Gender and Video Game Performance

We investigated potential gender differences in video game (pong) performance in university students. In Experiment 1 men (N = 16) performed significantly better than women (N = 16). Experiment 2 was similar to the first, but used 14 men and 14 women who were matched carefully on previous video game experience. In spite of the matching, results replicated those of the first experiment. In Experiment 3 we evaluated the effect of an audience (male, female, none) on pong performance in 42 men and 42 women. We also assessed trait competition anxiety (Sport Competition Anxiety Test scores), sex role identification (Bem Sex Role Inventory scores), and video game experience. Both genders showed significantly poorer performance when they played pong in the presence of a female audience. Overall, males outperformed females as in the first two experiments. Examination of individuals with low, medium, and high levels of sport competition anxiety and videogame experience reveals persistent gender differences in performance, seemingly independent of levels of anxiety and experience. In all three experiments, both men and women showed significant improvement in performance over trials.     

Treatment of secondary orgasmic dysfunction: a comparison of systematic desensitization and sex therapy

Forty-eight couples complaining of secondary orgasmic dysfunction were randomly allocated to one of three treatment methods or to a control group. Sexual function, sexual anxiety and satisfaction with the total relationship were evaluated in a pretest, an intermediate test (after 12 therapeutic sessions) and a follow-up test. The intermediate test revealed significant improvement in the sexual function of women treated by systematic desensitization, and that of women and men treated by an adapted version of the Masters and Johnson method. The follow-up test showed significant improvement in women and men treated by desensitization. Both methods significantly improved the satisfaction with the total relationship in men and women, and desensitization significantly reduced sexual anxiety in men and women. The results of combined treatment —desensitization followed by treatment according to Masters and Johnson—were very poor. The control group showed no significant changes. Evaluation of the differences between the treatments revealed a near-significant difference in sexual function of women in the intermediate test, with desensitization and the Masters and Johnson method yielding better results than combined treatment or no treatment.     

Psychological aspects of orthognathic surgery

Abstract

With the dramatic growth in the number of adults undergoing orthodontics to correct malocclusion, and those undergoing surgical orthodontics or orthognathic surgery to correct skeletal discrepancies in the orofacial region, it is important to examine the psychological characteristics of these patients before and after treatment is completed. This paper serves as a general review and summarizes the findings of two major longitudinal studies of patients seeking surgical correction and compares them with people who underwent conventional orthodontics, those who rejected any treatment, and those who sought cosmetic surgery. Both studies revealed that most women seeking surgical orthodontics focused on aesthetic improvement as a motive, whereas men sought to improve their appearance and mastication. Women were also more likely to report problems with the temporomandibular joint as a motive. Men and women scored similarly on a measure of body image, although women reported lower facial image presurgically and higher postsurgically than did men. The greatest gains following surgery were in facial and profile image for both men and women. Orthodontic patients showed less improvement, while those rejecting treatment experienced a decline in body image. Many functional improvements did not occur until 24 months postoperatively; lingering paraesthesia was described by 49% of the sample. Emotional reactions included anxiety preoperatively, and depression postoperatively, especially among patients scoring high on neuroticism and those experiencing other major life events. These studies reveal that people seeking surgical orthodontics are within the normal range of most personality measures and experience greater gains psychologically than do conventional orthodontic patients.     

“Speaking More than Words”: Classifying Men with Social Anxiety Disorder via Vocal Acoustic Analyses of Diagnostic Interviews

The relationship between vocal pitch and social anxiety has been examined with encouraging results across a growing number of studies, highlighting increased fundamental frequency (F0) as a potential disorder-specific physiological marker of social anxiety. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between mean F0 emitted during diagnostic interviews and social anxiety disorder (SAD) symptoms. Patients who qualified for a diagnosis of SAD (n?=?26) and a subsample of demographically-matched healthy controls (HCs; n?=?12) were administered clinical diagnostic interviews. We examined mean F0 emitted during select segments of the diagnostic interviews utilizing specialized vocal analysis equipment. Men (but not women) who qualified for a diagnosis of SAD emitted greater overall mean F0 in comparison to HCs throughout the course of the diagnostic interviews, and mean F0 emitted during the introductory segment of the diagnostic interviews was positively related to SAD symptoms for men (but not women). Furthermore, a previously-established threshold of mean F0 which demonstrated excellent differentiation between men with SAD and controls was successfully replicated in the present design, with regard to F0 emitted during the introductory segment of the interviews. These results provide strong additional support for increased F0 as a physiological indicator and behavioral marker of SAD in samples of men. Implications for the assessment and treatment of SAD are discussed.     

