety disorder
criteria at follow-up. Treatment modifications to improve efficacy for school-refusing adolescents presenting with social anxiety disorder are
suggested.\rCopyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 25(7) : 870-
878
- Year: 2011
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any)
- Type: Controlled clinical trials
-
Stage: Disorder established (diagnosed disorder)
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions
(any), Cognitive & behavioural therapies (CBT)
Ho, P., Tsao, J. C. I., Bloch, L., Zeltzer, L. K.
Low-income youth experience social-emotional problems
linked to chronic stress that are exacerbated by lack of access to care. Drumming is a non-verbal, universal activity that builds upon a
collectivistic aspect of diverse cultures and does not bear the stigma of therapy. A pretest-post-test non-equivalent control group design was used
to assess the effects of 12 weeks of school counselor-led drumming on social-emotional behavior in two fifth-grade intervention classrooms versus two
standard education control classrooms. The weekly intervention integrated rhythmic and group counseling activities to build skills, such as emotion
management, focus and listening. The Teachers Report Form was used to assess each of 101 participants (n = 54 experimental, n = 47 control, 90
Latino, 53.5 female, mean age 10.5 years, range 1012 years). There was 100 retention. ANOVA testing showed that intervention classrooms improved
significantly compared to the control group in broad-band scales (total problems (P <.01), internalizing problems (P <.02)), narrow-band syndrome
scales (withdrawn/depression (P <.02), attention problems (P <.01), inattention subscale (P <.001)), Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders-oriented scales (anxiety problems (P <.01), attention deficit/hyperactivity problems (P <.01), inattention subscale (P <.001), oppositional
defiant problems (P <.03)), and other scales (post-traumatic stress problems (P <.01), sluggish cognitive tempo (P <.001)). Participation in group
drumming led to significant improvements in multiple domains of social-emotional behavior. This sustainable intervention can foster positive youth
development and increase student-counselor interaction. These findings underscore the potential value of the arts as a therapeutic tool. Copyright
(copyright) 2011 Ping Ho et al.
Evidence-based Complementary & Alternative
Medicine, 2011 :
- Year: 2011
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any)
- Type: Controlled clinical trials
-
Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Complementary & Alternative
Interventions (CAM), Psychological Interventions
(any), Other Psychological Interventions, Creative expression: music, dance, drama, art