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2009

Anxiety

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Articles 1 - 26 of 26

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

The First Anniversary: Stress, Well-Being, And Optimism In Older Widows, Mary E. Minton, Melody Hertzog, Cecilia R. Barron, Jeffrey French, Roni Reiter-Palmon Dec 2009

The First Anniversary: Stress, Well-Being, And Optimism In Older Widows, Mary E. Minton, Melody Hertzog, Cecilia R. Barron, Jeffrey French, Roni Reiter-Palmon

Psychology Faculty Publications

The first anniversary for older widows (n = 47) has been explored during Months 11, 12, and 13. Concurrent correlations show that optimism inversely correlates with psychological (intrusion and avoidance) stress as measured with the Impact of Event Scale (r = —.52 to —.66, p < .005) and positively correlates with well-being (physical: r = .36 to .46, p < .025; psychosocial: r = .58 to .72, p < .005; spiritual: r = .50 to .69, p < .005). Lagged correlation patterns suggest that higher levels of optimism at a given time are associated with higher life satisfaction and spiritual well-being at later times. Psychological stress is higher at Month 12 when compared to Month 13, t(43) = 2.54, p = .01, but not when compared to Month 11, t(43) = 1.49, p > .10. There are no significant differences in physiologic stress (salivary cortisol) or well-being during the first …

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A Pilot Study Examining The Use Of Technologically Assisted Psychotherapeutic Intervention In The Delivery Of Therapy To Women With Anxiety Residing In Rural Utah Communities, Benjamin K. Farmer Dec 2009

A Pilot Study Examining The Use Of Technologically Assisted Psychotherapeutic Intervention In The Delivery Of Therapy To Women With Anxiety Residing In Rural Utah Communities, Benjamin K. Farmer

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to examine change in symptoms of anxiety and satisfaction experienced by participants who received acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) by using technologically assisted psychotherapeutic interventions (TAPI). TAPI utilizes the internet as a medium to make mental health services available and accessible to people residing in rural communities. The participants in this study were women who were experiencing severe levels of anxiety and lived in a rural community. Measures were taken at three different points in the study (pretherapy, posttherapy, and 6-months posttherapy). Participants received therapy over the internet via Macromedia Breeze videoconferencing to reduce …

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Stress, Anxiety And Depression Among Parents Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Vicki Bitsika, Christopher Sharpley Oct 2009

Stress, Anxiety And Depression Among Parents Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Vicki Bitsika, Christopher Sharpley

Vicki Bitsika

In a replication of a previous study of the incidence and contributing factors in anxiety, depression and stress in Victorian parents of a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a sample of 107 Gold Coast parents completed a questionnaire that assessed their demographic backgrounds, anxiety and depression scores on standardised inventories, and also tapped several aspects of those factors that may have contributed to their wellbeing. Over 90% of parents reported that they were sometimes unable to deal effectively with their child's behaviour. Nearly half of the participants were severely anxious and nearly two thirds were clinically depressed. Factors that …

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Smoking And Psychological Health In Relation To Country Of Origin, Michael Lyvers, Tessa Hall, Mark Bahr Oct 2009

Smoking And Psychological Health In Relation To Country Of Origin, Michael Lyvers, Tessa Hall, Mark Bahr

Mike Lyvers

In English-speaking, Western-Anglo countries, where smoking has become stigmatized in recent decades as a result of widespread anti-smoking campaigns, smokers commonly report poorer psychological health on average than non-smokers do. This may be indirectly related to the strong pressures to quit in such countries, as poorer psychological health is associated with a reduced likelihood of quitting, thus leading to a selection bias for smokers with relatively poorer psychological health. In the present study, 147 smoker and non-smoker participants either came from Western-Anglo countries where smoking has become stigmatized (Australia, Canada, U.S.) or countries in regions where smoking remains relatively more …

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Smoking And Psychological Health In Relation To Country Of Origin, Michael Lyvers, Tessa Hall, Mark Bahr Sep 2009

