Browsing by Subject "Anxiety"
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Item A longitudinal study of depression, PTSD, and anxiety symptoms in first responders(2019-09-05) Feldman, Avtalya Rose; Carlson, Caryn L.First responders witness traumatic events at rates unmatched by nearly any other profession, and research has subsequently found that they exhibit elevated rates of psychopathology. Factors predicting the development of this psychopathology, however, remain largely unknown. This study longitudinally examines predictors of PTSD, depression, and anxiety symptoms in first responders. Participants included 135 emergency medical technicians and paramedics. Multiple linear regressions were used to model predictors of PTSD, depression, and anxiety symptomatology at baseline, as well as changes from baseline to 3-month follow-up. Baseline levels of social support, sleep, emotional stability, and perceived stress were examined as potential predictors. Results revealed that at baseline a) higher depression symptoms were predicted by a model that included greater sleep dysfunction, lower social support, and higher perceived stress; b) PTSD symptoms were also predicted by a model that included greater sleep dysfunction, lower social support, and higher perceived stress; and c) anxiety symptoms were predicted by a model that included greater sleep dysfunction, lower social support, higher perceived stress, as well as lower emotional stability. At 3-month follow-up a) increases in depression symptoms, b) increases in anxiety symptoms, and c) increases in PTSD symptoms were each predicted by worse sleep and lower social support at baseline. In particular, the sleep subscale of disturbed sleep and the social support subscale of appraisal appeared to be driving these effects. These results highlight the importance of social support and sleep hygiene in protecting against increases in psychopathology symptoms in first responders. Although these factors have established relationships to psychopathology in the general population, their potential to serve as risk or protective factors in first responders has been largely unexplored. Future studies should examine whether interventions targeting sleep disturbances and encouraging deeper social connections can be utilized to protect against symptoms of distress in first responders.Item A multi-method investigation of the acquisition and treatment of pathological fear(2017-07-28) Lancaster, Cynthia Luethcke; Telch, Michael Joseph; Monfils, Marie; Smits, Jasper; Wolitzky-Taylor, Kate; Hixon, John GAbstract: Over the course of their lifetime, about 25% of the U.S. population will meet criteria for one or more of the anxiety-related disorders, all of which are characterized by pathological fear responding. Researchers have made significant strides in improving treatment efficacy through the development of cognitive-behavioral models for understanding the acquisition and treatment of pathological fear. Although cognitive-behavioral treatments produce marked reductions in pathological fear on average, a subgroup of patients do not respond to treatment. In an effort to improve the prevention and treatment of pathological fear, this dissertation synthesizes data from a series of studies aimed to (a) improve our understanding of factors that contribute to the development of pathological fear in a real-world setting (Study 1), (b) examine factors that influence response to exposure therapy, a technique used across gold-standard treatments pathological fear (Study 2), and (c) investigate novel strategies that could be added to exposure therapy to further improve treatment response (Study 3). Specifically, Study 1 demonstrates the contribution of cognitive appraisal (i.e., threat perception) to the onset of pathological fear in response to stressors encountered in a real-world, high-stress environment (warzone deployment). Study 2 is a meta-analysis exploring the influence of unnecessary protective actions, or safety behaviors (SBs), on outcomes of exposure therapy. Data demonstrate that removing SBs during exposure therapy improves treatment outcomes, whereas adding SBs during exposure therapy produces inferior outcomes under certain conditions, such as when treating specific phobia symptoms. Finally, Study 3 is a randomized clinical trial investigating the use of two behavioral strategies, alone and in combination, to enhance exposure therapy outcomes: (1) a brief pre-exposure fear memory reactivation trial (PE-FMR) and (2) deepened extinction. Results suggest that neither PE-FMR nor deepened extinction improve outcomes at post-treatment or one-week follow-up. However, PE-FMR augmentation produced more rapid fear reduction during treatment, and equivalent outcomes even when the duration of exposure therapy (tailored to speed of fear reduction) was shorted by 21% on average. Together, these lines of research contribute to our understanding of cognitive and behavioral influences on the development and treatment