健康焦虑的研究现状

健康焦虑是一种由轻到重的连续性的症状谱,它的极端形式被称之为疑病症.关于健康焦虑的流行病学数据很少,发病的机制和原因也不清楚,但大多数的研究证实健康焦虑与焦虑障碍有相同的认知过程.疑病症的临床表现为疾病观念、躯体症状、歪曲信念和行为,健康焦虑只是在程度上轻于疑病症,并没有发生质的改变.在健康焦虑的治疗中最受关注的应属正念认知疗法,它在很多方面都优于传统的认知行为疗法,当然其他治疗方法也能起到一定的辅助作用.健康焦虑带来的危害是巨大的,因此社会将面临重大挑战.     

焦虑对重量感知判断的影响

行动经济理论认为个体对物理环境的感知与其具备的资源有关,而焦虑与资源不足有关。基于此,本研究通过3个实验来探讨3种不同性质的焦虑对重量感知判断的影响。实验1通过身体姿势诱发焦虑,结果发现同放松的身体姿势相比,焦虑的身体姿势能诱发出焦虑且此姿势下个体会认为背包的重量更重。实验2通过具有压力性的外部任务诱发焦虑,结果显示同奇偶判断任务相比,心算任务能诱发出明显的焦虑且此任务下个体将背包的重量判断为更重。实验3探讨特质焦虑的影响,结果发现高特质焦虑个体同低特质焦虑者相比会认为背包的重量更重。本研究表明焦虑会影响个体对物体物理属性的感知。     

广泛性焦虑个体的注意偏向

探讨广泛性焦虑个体在一般情境和不确定性情境下注意偏向的特点。采用点探测注意搜索任务研究了在一般情境下和不确定性情境下广泛性焦虑个体的注意偏向, 结果表明高广泛性焦虑个体的注意偏向以对威胁性刺激的注意转移困难为主, 不确定性情境会让广泛性焦虑个体更容易处于紧张焦虑的状态当中, 从而对情绪性刺激尤其是消极刺激表现出更多的注意偏向和对情绪性刺激直接的注意敏感性。     

焦虑情绪对决策的影响

焦虑情绪会对人类的决策行为及其结果产生深刻的影响,其中最突出的表现是,焦虑水平的提高会使决策者倾向于回避风险,做出保守的选择。近年来,国外研究者从不同的角度分析这一现象的原因,归纳出了几种可能的影响因素——包括认知资源因素、信息加工因素、概率偏向因素与情绪取向因素等。这些因素的提出,促进了对焦虑影响决策的机制的认识。它们间虽有密切联系,但有待于整合成为一个统一的体系     

新型冠状病毒肺炎疫情下普通民众焦虑的影响因素研究

为考察新型冠状病毒肺炎疫情下普通民众焦虑情绪的影响因素,采用自陈式问卷,对新型冠状病毒肺炎疫情防控下的1050位普通民众的疫情经历、媒体信息暴露时长及性质、疫情风险感知和焦虑进行调查。结果发现新型冠状病毒肺炎疫情防控当下民众焦虑情绪的发生率为18.0%,焦虑情绪的发生率在性别、年龄、受教育程度、婚姻状况和月收入等方面没有显著的差异;疫情经历、媒体信息暴露时长、负面信息暴露和感知疫情的严重性会增加焦虑情绪产生的可能性,正面信息暴露、对疫情熟悉度和可控度的感知可以减少焦虑情绪产生的可能性。这些结果说明了疫情经历、媒体信息暴露时长和性质、疫情风险感知是疫情防控当下民众焦虑出现的重要因素。     

人格特质对考试焦虑的影响:多重中介效应分析

目的:探讨自尊、惧怕负面评价及无法忍受不确定性在人格特质和考试焦虑间的中介作用。方法:采用人格问卷简式量表EPQ-RSC、Rosenberg自尊问卷、惧怕负面评价量表简表、无法忍受不确定性量表和考试焦虑量表测量410名在校高中生和大学生。结果:(1)相关分析表明,神经质、惧怕负面评价、无法忍受不确定性及考试焦虑之间彼此正相关显著;外向性与自尊正相关显著,与惧怕负面评价、无法忍受不确定性及考试焦虑等负相关显著;精神质与自尊、惧怕负面评价及考试焦虑等负相关显著;自尊与神经质、惧怕负面评价、无法忍受不确定性及考试焦虑负相关显著。(2)回归分析表明,人格特质中的神经质和精神质能显著预测考试焦虑,无法忍受不确定性在人格特质和考试焦虑之间起部分中介作用;结构方程模型分析结果显示,人格特质中神经质和精神质对考试焦虑的直接效应显著,经由自尊、惧怕负面评价和无法忍受不确定性对考试焦虑的间接效应也极为显著。结论:自尊、惧怕负面评价和无法忍受不确定性在人格特质与考试焦虑间起着中介作用。     