Smoking And Psychological Health In Relation To Country Of Origin, Michael Lyvers, Tessa Hall, Mark Bahr

Mark Bahr

In English-speaking, Western-Anglo countries, where smoking has become stigmatized in recent decades as a result of widespread anti-smoking campaigns, smokers commonly report poorer psychological health on average than non-smokers do. This may be indirectly related to the strong pressures to quit in such countries, as poorer psychological health is associated with a reduced likelihood of quitting, thus leading to a selection bias for smokers with relatively poorer psychological health. In the present study, 147 smoker and non-smoker participants either came from Western-Anglo countries where smoking has become stigmatized (Australia, Canada, U.S.) or countries in regions where smoking remains relatively more …

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The Role Of The Peer Group In Adolescence: Effects On Internalizing And Externalizing Symptoms, Glen J. Veed Aug 2009

The Role Of The Peer Group In Adolescence: Effects On Internalizing And Externalizing Symptoms, Glen J. Veed

Department of Psychology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

An adolescent’s peer group has been theorized to influence the development of psychopathology. However, little research has examined the adolescent peer group using information obtained directly from peers in a longitudinal framework. Research has also been limited on peer group influence on the development of internalizing disorders. The study used Social Network Analysis to examine self-reported anxiety, depression, aggression, and delinquency in the fall and spring of one school year for students in a rural high school. In addition to examining the effect of the peer group on individual reports of psychopathology, the strength of this relation was compared to …

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Family-Of-Origin Experience And Emotional Health As Predictors Of Relationship Self-Regulation, Matthew Dean Brown Jul 2009

Family-Of-Origin Experience And Emotional Health As Predictors Of Relationship Self-Regulation, Matthew Dean Brown

Theses and Dissertations

The general purpose of this study was to understand differences in one's ability to implement relationship self-regulation (RSR) based on the predictor variables of parental marital satisfaction, parent-child relationship quality, and neuroticism. Participants were 380 married couples (760 individuals) in their first marriage who completed the RELATionship Evaluation (RELATE) between 2006 and 2008. This sample was used to test a structural equation model of the study variables. Results were mixed, indicating that proximal factors may have a larger effect on RSR than more distal family-of-origin factors. There was no direct relationship between perceived parental marital satisfaction and RSR for males …

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The Contribution Of Anxiety And Depression To Fatigue Among A Sample Of Australian University Students: Suggestions For University Counsellors, Vicki Bitsika, Christopher Sharpley, Ryan Bell May 2009

The Contribution Of Anxiety And Depression To Fatigue Among A Sample Of Australian University Students: Suggestions For University Counsellors, Vicki Bitsika, Christopher Sharpley, Ryan Bell

Vicki Bitsika

Responses to the Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS: Zung, W. (1971). A rating instrument for anxiety disorders. Psychosomatics, 12, 371-379), the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS: Zung, W. (1973). From art to science: The diagnosis and treatment of depression. Archives of General Psychiatry, 29, 328-337) and the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) developed by Krupp and colleagues (Krupp, L.B., LaRocca, N.G., Muir-Nash, J., & Steinberg, A.D. (1989). The fatigue severity scale: Application to patients with multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus erythematosus. Archives of Neurology, 46, 1121-1123) were collected from 200 Australian university students to explore the links between these three disorders. Reliability …

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Does Mindfulness Reduce Negativity Bias? A Potential Mechanism For Reduced Emotional Distress, Laura Kiken May 2009

Does Mindfulness Reduce Negativity Bias? A Potential Mechanism For Reduced Emotional Distress, Laura Kiken

Theses and Dissertations

The present research examined if mindfulness reduced negativity bias on measures of attitude formation and cognitive style, as a potential explanation for the beneficial effects of mindfulness on emotional disturbance. Two studies were conducted. Study One was correlational and found that trait mindfulness inversely correlated with measures of negative cognitive style, and that the latter partially mediated an inverse association between mindfulness and predisposition to depression and anxiety. Further, correlations between mindfulness and both positive attitude formation and optimism hinted at a potential positivity bias. Study Two extended these findings using a randomized experimental design comparing a mindfulness induction to …