of pathological fear.Item Affective responses in cocaine-experienced rats reveal cue-induced drug craving and cocaine reward magnitude(2011-08) Maier, Esther Yvonne; Duvauchelle, Christine L.; Schallert, Timothy; Gonzales, Rueben A.; Gore, Andrea C.; Monfils, Marie H.The development and persistence of cocaine dependence are greatly influenced by emotional affect and cocaine associative learning. Cocaine is known to enhance nucleus accumbens (NAcc) dopamine, serve as a positive reinforcer and produce negative effects, such as anxiety that may influence cocaine intake behavior. In the first study, I investigated the effects of the anxiolytic, diazepam on NAcc dopamine levels and cocaine self-administration behavior. These are two factors associated with cocaine rewarding effects. Diazepam has no effect on NAcc dopamine, but affects cocaine self-administration. This supports the notion that decreasing the anxiogenic effects of cocaine increases the rewarding value in a dopamine independent manner. Therefore, increasing the aversive effects of cocaine might be a novel approach to fight cocaine dependence. In the second study, I studied cocaine-induced associative learning and changes in affect during cocaine conditioning and extinction. 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) in rats are thought to reflect positive affect and occur upon appetitive stimuli and with cocaine delivery. First, I explored whether USVs might be elicited in anticipation of impending drug delivery. Shortly into conditioning, rats elicited USVs when placed in the cocaine-associated environment. USVs progressively increased, indicating a growing learned association between cocaine intake and cocaine-associated cues. This suggests that USVs may be a useful model for investigating cocaine craving and serve as a pharmacological target for interventions aimed to reduce cocaine craving and relapse. I then examined the effects of short-term deprivation of cocaine and cocaine cues on cocaine-conditioned USVs, which were both exaggerated after abstinence. The results may have clinical implications, in that intermittently avoiding cues or context may enhance drug cue salience and increase the probability of relapse. Motivational aspects of cocaine were assessed comparing commonly measured lever response rate and locomotion with cocaine-induced USVs during cocaine administration and extinction. In agreement with prevailing findings, lever responding for cocaine and cocaine-induced locomotor activity increased across conditioning sessions. However, the number of USVs evoked in response to cocaine infusion decreased with cocaine experience. These findings suggest growing tolerance to the rewarding properties of cocaine. These studies underscore the value of USV assessment during drug dependence studies.Item Age and puberty moderation of genetic and environmental influences on self- and parent-reported internalizing symptoms(2016-12) Patterson, Megan Wales; Harden, Kathryn Paige; Tucker-Drob, Elliot MAnxiety symptoms and depression symptoms commonly co-occur and may both be influenced by the same genetic risks. Previous research also suggests that genetic influences on internalizing symptoms might shift as children age into adolescence. Additionally, the initiation of gender differences in the prevalence of anxiety and depression during adolescence has implicated puberty as playing a role in the development of internalizing disorders. The current study examined genetic and environmental influences unique to and shared between anxiety and depression as moderated by age and by puberty to determine how the etiology of internalizing disorders, and their co-occurrence, changes with development. We analyzed the data from a sample of 1,031 twins from the Texas Twin Project that range in age from 8 to 20 years (M = 13.4, SD = 2.9). Using twin-report, parent-report, and a combined-reporter composite on internalizing symptoms, three separate common and specific pathways biometric twin models for anxiety and depression were fit. These were then moderated by age, by pubertal status, and by both age and pubertal status simultaneously to determine if potential developmental shifts in genetic and environmental influences on anxiety and depression varied as a function of age, pubertal status, or both. Significant developmental trends in the etiology specific to anxiety, to depression, and broad across internalizing were not consistent across reporters. Specific to anxiety, there were genetic increases with age in the combined report models. Specific to depression, there were genetic increases by parent-report with both age and pubertal status. For broad internalizing, there were genetic increases with age by parent-report, and shared environmental decreases with age by twin report. No significant trends were detected in any model when both age and puberty were simultaneously entered as moderators, suggesting that these developmental trends are not of sufficient magnitude to distinguish between