Emotional Reactions and Attitudes Prior to In Vitro Fertilization: An Inter-Spouse Study

In this study, spouse's emotional responses and attitudes to in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment were examined. The participants were 113 childless couples who suffered from infertility of unknown or mechanical (women) cause. Both partners were evaluated prior to IVF treatment. Incompatible emotional responses and attitudes to the treatment between the partners usually reflected the men reporting less distress and worries than women. Women had significantly higher state and trait anxiety and depression scores than normative levels, irrespective of whether they were successful in conceiving. Husbands of conceiving women scored higher on depression than husbands of nonconceiving women. The nonconceiving husbands had depression and trait anxiety scores significantly lower than the normative level. In addition, high emotional responses to the treatment, especially in men, were positively associated with treatment success. Recommendations for family assessment and counseling are suggested on the basis of these results.     

Gender Differences in Coping Styles of Chinese Military Officers Undergoing Intensive Training

This study investigated gender differences in anxiety and coping styles under the stress of intense military training. We surveyed Chinese female (n = 470) and male (n = 379) military officers who were surveyed during the third month of a 10-month intensive training program. Results indicated that state and trait anxiety were highly correlated in both women and men. In general, female officers had higher levels of anxiety, greater negative coping tendencies, and less perceived self-efficacy than their male counterparts. When compared with the norm, both women and men had significantly more positive coping strategies. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed factors that influenced male and female state anxiety. Avoidance, which was chosen by women more often than men, in general was less useful for female officers. The most common positive coping style for female officers was problem solving, whereas for men it was help seeking. We suggested that even female officers with lower mental health levels than their male counterparts made active cognitive changes to their coping styles when undergoing intense military training.     

Parent-Led Exposure Therapy: A Pilot Study of a Brief Behavioral Treatment for Anxiety in Young Children

Despite prevalence rates as high as 9.4%, few studies have examined the applicability of cognitive-behavioral therapy for treatment of anxiety disorders in very young children (i.e., below the age of 7 years). The present study examined the preliminary efficacy of a parent-led exposure therapy protocol (PLET) designed for young children with anxiety disorders. Twenty-two youth aged 4–7 years and their parents participated in this pilot randomized control trial. Families of youth with significant anxiety concerns were randomized to either PLET (n?=?12), a 10 session/5-week family-based exposure therapy program designed to target anxiety in young children, or treatment as usual (TAU; n?=?10). Children in the PLET condition demonstrated a greater reduction in anxiety symptoms compared to TAU (d?=?3.18), with 90.91% of PLET participants (active condition) being classified as treatment responders at post-treatment as opposed to 0 in the TAU condition. Gains were maintained at 1 month-follow-up. Although pilot in nature, these data suggest in a preliminary fashion that a parent led exposure therapy protocol that is adapted appropriately for developmental age and incorporates an active coaching component for parents may be efficacious for the treatment of young children with anxiety disorders. This clinical trial was registered through clinicaltrials.gov under the following identifier: NCT02051192.     

Sociodemographic, clinical and outcome differences among anxiety disorders

The aims of this paper are to analyze differences in sociodemographic and clinical characteristics among the various anxiety disorders treated in a Psychology Clinic, and the results of treatment in each anxiety disorder. Data from 282 patients of University Psychology Clinic at the Complutense University of Madrid, who had at least one diagnosis of anxiety according to DMS-IV-TR criteria, were analyzed. The most frequent anxiety disorders were nonspecific anxiety disorder (19.1%) and social phobia (18.8%). Significant differences were observed according to sex (in all disorders, the percentage of women was significantly higher than that of men, except for obsessive-compulsive disorder). Unspecific anxiety disorder required a smaller number of assessment and treatment sessions, whereas obsessive-compulsive disorder required a greater number of sessions. There were no significant differences between the percentage of patients who completed treatment and dropout rates in specific phobia, general anxiety disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Differences between epidemiological and clinical data are discussed.     