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Religiousness, Coping, And Locus Of Control As Predictors Of Anxiety., Rebecca Brooks May 2009

Religiousness, Coping, And Locus Of Control As Predictors Of Anxiety., Rebecca Brooks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In order to evaluate the cognitive appraisal and meaning-making components of the Transactional Model (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984) and Meaning-making Model (Park & Folkman, 1997) of coping, several specific forms of appraisal and coping strategies were analyzed in the present study. It has been proposed that religiousness and time influence the meaning-making process (Park, 2005); therefore, an interaction of intrinsic religiousness and time were key variables in the study as well. A survey designed to address relationships among locus of control, type of situation, intrinsic religious orientation, specific coping styles, and maladaptive psychological symptoms was administered to 240 students of …

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A Pilot Study To Explore The Use Of Expressive Writing To Reduce Anxiety And Psychological Threat In An Academic Setting, Cynthia Delores Jenkins Apr 2009

A Pilot Study To Explore The Use Of Expressive Writing To Reduce Anxiety And Psychological Threat In An Academic Setting, Cynthia Delores Jenkins

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate if the use of Pennebaker's short-term expressive writing intervention would have a positive effect on the academic performance of a group of third semester underperforming freshmen. This is a relatively brief and simple intervention pioneered by J. W. Pennebaker (1997) who conducted numerous studies using the procedure. Most of the research has involved having subjects write about traumatic, stressful or emotional events for 15–20 minutes (the maximum) over 3–5 days. In contrast, the studies by Wilson (2006) and Cohen et al (2006) used self-affirmations for writing. For this study self-affirmation directions were …

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Addressing Distress And Pain In Animal Research: The Veterinary, Research, Societal, Regulatory And Ethical Contexts For Moving Forward, Kathleen Conlee, Martin Stephens, Andrew N. Rowan Jan 2009

Addressing Distress And Pain In Animal Research: The Veterinary, Research, Societal, Regulatory And Ethical Contexts For Moving Forward, Kathleen Conlee, Martin Stephens, Andrew N. Rowan

Experimentation Collection

While most people recognize that biomedical scientists are searching for knowledge that will improve the health of humans and animals, the image of someone deliberately causing harm to an animal in order to produce data that may lead to some future benefit has always prompted an uncomfortable reaction outside the laboratory. However, proponents of animal research have usually justified the practice by reference to greater benefits (new knowledge and medical treatments) over lesser costs (in animal suffering and death). Given that one of the costs of animal research is the suffering experienced by the animals, the goal of eliminating distress …

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Not Scaring Yourself Silly: Effectively Managing Your Stage Fright, Jennifer Cumming Jan 2009

Not Scaring Yourself Silly: Effectively Managing Your Stage Fright, Jennifer Cumming

Jennifer Cumming

It is the moment you have been looking forward to for weeks with equal amounts of dread and excitement. Your preparation has gone well, but you wonder if you have done everything you can to be ready and are concerned you will make a mistake. As you wait backstage, you hear the audience taking their seats and the eager buzz of anticipation. Your fellow dancers are going through their last minute preparations and the nervous tension is building around you. Standing in your costume, you worry that your body is responding in the usual ways: your heart is beating faster …

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The Power Of The Mind : The Relationship Between Mindfulness, Quality Of Life And Anxiety For Older Adults With Chronic Illness , Tracy Elizabeth Ransom Jan 2009

The Power Of The Mind : The Relationship Between Mindfulness, Quality Of Life And Anxiety For Older Adults With Chronic Illness , Tracy Elizabeth Ransom

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This dissertation examines the relationship between mindfulness training and older adults with chronic illness and a documented clinical anxiety diagnosis. Six subjects (mean age = 69 years) who met criteria for a DSM-IV-TR anxiety condition and who endorsed one or more chronic illnesses participated in an 8-week customized mindfulness training program. The research evaluated the impact of mindfulness training and practice on depression, quality of life, health satisfaction and anxiety. This dissertation's findings suggest that of these variables, state and trait anxiety were significantly reduced at the conclusion of the program. Given these findings, this research proposes that anxiety in …