the effects of chronological age or pubertal status.Item An examination of the relationship between parental accommodation and childhood anxiety through a cognitive-behavioral therapy intervention with parent-training(2018-07-03) Koenig, Sarah Allison; Stark, Kevin Douglas; Carlson, Cindy; Beretvas, Tasha; Jacobvitz, DeborahCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is recognized as the most well-established and effective psychosocial treatment for anxiety disorders. However, there are still many children who do not respond to individual CBT or do not maintain their treatment gains over time. The adverse effects of parent accommodation for anxious youth have been substantiated in the last five years. Therefore, there is growing support to include parents in treatment in order to target this maladaptive parenting behavior. The present study is proposed as a means to further understand the relevance of addressing parental accommodation in the treatment of childhood anxiety and to further evaluate the added benefits of involving parents in treatment. Additionally, it examines the relationship between parental pathology and accommodation, and if parental pathology may impact a parent’s ability to reduce accommodation. A sample of 47 anxiety-disordered youth, ages 7 – 17, who are participating in an ongoing intervention study at an Austin-based mental health clinic, Texas Child Study Center (TCSC), was used. This study investigated the change in parental accommodation behaviors after a 12-week intervention with standard child CBT treatment and an additional parent-training component, as well as the relationship between parental accommodation and child treatment response. A secondary goal was to investigate the relationship between parental anxiety and parental accommodation levels, before and after parent-training. Analyses provided several significant findings. Parental accommodation decreased after involvement in a 12-week CBT treatment with parent training. Additionally, parental accommodation at post-treatment was predictive of child-impairment at post-treatment, as measured by both parent-report and clinician-rating, above and beyond pre-treatment impairment. Finally, parental accommodation significantly correlated with parental anxiety at post-treatment but not at pre-treatment, although prior studies have found this significant relationship for parents prior to treatment. This study lends support for the relevance of addressing parental accommodation in the treatment of childhood anxiety and highlights the benefits of involving parents in treatment. By addressing accommodation with parents of anxious children, clinicians may see more substantial or sustained improvements, treat children who may not have responded to traditional CBT techniques, and even help families of children who are treatment refusers.Item An experimental self-compassion intervention for victims of cyberbullying(2022-05-06) Davidson, Oliver Anton; Neff, Kristin; Kolts, Russell; Falbo, Toni; Muenks, KatherineToday, most adolescents and young adults have experienced cyberbullying or known someone who has experienced cyberbullying. While cyberbullying is becoming ubiquitous, it’s consequences can still be quite severe. Cybervictims tend to report lower self-esteem and higher levels of depression, anxiety, anger, and aggression. Despite the prevalence and consequences of cybervictimization, only a few interventions exist that reduce the prevalence of cyberbullying and even fewer that mitigate its emotional impact. This study sought to investigate the potential of one social-emotional intervention for cybervictimization, self-compassion, to reduce an individual’s negative emotional response (i.e., depression, anxiety, anger) to a difficult online interaction and subsequent negative behaviors (i.e., retaliatory aggression), as well as how it compared to a similar self-esteem intervention and a control group. To investigate this, participants completed pretest measures of mood before playing an online game in which they received negative feedback from their opponent. Afterwards, participants were assigned to either a self-compassion, self-esteem or control writing condition and completed post-test measures of mood. They also had the opportunity to retaliate against their opponent. Using MANCOVA, significant differences in in measures of mood and retaliation between the groups was found when adjusting for pretest mood. Separate ANCOVA tests for each of the mood variables revealed significant group differences in depression, anger, and shame and a marginal difference in anxiety. Post-hoc group comparisons using Tukey’s indicated a significant difference between the self-compassion group and the control group on mean levels of shame, suggesting that self-compassion helped individuals to avoid making severe negative attributions towards themselves (i.e., shameful feelings that the self is bad). However, post-hoc testing also revealed significant group differences between