Predictors of outcome in Internet-based cognitive behavior therapy for severe health anxiety

Internet-based cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for severe health anxiety can be effective, but not all patients achieve full remission. Under these circumstances, knowledge about predictors is essential for the clinician in order to make reliable treatment recommendations. The primary aim of this study was to investigate clinical, demographic, and therapy process-related predictors of Internet-based CBT for severe health anxiety. We performed three types of analyses on data from a sample comprising participants (N = 81) who had received Internet-based CBT in a randomized controlled trial. Outcomes were a) end state health anxiety, b) improvement in health anxiety (continuous change scores), and c) clinically significant improvement. Outcomes were assessed at six-month follow-up. The results showed that the most stable predictors of both end state health anxiety and improvement were baseline health anxiety and depressive symptoms. Treatment adherence, i.e. the number of completed treatment modules, also significantly predicted outcome. Notably, health anxiety at baseline was positively associated with symptom improvement while depressive symptoms was negatively related to improvement. Demographic factors were largely without significant impact on end state symptoms or improvement. We conclude that baseline symptom burden and adherence to treatment have strong predictive effects in Internet-based CBT for severe health anxiety.     

Anxiety and career exploration: Gender differences in the role of self-construal

Given the social nature of many tasks involved in exploring and committing to a career, we hypothesized that social anxiety would correlate to exploration and commitment, even after controlling for general anxiety. We also hypothesized that self-construal and gender would interact with social anxiety in relation to exploration and commitment. In a sample of predominantly European American undergraduates (n = 161), higher social anxiety associated with lower vocational commitment for both women and men, after accounting for general anxiety. For women, interdependence was also associated significantly with vocational commitment. Social anxiety correlated to environmental exploration only for men low in independence. Neither social anxiety nor self-construal associated with environmental exploration for women or foreclosure for either group.     

Psychiatric correlates of childhood shyness in a nationally representative sample

Relations between adult anxiety and mood disorders and retrospective reports of excessive childhood shyness were investigated in the US National Comorbidity, Survey (n=5877). Results indicated that 26% of women and 19% of men described themselves as 'very shy' when they were growing up. Of these shy individuals, 53% of women and 40% of men met criteria for a lifetime diagnosis of one or more anxiety or mood disorders. Relations between excessive shyness and each of the anxiety and mood disorders were examined after adjusting for elevated neuroticism, self-criticism, and low maternal care. The largest odds ratios were found for social phobia in both men and women, particularly for the complex subtype of this disorder. Significant associations also emerged for posttraumatic stress disorder in women and for major depressive disorder in men. Childhood shyness remained significantly associated with a lifetime history of social phobia when individuals with current (past year) social phobia were excluded from the analysis. The results of this study suggest that childhood shyness is strongly related to the complex subtype of social phobia in the general population. Excessive shyness does not appear to be strongly associated with other anxiety and mood disorders when related psychosocial and developmental dimensions are statistically controlled. Finally, many individuals who report excessive childhood shyness do not meet criteria for any anxiety or mood disorder. In a similar fashion, approximately 50% of individuals with a lifetime history of complex social phobia did not view themselves as very shy when growing up.     

Changes in Anxiety Control Beliefs Following a Brief CBT Treatment and Their Association With Anxiety Symptom Reduction

Anxiety control beliefs (i.e., beliefs regarding one’s ability to cope with external, fear-inducing threats and internal reactions to those perceived threats) have been found to negatively predict anxiety symptoms in children and adults and to be modifiable by cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety disorders. The current study examines whether changes in anxiety control beliefs were seen following a brief, intensive treatment for specific phobias, and whether those changes were associated with improvements in the targeted phobia and comorbid anxiety disorder symptoms. Participants were 135 children and adolescents (M age = 9.01 years, 49% male) who received one-session treatment (OST) with or without parental involvement for their primary specific phobia. Results indicated that self-reported anxiety control beliefs significantly increased following treatment and that these increases significantly predicted reductions in specific phobia severity and symptoms of comorbid anxiety disorders 6 months and 1 year following treatment. Findings illustrate that involvement in a single 3-hour OST was associated with changes in anxiety control beliefs and demonstrate the potential importance of targeting control beliefs in pediatric anxiety treatment.     