负面评价恐惧对社交焦虑的影响:基于社交焦虑的认知行为模型

在社交焦虑认知行为模型的理论视角下，本研究拟探讨负面评价恐惧、不确定性容忍度和依赖型自我构念对社交焦虑的影响及其作用机制。以424名大学生为被试，使用问卷调查法的研究结果表明：（1）负面评价恐惧对社交焦虑有显著预测作用，且不确定性容忍度在这一关系中的中介作用显著；（2）不确定性容忍度的间接效应受到依赖型自我构念的调节。具体而言，该中介效应在高依赖型自我构念群体中更为显著。本研究结果不仅有助于揭示负面评价恐惧对社交焦虑的影响及其作用机制，而且对社交焦虑的预防和干预也有一定的理论和实践指导价值。     

社会焦虑的概念辨析与根源探究

基于文献分析的方法,梳理经典焦虑理论的演变历程,揭示焦虑的本质与根源,澄清社会焦虑的主体与性质,界定社会焦虑的概念内涵。同时结合概念界定对当代中国社会焦虑的根源做进一步的探究,认为主要原因在于：欲求向需求的快速转变,阶层流动的固化趋势,以及价值观的拮抗与迷失。最后提出社会焦虑的纾解之道,即充分发挥个人的建设性力量,积极应对时代挑战;坚持以人民为中心,全面推进公正与健康社会建设。

     

一例服刑人员出监前产生焦虑情绪的个案分析

来访者为服刑人员王某。改造表现:减刑前一直较为平稳;最近几个月以来,王某获得当地中级人民法院刑事裁定减刑10个月,余刑1年7个月,对减刑结果十分满意,但是没过多久,求助者出现焦虑紧张情绪,认为自己出监后能做什么工作?家中只有一个堂弟和自己亲近,出去后左邻右舍看不起,出现了烦躁、焦虑、头部不适、失眠,交往中出现人际关系紧张……。经过详细的了解和分析,咨询师与求助者约定,采取认知疗法,辅以放松疗法治疗,通过3次咨询,协助求助者消除焦虑情绪,减轻思想压力,放松心情,改善了求助者心理状况。     

焦虑对社会决策行为的影响

焦虑是在人类日常生活中常见的一种负性情绪。探讨焦虑情绪在个人生活和工作中扮演的角色, 是生理学界和心理学界的一项重要课题。过往研究显示焦虑水平的提高会对社会能力和社交技巧造成显著的影响。在社会决策领域中, 这种影响的具体表现是高焦虑者比低焦虑者更倾向于采取回避风险的策略。但是, 过往研究主要关心包含经济因素的社会决策, 而对其他类型的社会行为的探索存在不足。以下问题值得未来研究者们关注：在个体层面上, 高焦虑者是否会更容易受到外界信息的影响, 表现出更强的从众行为和权威依从倾向, 与他人进行社会比较或社会竞争的动机是否会被削弱？在群体层面上, 高焦虑者是否更容易表现出人际信任, 以及是否会表现出更强的服从集体倾向？考察这些问题将会为针对焦虑情绪的认知研究和临床研究起到促进作用。     

Predicting Compliance with Sanitary Behaviors among Students in Higher Education During the Second COVID-19 Wave: The Role of Health Anxiety and Risk Perception

To limit the spread of COVID-19, public authorities have recommended sanitary behaviors such as handwashing, mask-wearing, physical distancing, and social distancing. We recruited a large sample of higher education students in Belgium (N = 3201–3441) to investigate the role of sociodemographic variables, mental health, previous COVID-19 infections, academic involvement, and risk perception on adherence to these sanitary behaviors. This cross-sectional study took place during the second COVID-19 wave in Belgium, between February and March 2021. Analyses showed that living alone, being female, later in the academic curriculum, having higher general and health anxiety, higher academic involvement, and higher risk perception were positively associated with adherence to the four aforementioned sanitary behaviors. Conversely, previous infection with COVID-19 and having been quarantined were negative predictors. Our results show a set of predictors highly similar for the four sanitary behaviors. We discuss potential initiatives to increase adherence to sanitary behaviors in this group of highly educated youngsters.     

Health Perceptions and Anxiety Sensitivity in Patients with Panic Disorder

Separate lines of research indicate that patients with panic disorder display negative perceptions of physical health and elevated fear of autonomic arousal. Because health perceptions and anxiety sensitivity may be related, the present study evaluated the degree to which these constructs can be distinguished in patients meeting DSM-IV criteria for panic disorder (N = 44). Perceived health, anxiety sensitivity, and the clinical features of panic disorder were assessed at pretreatment and following 12 sessions of cognitive–behavioral treatment. Findings consistently indicated that perceived health and anxiety sensitivity can be meaningfully differentiated. Perceived physical health was only moderately associated with anxiety sensitivity, and each was uniquely associated with pretreatment symptomatology and posttreatment end-state functioning. Perceived physical health appears to be a clinically useful index in the overall evaluation of panic disorder and is readily distinguishable from anxiety sensitivity.     