the self-esteem group and the control group in posttest levels of depression. While the effects of this brief mood manipulation were small, the encouraging directions and trends in the findings suggest a brief self-compassion training intervention specifically for helping teens and young adults manage difficult online interactions may be a useful tool in combating the worst consequences of the cyberbullying epidemic.Item Anxiety and conduct problems in children and adolescents : the role of executive functioning in a dual-pathway model(2013-08) Mauseth, Tory Ann; Keith, Timothy, 1952-; Robillard, Rachel WestAlthough anxiety disorders and conduct problems often co-occur in children and adolescents, literature describing the effects of such co-occurrence is mixed. There is evidence that symptoms of anxiety disorders may mitigate symptoms of conduct problems (buffering hypothesis) or may exacerbate symptoms of conduct problems (multiple problem hypothesis). A dual-pathway model has been proposed that suggests several possible etiological or risk processes that may differentiate these pathways (i.e., the buffering hypothesis or the multiple problem hypothesis) (Drabick, Ollendick, & Bubier, 2010). Executive functioning is one factor that has been identified that may differentially confer risk to the proposed pathways; however, little research has been done investigating its role. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the dual-pathway model by determining whether executive functioning abilities contribute to differentiating those youth for whom anxiety exacerbates conduct problems from those for whom anxiety mitigates conduct problems. Specifically, the study sought to examine if executive functioning moderated the effect of anxiety symptom severity on conduct problems. Latent variable structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the data of 221 youth aged 9 to 16 in a residential treatment center who completed a full neuropsychological evaluation. Results of the study failed to support the hypothesis that executive functioning moderates the effect of anxiety on conduct problems. Furthermore, a structural equation model without an interaction between executive functioning and anxiety was found to fit the data better than a model with an interaction between those variables. Overall, the study found that executive functioning abilities could not distinguish youth for whom anxiety exacerbates conduct problems from youth for whom anxiety mitigates conduct problems. Recommendations for future research in light of the limitations of the current study, as well as remaining gaps in the literature, are discussed.Item Anxiety in pediatric epilepsy : the role of stigma and illness cognitions(2019-08-14) Loblein, Hayley Jeanne; Keith, Timothy Z., 1952-; Titus, Jeffrey; Bearman, Sarah Kate; Cawthon, StephanieYouth with epilepsy are at an increased risk for developing anxiety when compared to healthy youth (Alwash, Hussein, & Matloub, 2000; Jones et al., 2007; Russ et al., 2012) and when compared to youth with other chronic health conditions (Pinquart & Shen, 2011). Parents have become a significant focus of research examining the environmental risk and protective factors for anxiety in healthy children (Creswell, Murray, & Cooper, 2011; Gregory & Eley, 2007), and this is an area of growing research in youth with epilepsy (Jones & Reilly, 2016; Rodenburg, Meijer, Dekovic, & Aldenkamp, 2006; Schraegle & Titus, 2017a). The following study aimed to examine the medical and psychosocial risk factors for anxiety in youth with epilepsy. Participants included 121 children and adolescents with epilepsy at a tertiary outpatient clinic in Central Texas who were referred by their neurologists for a neuropsychological evaluation to assist with treatment planning. Parent perceptions of stigma and parent illness cognitions were examined to determine their relationship with parent report of anxiety, seizure-related variables, and parent history of psychopathology. Using multiple regression, parent perceptions of stigma were a statistically significant predictor of parent reported child anxiety. Additional moderation analysis suggested that there is an interaction between parent perceptions of stigma and seizure severity; at higher levels of seizure severity, higher parent perceptions of stigma were related to higher parent reported features of anxiety. This suggests the potential for parent perceptions of stigma to play an important role in anxiety in pediatric epilepsy, particularly in the context of high seizure severity. Additionally, parent perceptions of stigma, parent illness cognitions, and parent reported child anxiety were all related to parent reported quality of life, suggesting the importance of addressing these psychosocial factors to improve quality of life in youth with epilepsy.Item Anxiety in the noticing and production of L2 forms: a study of beginning learners of Arabic(2014-08) Nassif, Lama; Horwitz, Elaine Kolker, 