Women and anxiety disorders: implications for diagnosis and treatment. Proceedings of a conference, November 19-21, 2003, Chantilly, Virginia, USA

Community studies indicate that 19% of men and 31% of women will develop some type of anxiety disorder during their lifetime. The impact of gender is profound in that it increases the likelihood of developing an anxiety disorder by 85% in women compared to men. Sex difference in prevalence rates are apparent as early as age 6, when girls are twice as likely as boys to have an anxiety disorder. In the National Comorbidity Survey, the prevalence rates for panic disorder in women and men were 5% and 2%, respectively. Agoraphobia, which often coexists with panic disorder, has a lifetime prevalence rate of 7% in women and 3.5% in men. Prevalence of trauma is increased in young women as well, and is experienced earlier in life; 62% of sexual assaults are inflicted on females < or = 18 years of age, and 29% occur in children < 11 years of age. Comorbidity of anxiety in women complicates other medical conditions as well. For example, panic disorder is highly comorbid with CHD, which remains the leading cause of death in women in developed countries. Fluctuations in reproductive hormone levels during the female life cycle is thought to be responsible for modulating anxiety. This is often implicated in the later age of onset, the more sudden and acute symptom emergence, and the more episodic course of OCD in women, and in the high prevalence(47.4%) of PMDD. Pregnancy appears to be a protective period for some anxiety disorders, including panic, while for others, such as OCD, it may be associated with onset. Hormonal changes during pregnancy, such as increased prolactin, oxytocin, and cortisol, may contribute to the suppression of stress response that occurs during this period. Despite a large and growing body of literature on anxiety disorders in general, the available data relating to women and girls falls short of informing aspects of diagnosis, treatment, and prevention that may entail sex differences. Additional work is required to understand the biological and psychosocial causes of these differences.     

Flooding in imagination vs flooding in vivo: A comparison with agoraphobics

In this investigation of agoraphobic patients, 3 different flooding procedures were compared: (1) prolonged exposure in vivo, (2) flooding in the imagination by a ‘live’ therapist and (3) a combination of flooding in the imagination and flooding in vivo. After an intermediate-test all clients were treated by the self-observation method, with a minimum of therapeutic intervention. Assessments were made at the beginning of treatment, during and at the end of treatment and at the follow-up one month later. Assessments were carried out by the therapist (in vivo measurement; phobic anxiety and avoidance scales; anxious mood and panic), by an independent observer (idem. minus in vivo measurement) and by the client (phobic anxiety and avoidance scales; FSS; social anxiety scale; SDS and I-E scale). Prolonged exposure in vivo plainly proved to be superior to flooding in the imagination. Combined flooding resulted in a greater improvement than flooding in the imagination, though only on the therapist's ratings. Self-observation did not add much to the effect of prolonged exposure in vivo and of flooding combined whereas self-observation, preceded by flooding in the imagination, resulted in a significant improvement on nearly all the variables.     

Trading accuracy for speed: gender differences on a Stroop task under mild performance anxiety.

A standard Stroop task was used to examine the effect of performance anxiety on 58 male and 69 female undergraduates. Subjects were approached either by two casually dressed experimenters who did not stress speed or accuracy or by 4 or 5 formally dressed experimenters who stressed quick and accurate performance. Subjects were told the test would assess their "mental acuity"; their responses were visibly tape-recorded. Reaction times did not show differential response by anxiety condition; men and women showed different RTs only in the low-anxiety condition, with women performing significantly more slowly. There were no significant differences for the high-anxiety condition. Analysis of errors showed women were more accurate than men. Men traded accuracy for speed and may have been under equal performance stress in both situations. When performance was not stressed, women were slower and more accurate than men. When performance was stressed, women increased their speed to match that of men while maintaining their greater accuracy.     

Change in metacognitions predicts outcome in obsessive–compulsive disorder patients undergoing treatment with exposure and response prevention

Wells' (Wells, A. (1997). Cognitive therapy of anxiety disorders: a practice manual and conceptual guide. Chichester, UK: Wiley) metacognitive model of obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) predicts that metacognitions must change in order for psychological treatment to be effective. The aim of this study was to explore: (1) if metacognitions change in patients undergoing exposure treatment for OCD; (2) to determine the extent to which cognitive and metacognitive change predicts symptom improvement and recovery. The sample consisted of 83 outpatients with a diagnosis of OCD who completed exposure and response prevention treatment. The Yale–Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), the Metacognitions Questionnaire (MCQ-30) and the Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire (OBQ-44) were administered before treatment, after treatment, and at 12-month follow-up. Treatment resulted in significant changes in symptoms, metacognition score, responsibility and perfectionism. Regression analysis using post-treatment Y-BOCS as the dependent variable indicated that when the overlap between predictors was controlled for, only changes in metacognition were significant. Changes in metacognitions explained 22% of the variance in symptoms at post-treatment when controlling for pre-treatment symptoms and changes in mood. A further regression revealed that two MCQ-30 subscales made individual contributions. The patients had significantly higher scores compared to community controls on the MCQ-30. Patients who achieved clinical significant change had lower scores on the MCQ-30 compared to patients who did not change. The results did not change significantly from post-treatment to follow-up assessment. These findings provide further support for the importance of metacognitions in treating OCD.     