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A Hypomorphic Vasopressin Allele Prevents Anxiety-Related Behavior, Mirjam Bunck, Ludwig Czibere, Charlotte Horvath, Cornelia Graf, Elisabeth T. Frank, Melanie S. Kebler, Chris Murgatroyd, Bertram Muller-Myhsok, Mariya Gonik, Peter Weber, Benno Putz, Patrik Muigg, Markus Panhuysen, Nicolas Singewald, Thomas Bettecken, Jan M. Deussing, Florian Holsboer, Dietmar Spengler, Rainer Landgraf Jan 2009

A Hypomorphic Vasopressin Allele Prevents Anxiety-Related Behavior, Mirjam Bunck, Ludwig Czibere, Charlotte Horvath, Cornelia Graf, Elisabeth T. Frank, Melanie S. Kebler, Chris Murgatroyd, Bertram Muller-Myhsok, Mariya Gonik, Peter Weber, Benno Putz, Patrik Muigg, Markus Panhuysen, Nicolas Singewald, Thomas Bettecken, Jan M. Deussing, Florian Holsboer, Dietmar Spengler, Rainer Landgraf

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

In this study, microarray analysis, in situ hybridization, quantitative real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry revealed decreased expression of the vasopressin gene (Avp) in the hypothalamic paraventricular (PVN) and supraoptic (SON) nuclei of adult LAB mice compared to HAB, NAB (normal anxiety-related behavior) and HABxLAB F1 intercross controls, without detecting differences in receptor expression or density. By sequencing the regions 2.5 kbp up- and downstream of the Avp gene locus, we could identify several polymorphic loci, differing between the HAB and LAB lines. In the gene promoter, a deletion of twelve bp Δ(−2180–2191) is particularly likely to contribute to the reduced Avp …

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Mitigating Risk For Anxiety Among Preschool-Age Children Living In Poverty: Evaluating The Impact Of Adult-Provided Social Support On Autonomic Stress Reactivity, Brian Cory Wolff Jan 2009

Mitigating Risk For Anxiety Among Preschool-Age Children Living In Poverty: Evaluating The Impact Of Adult-Provided Social Support On Autonomic Stress Reactivity, Brian Cory Wolff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Poverty increases children's exposure to stress, elevating their risk for developing patterns of heightened sympathetic and parasympathetic stress reactivity. Repeated patterns of high sympathetic activation and parasympathetic withdrawal place children at risk for anxiety disorders. This study evaluated whether providing social support to preschool-age children during mildly stressful situations helps reduce reactivity, and whether this effect partly depends on children's previously assessed baseline reactivity patterns. The Biological Sensitivity to Context (BSC) theory proposes that highly reactive children may be more sensitive than less reactive children to all environmental influences, including social support. In contrast, conventional physiological reactivity (CPR) theory contends …

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International Students' Communication Effectiveness With U.S. Faculty Members: A Further Exploration Of Anxiety/Uncertainty Management (Aum) Theory, Yixin Chen Jan 2009

International Students' Communication Effectiveness With U.S. Faculty Members: A Further Exploration Of Anxiety/Uncertainty Management (Aum) Theory, Yixin Chen

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study established a theoretical model based on anxiety/uncertainty management (AUM) theory with English proficiency and knowledge of U.S. culture as indirect factors. A total of 180 international students at a mid-sized Southwestern university participated in surveys regarding the communication process with U.S. faculty. The results revealed that uncertainty and anxiety are positively related, and anxiety negatively predicts communication effectiveness while uncertainty does not. English proficiency is a negative predictor of both uncertainty and anxiety, while knowledge of U.S. culture is not a predictor of either uncertainty or anxiety. The results also indicated that English proficiency and knowledge of U.S. …