1950-; Al-Batal, Mahmoud; Schallert, Diane; Pulido , Diana; Salaberry, Maximo RafaelThis study investigated the relationship between anxiety and the noticing and integration of language forms in the learning of a less commonly taught language: Arabic. The study was motivated by the need to understand why some learners notice and integrate language forms in their second language speech better than others. Simultaneously, the study sought to understand the mechanisms through which anxiety interferes with second language speech processes. The study included a sample of 80 beginning-level learners of Arabic. The participants were assigned to two treatment conditions, Input and Output. The participants’ language anxiety was measured by the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (Horwitz, Horwitz, & Cope, 1986), and their state anxiety during the noticing and production tasks was measured by the Cognitive Interference Questionnaire (Sarason, 1978). In the treatment session, the Output group participants provided an oral description of a picture story, listened to, read, and underlined an Arabic speaker’s description, and re-described the pictures. The Input group participants answered pre-text exposure questions, listened to, read, and underlined the description, and answered post-text exposure questions. An immediate oral production posttest was administered at the end of the treatment session, and a delayed posttest was administered two weeks later. Interviews were conducted following the delayed posttest. The results showed that the noticing and integration of language forms were influenced by the type of anxiety and the nature of the forms. While language anxiety positively predicted learner noticing and integration of the language forms, state anxiety negatively predicted them. Syntactic and discourse level forms deemed more salient and of higher communicative value were more amenable to anxiety effects. No differential anxiety influences on learner noticing were detected across the Input and Output conditions. Pedagogical implications are offered in light of these findings.Item Anxiolytic effects of exogenous intranasal testosterone in humans(2019-07-29) Jin, Shuo; Josephs, Robert A.; Harden, Kathryn P; Pruessner, Jens; Smits, Jasper AHigher levels of testosterone have been associated with fewer anxiety symptoms and greater psychological wellbeing. However, additional research is needed to advance the clinical use of testosterone in mental healthcare. This dissertation aims to investigate the anxiolytic effects of testosterone in men and women through three studies. The first study examines the pharmacokinetic profile of a novel testosterone nasal spray, designed for the safe and rapid delivery of exogenous testosterone in men and women. The second study leverages the utility of this novel spray preparation, and investigates the effect of intranasal testosterone on subjective anxiety during a psychosocial challenge. The final study extends the anxiolytic effects of exogenous testosterone in women, and explores the effect of intranasal testosterone on test anxiety and cognitive performance. Collectively, these three studies aim to contribute to a broader understanding of the anxiolytic effects of testosterone, and with it, the potential for testosterone to act as a novel pharmaceutical in the treatment of anxiety.Item Assessing the psychosocial risk factors for coronary artery disease: an investigation of predictive validity for the psychosocial inventory for cardiovascular illness(2009-08) Baker, Maria Kathryn; McCarthy, Christopher J.This dissertation investigated the psychometric properties and clinical applications of the Psychosocial Inventory for Cardiovascular Illness (PICI). The PICI is an inventory developed to measure the psychosocial risk factors for heart disease including anxiety, depression, stress, social isolation, and anger. The inventory was developed to measure the ways that each psychosocial risk factor contributes to the coronary artery disease process through the lifestyle behaviors and pathophysiological mechanisms with which they are associated. The primary purpose of the study was to examine predictive validity for the PICI. With support for predictive validity, the inventory may aid in early identification of individuals at increased risk for coronary artery disease (CAD) so that behavioral, psychosocial, and medical interventions can be implemented. Both healthy and cardiac samples were used in the inventory development and validation process. The PICI was administered in conjunction with similar inventories and physiological markers of CAD were collected including percent of coronary artery blockage and history of heart attacks. Item analysis and factor analysis were used to yield a 20-item PICI comprised of three subscales to include Negative Affect, Social Isolation, and Anger. It was hypothesized that the PICI subscales would predict group membership; whether or not a participant carried a diagnosis of CAD, and would be