Digital Mental Health Interventions for Child and Adolescent Anxiety

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health conditions in children, with approximately 13% of kids struggling with excessive anxiety. The vast majority do not have access to effective treatments and there continues to be a disjunction between treatments that are empirically supported and those that are available in the community. Digital mental health interventions (DMHI) can increase efficiency, reach, and standardization as well as reduce costs of providing of mental health care. Here we review the extant research on DMHI, including web- or cloud-based programs, mobile applications (apps), virtual reality (VR), and digital assessment methods such as ecological momentary assessment (EMA) for the delivery and/or support of evidence-based care in child anxiety. Preliminary research is promising for these tools to improve access and efficiency of evidence-based practice. However, ethics and practice guidelines are needed and questions remain regarding what level and quality of therapeutic involvement is needed to maximize treatment completion and outcomes in youth and whether DMHIs are contraindicated for certain populations or whether they are similarly effective with those with comorbid conditions is unclear.     

Anxiety sensitivity and risk-taking behavior

High trait anxiety has been linked with risk-avoidant decision-making, though little is known regarding the specific facets of anxiety contributing to this negative association. Anxiety sensitivity (AS), a transdiagnostic vulnerability factor for anxiety-related pathology, may be particularly relevant to risk decision-making given that risk-taking behaviors generate heightened somatic arousal and produce many of the sensations feared by individuals with high AS. Two studies were conducted to investigate the relation between AS and risk decision-making. In the first study, 268 undergraduate students completed a series of questionnaires that included measures of AS and gambling behaviors. Significant negative correlations were observed between AS and several gambling-related risk-taking activities, and hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that AS scores added significant incremental validity in predicting risk-taking over and above demographic variables, negative affect, and trait anxiety. In the second study, 43 participants who had screened for high (n = 20) or low (n = 23) AS completed the Iowa gambling task, a behavioral measure of risk-taking. Results indicated that, when placed under conditions of risk, individuals with high AS engaged in significantly less risk-taking than their low AS counterparts. The implications of these findings and potential directions for future research are discussed.     

存在焦虑的研究述评

存在焦虑是焦虑本体论的一种定义,是哲学、文学和心理学领域的重要概念之一。在心理学领域,存在焦虑理论主要包括罗洛·梅的焦虑本体论,布根塔尔的存在焦虑理论及存在焦虑与心理健康关系理论等等。目前的研究方法主要是量表测量法,但尚不成熟。为数不多的实证研究主要集中在：存在焦虑与心理健康的关系,与同一性地位的关系,与焦虑、抑郁的关系等等。今后研究的重点应包括概念研究的丰富、研究对象的拓宽及研究方法的改进和完善等     

Optimizing Exposure Therapy for Pathological Health Anxiety: Considerations From the Inhibitory Learning Approach

Exposure therapy has demonstrated its efficacy in the treatment of pathological health anxiety—however, psychotherapy research reveals that many patients do not show a clinically significant change. Therefore, improvements are necessary to optimize psychotherapy for pathological health anxiety. Most treatment rationales refer to habituation during exposure as the central mechanism of change. However, there is evidence that extinction learning is mediated by inhibitory learning processes. Targeting these processes may help to improve treatment outcomes in pathological health anxiety. The aim of this review was to adapt, from the inhibitory learning approach and empirical findings, the most promising strategies for the exposure-based treatment of pathological health anxiety. The exposure-optimizing strategies adapted are expectancy violation, combination, variability in contexts and stimuli, affect labeling, and removal of safety signals. A case example illustrates how to implement these methods for patients with pathological health anxiety.     

Predictors of Self-Reported Anxiety and Panic Symptoms: An Evaluation of Anxiety Sensitivity, Suffocation Fear, Heart-Focused Anxiety, and Breath-Holding Duration

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which anxiety-related individual difference variables predict anxious responding when individuals experience aversive bodily sensations. Thus, we explore several psychological and behavioral predictors of response to a single 25-sec inhalation of 20% carbon dioxide-enriched air in 70 nonclinical participants. Predictor variables included anxiety sensitivity, suffocation fear, heart-focused anxiety, and breath-holding duration. Multiple regression analyses indicated that only anxiety sensitivity significantly predicted postchallenge panic symptoms, whereas both anxiety sensitivity and suffocation fear predicted postchallenge anxiety. These data are in accord with current models of panic disorder that emphasize the role of fear of fear in producing heightened anxiety and panic symptoms and help clarify specific predictors of anxiety-related responding to biological challenge.     

Anxiety and Threat Perception Abnormalities in Normal Children

The current study examined the relationship between childhood anxiety and threat perception abnormalities. Children (N = 105) were exposed to stories reflecting three types of anxiety: social anxiety, separation anxiety, and generalized anxiety. From children's reactions to the stories, a number of threat perception indices were derived. Children's level of anxiety was assessed by means of questionnaires and a structured diagnostic interview. Results indicated that high levels of anxiety, as measured by questionnaires and interview, were accompanied by a high frequency of threat perception, high ratings of threat, a high frequency of threatening interpretations, high levels of negative feelings and cognitions, and an early detection of threat. Furthermore, results seemed to suggest that threat perception abnormalities were mediated by children's general level of anxiety rather than by levels of specific anxiety symptoms.