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Structural Relations Among Negative Affect, Mate Value, And Mating Effort, Beth Randi Kirsner, Aurelio Jose Figueredo, W. Jake Jacobs Jan 2009

Structural Relations Among Negative Affect, Mate Value, And Mating Effort, Beth Randi Kirsner, Aurelio Jose Figueredo, W. Jake Jacobs

Faculty and Research Publications

We compared the ability of models based on evolutionary economic theory and Life History (LH) Theory to explain relations among self-reported negative affect, mate value, and mating effort. Method: Two hundred thirty-eight undergraduates provided multiple measures of these latent constructs, permitting us to test a priori predictions based on Kirsner, Figueredo, and Jacobs (2003). We compared the fit of the initial model to the fit of five alternative theory-driven models using nested model comparisons of Structural Equations Models. Rejecting less parsimonious and explanatory models eliminated the original model. Two equally parsimonious models explained the data pattern well. The first, based …

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Ruminative Thought Style And Depressed Mood., Jay K Brinker, David J A Dozois Jan 2009

Ruminative Thought Style And Depressed Mood., Jay K Brinker, David J A Dozois

Psychology Publications

Recent research has suggested that the measure most commonly used to assess rumination, the Response Style Questionnaire (RSQ; L. D. Butler & S. Nolen-Hoeksema, 1994), may be heavily biased by depressive symptoms, thereby restricting the scope of research exploring this construct. This article offers a broader conceptualization of rumination, which includes positive, negative, and neutral thoughts as well as past and future-oriented thoughts. The first two studies describe the development and evaluation of the Ruminative Thought Style Questionnaire (RTS), a psychometrically sound measure of the general tendency to ruminate. Further, the scale is comprised of a single factor and shows …

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The Effects, Brain Targets, And Mechanisms Of Estradiol For Affective Behavior, Alicia Ann Walf Jan 2009

The Effects, Brain Targets, And Mechanisms Of Estradiol For Affective Behavior, Alicia Ann Walf

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Although estradiol (E2) has numerous effects in the central nervous system, this review will focus on addressing the effects of E2 on behaviors related to mood in women and animal models and include recent findings from our laboratory related to this topic. E2's anti-anxiety and anti-depressant-like effects may depend upon many factors (e.g. age, reproductive history/status, time in E2 deficient state before initiation of E2 therapy, regimen and dosing of E2, neuropsychiatric/stress history). First, evidence of how factors may alter responses to E2 in people and in animal models will be discussed. Second, interactions of E2 with the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis/stress …

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Is It All In Your Mind? Gastrointestinal Problems, Anxiety And Depression, Meghan Rieu Werden Jan 2009

Is It All In Your Mind? Gastrointestinal Problems, Anxiety And Depression, Meghan Rieu Werden

Undergraduate Review

Relationships between gastrointestinal (GI) problems, anxiety, and depression were investigated in two studies using non-clinical populations. Study 1 measures included the trait anxiety scale from the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the Center for Epidemiology Studies Depression scale (CES-D), and the Trauma Symptom Checklist (TSC-40). Study 2 measures included the STAI, and the Profile of Mood States (POMS), portions of which were used to assess anxious mood state and depressed mood state. Trait anxiety predicted stomach cramps; anxious mood state predicted nausea and general GI problems; and depression predicted stomach problems. Findings suggest that psychological factors may be involved in physical …

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Intellectual Ability In Children With Anxiety: A Replication And Exploration Of The Differences, Melissa S. Munson Jan 2009

Intellectual Ability In Children With Anxiety: A Replication And Exploration Of The Differences, Melissa S. Munson

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of anxiety on the intellectual functioning of children. Specifically, the current researchers sought to replicate previous findings that children with higher levels of anxiety have significantly lower scores on tests of intelligence. A second goal was to examine possible reasons for these deficits, including possible deficits in working memory and/or attention. Participants were divided into two groups with high and low anxiety, based on a self-report measure, though none of the children reported clinically problematic anxiety. The participants were 19 children (10 males, 9 females) who were recruited from the …