have a strong relationship to the physiological markers of CAD that were measured. Analysis revealed that the PICI was unable to predict diagnostic status and did not have a strong relationship with the physiological markers of CAD. Results suggest that the PICI has acceptable reliability and construct validity as demonstrated in the current sample, yet further investigation must be conducted to gain support for the instrument’s predictive abilities.Item Assessment of anxiety in youth : a confirmatory factor analysis study of construct validity using multitrait-multimethod models(2017-08-04) Wang, Leah Alyssa; Stark, Kevin Douglas; Keith, Timothy Z; Cawthon, Stephanie; Jacobvitz, DeborahThis dissertation examines the construct validity of separation anxiety disorder, social phobia, and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in a sample of clinically anxious children. Participants were 572 children, 6 to 17 years old (294 boys) who consented to participate in anxiety assessment and treatment. Data for 85% of the sample came from a federally-funded, multi-site RCT. The remaining 15% came from an intervention enhancement study conducted at a mental health clinic associated with a large public university. Clinician ratings of child anxiety were obtained from the Pediatric Anxiety Rating Scale (PARS) and the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for Children and Parents (ADIS: C/P). Parent and child ratings of symptom severity were examined using the Screen for Child Anxiety and Related Disorders (SCARED) and the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC). Discriminant and convergent validity were assessed using confirmatory factor analytic (CFA) techniques to test a multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) model. CFA analyses of the data supported the conceptualization of child anxiety as three separate traits. Separation anxiety disorder, social phobia, and GAD can be reliably differentiated in children. Discriminant validity of traits was supported because the three anxiety disorders showed meaningful divergence in the data by trait. Convergent validity of traits was also supported because the three-trait model fit the data considerably better than a no-trait model. Further, evidence for discriminant validity of methods showed that each informant provided unique information about anxiety symptoms. The best model fit was obtained for a subsample of 314 children younger than age 11. A review of factor-loadings for this model showed that separation anxiety and GAD were best measured by parent reports, and the clinician report had the strongest influence on social phobia. Specifically, each of three subscales of the SCARED-P and the ADIS: C/P for social phobia proved to be the most informative evaluation tools. As a result of this analysis, clinicians may be more confident that the current classification system of anxiety disorders is accurate and that discordant informant reports encountered in practice are more a reflection of unique perspective than of poor construct validity.Item Central amygdala CART modulates ethanol withdrawal-induced anxiety(2013-08) Salinas, Armando; Morrisett, Richard A.Cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART), as its name implies, was initially identified as an upregulated transcript in response to psychostimulant administration. Consequently, it has been posited to play a role in psychostimulant abuse and dependence. Spurred on by the finding that a polymorphism in the CART gene was associated with alcoholism, we initiated studies designed to elucidate the role of CART peptide in alcohol dependence. We first investigated the functional significance of CART peptide in alcohol dependence in vivo using a CART KO mouse. We found that CART KO mice had a significant decrease in ethanol consumption that could not be attributed to differences in total intake, taste perception, metabolism, or sensitivity to ethanol. In vitro we found that CART peptide facilitated NMDA receptor-mediated currents in central amygdala neurons. Given the emerging role of CART peptide in anxiety and stress, we decided to examine basal and stress-induced anxiety behaviors in CART KO mice. Under basal and acute stress conditions, CART KO mice did not differ in anxiety-like behaviors from WT mice; however, in response to a stressor, CART KO mice exhibited a potentiated corticosterone response. Using chronic intermittent ethanol exposure (CIE), we tested CART KO and WT mice for common signs of ethanol dependence including an escalation of volitional consumption and the presence of withdrawal-induced anxiety. We further investigated glutamatergic neuroadaptations within the central amygdala of CART KO and WT mice following CIE exposure and early withdrawal. CIE increased ethanol consumption and anxiety-like behaviors in mice of both genotypes but to a lower extent in CART KO mice. Electrophysiologically, CIE enhanced spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents in both