The Role of Lad Magazines in Priming Men’s Chronic and Temporary Appearance‐Related Schemata: An Investigation of Longitudinal and Experimental Findings

We present a program of research investigating the effects of lad magazines on male body self‐consciousness and appearance anxiety. Study 1, based on panel data from undergraduate men, showed that lad magazine exposure in Year 1 predicted body self‐consciousness in Year 2. Study 2 was an experiment that showed that men assigned to view objectified women in lad magazines reported significantly higher levels of appearance anxiety and appearance‐related motivations for exercise than men assigned to view male fashion models. We speculated that participants believed that to be romantically successful with these women would require them to conform to an idealized appearance standard. Study 3 replicated the finding that exposure to sexually objectified women primed body self‐consciousness, and it further showed that this effect was mediated by romantic confidence.     

Attachment anxiety and implicit self-concept of neuroticism: Associations in women but not men

Previous research has shown that adult attachment-related anxiety is associated with the explicit self-concept of neuroticism. It remains to be clarified whether attachment anxiety is related to the implicit self-concept of neuroticism. There is evidence that gender can moderate the strength of correlation between implicit and explicit measures. The Experiences in Close Relationships scale and the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) were administered to 106 healthy adults along with an Implicit Association Test assessing neuroticism. Attachment anxiety correlated with NEO-FFI neuroticism, regardless of gender. Attachment anxiety was correlated with neuroticism as measured by the IAT in women but not men. Results from multiple regression analysis showed that gender was a moderator of the relationship between attachment anxiety and implicit neuroticism. Our data suggest that in the associative network of women with high attachment anxiety associative representations of the self are more strongly linked to attributes of neuroticism compared to women with low attachment anxiety.     

Predictors and Moderators of Provoked Vestibulodynia Treatment Outcome Following a Randomized Trial Comparing Cognitive-Behavioral Couple Therapy to Overnight Lidocaine

Provoked vestibulodynia is a vulvar pain condition causing sexual dysfunction, affecting 8% to 10% of women. Our recently published randomized clinical trial (N = 108 couples) found that cognitive behavioral couple therapy (CBCT) and topical lidocaine reduced women’s pain and associated sexual symptoms, with CBCT showing more benefits. Little is known about pretreatment predictors of treatment outcomes in couples sex therapy. In the current study, we examined women and their partners’ pretreatment demographic (age, relationship length), clinical (pain duration, anxiety) and interpersonal (partner responses to pain, sexual goals) predictors/moderators of women’s pain intensity, pain unpleasantness, and sexual function at posttreatment and 6-month follow-up. Longer relationship duration, lower anxiety in women, partner higher solicitousness and partner higher approach sexual goals predicted better pain outcomes for women with PVD irrespective of treatment condition. CBCT was more effective than lidocaine for improving women’s sexual function at posttreatment when, at pretreatment, women had partners with higher anxiety and women reported lower approach sexual goals, whereas lidocaine was more effective for improving women’s sexual function at follow-up when partners had higher approach sexual goals. Findings can assist clinicians in determining what treatment will be most beneficial for whom.     

Relationships Between Men’s and Women’s Body Image and Their Psychological, Social, and Sexual Functioning

This study was designed to examine the relationships between different aspects of body image and psychological, social, and sexual functioning throughout adulthood. The respondents were 211 men and 226 women (age range 18–86 years; mean = 42.26). Respondents completed measures of self-rated attractiveness, body satisfaction, body image importance, body image behaviors, appearance comparison, social physique anxiety, self-esteem, depression, anxiety, and social and sexual functioning. Body image was associated with self-esteem for all groups, but was unrelated to other aspects of psychological, social, and sexual functioning. There were some exceptions; a disturbance in body image was related to problematic social and sexual functioning among middle-aged men and to depression and anxiety symptoms in late adulthood among men and women. Middle-aged men who presented with the type of body image disturbance typical of women were more likely to have impaired interpersonal functioning. These results demonstrate that social aspects of body image appear to be important in understanding psychological functioning in later life.