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Mental Illness, Co-Occurring Factors And Aggression As Examined In An American Prison, Stephanie Leigh Sullivan Jan 2009

Mental Illness, Co-Occurring Factors And Aggression As Examined In An American Prison, Stephanie Leigh Sullivan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study examines the relationship between several factors which have been identified in previous research as co-occurring and risk relevant to aggressive behavior. Although many factors have been addressed independently for various reasons in other studies, this study looks at the unique combination of a select few of these variables and their relationship for propensity towards aggression. The results of this study show propensity towards aggression is significant for two specific mental health issues; anxiety, and history of severe head injury. Results also indicate that co-occurring factors are prevalent in this sample and those inmates with prior mental illness are …

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Posttraumatic Stress Disorder And Other Consequences Of A Picu Admission, Stephanie Ann Stowman Jan 2009

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder And Other Consequences Of A Picu Admission, Stephanie Ann Stowman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Currently, there is a paucity of literature regarding children's experiences in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) relative to caregivers' experiences. Children admitted to a PICU and their caregivers are at risk for various psychopathology. Disorders commonly identified in seriously ill children include depression, anxiety, acute stress disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Caregivers of seriously ill children are at increased risk of depression, generalized anxiety disorder, acute stress disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Researchers often fail to examine all relevant psychopathology and contributing factors and stressors, such as family environment, in seriously ill children and their caregivers. This study assessed …

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'Why I Feel Bad': Refinement On The Effects Of Prostate Cancer Upon Lifestyle Questionnaire And An Initial Exploration Of Its Links With Anxiety And Depression Among Prostate Cancer Patients, Christopher Sharpley, Vicki Bitsika, David Christie Dec 2008

'Why I Feel Bad': Refinement On The Effects Of Prostate Cancer Upon Lifestyle Questionnaire And An Initial Exploration Of Its Links With Anxiety And Depression Among Prostate Cancer Patients, Christopher Sharpley, Vicki Bitsika, David Christie

Vicki Bitsika

Objective: To psychometrically refine a standardized scale for identifying those lifestyle changes that were most likely to contribute to anxiety and depression among prostate cancer (PCa) patients.

Methods: Three hundred and eighty-one PCa patients who had received their initial diagnosis between one and 96 months completed a survey of background variables, anxiety and depression inventories and the 36-item Effects of Prostate Cancer upon Lifestyle Questionnaire (EPCLQ).

Results: Levels of anxiety (24%) and depression (26%) were similar to those previously reported for PCa patients. The EPCLQ was shown to have satisfactory psychometric properties and significantly predicted anxiety and depression scores and …

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Loneliness As A Partial Mediator Of The Relation Between Low Social Preference In Childhood And Anxious/Depressed Symptoms In Adolescence, Reid Griffith Fontaine, Chongming Yang, Virginia Salzer Burks, Kenneth A. Dodge, Joseph M. Price, Gregory S. Pettit, John E. Bates Dec 2008

Loneliness As A Partial Mediator Of The Relation Between Low Social Preference In Childhood And Anxious/Depressed Symptoms In Adolescence, Reid Griffith Fontaine, Chongming Yang, Virginia Salzer Burks, Kenneth A. Dodge, Joseph M. Price, Gregory S. Pettit, John E. Bates

Reid G. Fontaine

This study examined the mediating role of loneliness (assessed by self-report at Time 2; Grade 6) in the relation between early social preference (assessed by peer report at Time 1; kindergarten through Grade 3) and adolescent anxious/depressed symptoms (assessed by mother, teacher, and self-reports at Time 3; Grades 7–9). Five hundred eighty-five boys and girls (48% female; 16% African American) from three geographic sites of the Child Development Project were followed from kindergarten through Grade 9. Loneliness partially mediated and uniquely incremented the significant effect of low social preference in childhood on anxious/depressed symptoms in adolescence, controlling for early anxious/depressed …

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