genotypes and decreased the probability of presynaptic release in WT mice only. We believe that these electrophysiological neuroadaptations contribute to the development of ethanol dependence and may mediate withdrawal-induced anxiety behaviors. Overall, these studies indicate a role for CART peptide in alcohol dependence and specifically in modulating ethanol withdrawal-induced anxiety.Item Child & adolescent anxiety and family accommodation : exploring the role of cognitive coping(2019-07-02) Morris, Joshua Adam; Stark, Kevin Douglas; Sallee, Allison; McCarthy, Christopher; Whittaker, TiffanyResearch demonstrates that family accommodation is positively correlated with the severity of childhood anxiety. This is partially due to important familial factors (e.g., attachment, parenting style, parental psychopathology) in the psychogenesis of childhood anxiety disorders. Additionally, the onset and maintenance of anxiety disorders is linked with how children and adolescents cognitively process information (e.g., interpretation and confirmation biases). Effective coping strategies, especially cognitive strategies, are a critical component to aid in the management of anxiety. Therefore, due to a need for effective parental modeling to acquire these strategies, it was hypothesized that higher levels of family accommodation reduce opportunities to acquire cognitive coping, which then results in more severe anxiety. Using data from a large anxiety treatment study evaluating the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy with an added parent component, ninety-three participants who met study criteria—primary diagnosis of Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, or Separation Anxiety Disorder—completed measures at baseline to assess levels of family accommodation, cognitive coping, and anxiety severity. After completing exploratory factor analyses and exploratory structural equation modeling to validate an experimental measure of cognitive coping, data was evaluated using structural equation modeling to assess the presence of the hypothesized mediation. Results indicated a replication of prior research supporting the relationship between family accommodation and anxiety severity. Results did not support the presence of the hypothesized mediation. Additional analyses were performed to assess potential reasons behind this finding. Data suggested that the mediator variable, cognitive coping, may have been poorly assessed via the experimental measure and, therefore, an inaccurate representation of the construct. This may have influenced the presented findings. Additionally, it is possible that cognitive coping does not explain the relationship between family accommodation and anxiety severity in youth.Item Children and the War(Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, 1943-01) Prescott, Daniel A.Item Children of the Evening(Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, 1972) Smith, Bert KrugerItem Cognitive content specificity of test anxiety and depression in college women(2007-12) Fishel, Maria Nicholaevna, 1972-; Tharinger, Deborah J.Anxiety and depression are debilitating disorders that often co-occur. Their differentiation has important ramifications for theory and treatment. Beck's (1976) Cognitive Content Specificity (CCS) hypothesis proposes that depression and anxiety are characterized by unique cognitive profiles that should be reflected, among other variables, in their cognitions. Further, the Balanced States of Mind model (BSOM; Schwartz, 1997) asserts that the cognitive ratio of positive to the sum of positive and negative cognitions is implicated in distinguishing various levels of pathology from optimal functioning. The present study used a cross-sectional design to compare the differentiating abilities of the CCS hypothesis and the joint CCS/BSOM model by examining depression and test anxiety-relevant positive and negative cognitions separately versus the BSOM cognitive ratios. Additionally, the specific interval predictions of the BSOM model were tested for test anxiety and depressive content. Four groups of college women were selected from a larger sample of college women from a large public university: Depressed (n = 51), Test Anxious (n = 51), "Mixed" Depressed and Test Anxious (n = 51), and Control (n = 51). Findings indicated that the Depressed Group differed from Test Anxious Group on test anxious and depressive negative cognitions and BSOM ratios. Consistent with previous literature, positive anxious content yielded less specificity, as it failed to discriminate between test anxious and depressed groups. While the "Mixed" group was most dysfunctional, Controls showed a least dysfunctional cognitive profile on both cognitions and cognitive ratios. Thus, the quantitative parameters of the BSOM model with varying content were partially validated, with depressive content not fitting the predictions as well as test anxious content. Results support the integration of the CCS and BSOM models and the use of a specific anxiety disorder (i.e., test anxiety) as ways to improve depression-anxiety differentiation in nonclinical populations. Theoretical and treatment implications are highlighted, and limitations are discussed.Item Computer-mediated communication : writing to speak without foreign language anxiety?(2002-08) Arnold, Marion Nike; Abrams, ZsuzsannaItem Determining the relationships between resilience, spirituality, life events, disruptions, demographic characteristics, personal history, and mental health symptoms in active duty soldiers with a recent deployment history(2012-12) Simmons, Angela Marie; Yoder, Linda H.; Carter, Patricia A; Jones, Terry L; Kenny, Deborah J; Nayback-Beebe, Ann MOf the approximately 1 million Army Soldiers who deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan at least one time between 2001 and 2007, 18.5% screened positive for posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms post-deployment (Tanielian et al., 2008). Deployed Soldiers are at a high risk for unsuccessful reintegration as evidenced by the presence of mental health symptoms. Because of the lack of evidence demonstrating the relationships between resilience and other factors that may contribute to mental health outcomes in active duty Soldiers, the purpose of this study was to determine if relationships existed among these variables in Soldiers with a recent deployment history. An adaptation of Richardson’s Metatheory of resilience guided this study. A convenience sample of 350 active duty army junior enlisted and Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) who were within 6 - 12 months from returning from deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan and stationed at Fort Campbell were recruited to participate in this cross-sectional, descriptive, correlational study. Seven self-report instruments were used to collect data: (1) Demographic Survey, (2) Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, (3) Deployment Risk and Resiliency Inventory (DRRI), (4) Daily Spiritual Experiences Scale, (5) Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, (6) Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, and (7) Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Military Version. Data were entered into SPSS 18 and analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlations, and hierarchical linear regression. Results revealed many statistically significant correlations. Ten predictors resulted from this analysis and were placed into separate regression analyses with the three mental health outcomes. Each of the mental health outcome variables (anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms) accounted for a significant amount of variance in the other. In addition to PTSD and depression, post-deployment life events, deployment environment, and resilience accounted for the most significant amount of variance in anxiety symptoms. In addition to anxiety and PTSD symptoms, post-deployment life events accounted for the most significant amount of variance in depression symptoms. Deployment environment, post-deployment life events, and post-deployment support accounted for the most significant amount of variance in PTSD symptoms, in addition to anxiety and depression. The implications of the findings and recommendations for future nursing practice, education, and research opportunities are abundant.Item Development and validation of the cognitive vulnerability schemas questionnaire for anxious youth(2014-12) Winton, Samantha Marie; Stark, Kevin DouglasAccording to cognitive theories of anxiety, anxiogenic schemata are a set of beliefs, rules, and assumptions that influence how those with anxiety make inferences and interpret threat. It is hypothesized that each anxiety disorder has a unique anxiogenic schema. This report describes the development of the Cognitive Vulnerability Schemas Questionnaire for Anxious Youth, an instrument used to measure anxiogenic schemata in youth aged 7-17 years old. Factor analyses of the scale demonstrated two empirically distinct and relatively stable dimensions of anxiogenic schema. The two identified factors of anxiogenic schema were: (1) Generalized Anxiety and Social Phobia Schema, and (2) Separation Anxiety Schema. The measure demonstrated good psychometric properties on a range of indices of reliability and validity. Results indicated that scores on the questionnaire subscales predicted anxiety symptomology. Regression analyses showed that both factors were predictors of anxiety symptomology, however did not predict anxiety diagnosis. Significant differences in the Cognitive Vulnerability Schemas Questionnaire for Anxious Youth subscales were demonstrated between patients with clinically significant Generalized Anxiety Symptoms, Social Phobia Symptoms, and Separation Anxiety Symptoms. The implications of these findings for theories of cognitive vulnerability and schema development in youth are discussed.
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