Modification of Type A behavior through aerobic exercise

This psychophysiological evaluation of an aerobic exercise program examined specifically whether aerobic training modified Pattern A for those individuals at behavioral risk for developing coronary heart disease, i.e., young Type A individuals. At pretest and posttest of this secondary prevention study, Type A and Type B subjects were assessed in three conditions: aerobic exercise program, nonaerobic activity (Aikido, a martial art) control, and notreatment control. After 10 weeks, Type A but not Type B subjects exhibited lower Pattern A behavior in the aerobic program than in control conditions. Average workout pulse rates and differentially reliable increases in aerobic capacity indicated that aerobic training was indeed aerobic, whereas aikido activity was not. Even though selected nonaerobic factors, such as locus of control and group participation, did not mediate the Pattern A decrease for Type A's when comparing aikido and aerobic conditions, changes in aerobic capacity may have been the mediator. Generalizability of the results and implications for theoretical development and clinical intervention are discussed.     

Some correlates of health locus of control among multicultural individuals

The relationship of locus of control to depression, anxiety, hostility, and physical health was assessed in a sample of multicultural college students (N = 162). Powerful Others Health Locus of Control was correlated with depression, anxiety, hostility, and recent physical symptoms while Chance Health Locus of Control (CHLC) was correlated with all of the above as well as chronic physical symptoms and major health problems. When controlling for a variety of health risk factors (viz., age, sex, body mass, exercise, smoking, salt, alcohol, and caffeine), only CHLC remained significant in the physical health models. Results support the cognitive model of mental health which emphasize the importance of adaptive beliefs. Specifically, they suggest that issues about control are related to negative affect and indicate that the often-cited relationship of an external locus of control to depression and anxiety also holds for hostility. The findings do not, however, support the view that anxiety and depression are associated with different types of external locus of control but rather suggest a unified set of locus of control beliefs underlying the three types of negative affect. In addition, evidence is provided for the external validity of the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control (MHLC) Scales with respect to mental health. Further, the results indicate that belief about one’s health may play a significant role in one’s physical health and that the health behavior model of the relationship between locus of control and physical health is insufficient to explain the relationship. As the Chance and Powerful Others MHLC scales were not related to health habits in this sample but were related to mental health (viz., depression, anxiety, and hostility), locus of control beliefs may be related to physical health via their relationship with mental health.     

Influence of aerobic and stretching exercise on anxiety and sensation-seeking mood state

This study randomly assigned participants to either an aerobic, non-aerobic, or lecture group to assess whether one bout of exercise would alter mood state. Regardless of experimental condition, changes in mood state were found on the Sensation Seeking and Anxiety State Tests, where sensation-seeking scores increased and anxiety state decreased from pre- to posttest.     

Aerobic exercise in the psychological treatment of adolescents.

A small group of psychiatrically institutionalized adolescents (16 boys, 11 girls) were assigned to a three-day-per-week running/aerobic exercise program or a regular physical activity class. The complete program continued over 9 weeks, with 11 subjects remaining throughout the program. Dependent measures of body-mass index, timed performance on a one-mile run, resting, exercise, and recovery heart rates, and measures of depression, mood-states, and self-efficacy were assessed pre-, mid-, and post-9-wk. treatment and at a 4-wk. follow-up. Improvements in depression, anxiety, hostility, confused thinking, and fatigue were shown in treated girls, with increases in vigor and self-efficacy for all treated subjects.     

Effect of relaxation or exercise on undergraduates' test anxiety

The purpose of this study was to determine whether test anxiety could be significantly reduced through regular practice of relaxation exercises or physical exercise. Test anxiety was assessed at pretest and posttest using the 37-item true-false Test Anxiety Questionnaire developed by Sarason. 47 undergraduate students self-selected to participate. The 9 subjects in the group who engaged in a nonmeditative relaxation exercise 3 times per week for 7 weeks showed a significant decline in test anxiety. The 16 subjects in a supervised aerobic dance class 3 times per week for 7 weeks improved their fitness and their test anxiety significantly declined. The 20 control subjects did not meet over the 7-week study ahd showed no significant change in test anxiety, fitness, or relaxation.     

A consciousness-sampling analysis of test anxiety and performance

In order to evaluate cognitive-interference, reassertion, and reaction-to-performance models of test anxiety, 82 students completed the Test Anxiety Scale, provided state measures of anxiety just before and after a course examination, described their preparation for the test, and reported thought content and state anxiety up to six times during the test. Test Anxiety Scale scores were predictive of pre- and posttest state anxiety but not performance or problem-solving thought frequency during the test. Thought content was significantly but weakly correlated with performance, which was well correlated with posttest state anxiety but not with pretest anxiety. Pretest state anxiety was virtually uncorrelated with posttest state anxiety, with the correlations gradually declining during the test. Question-answering thought content correlated inversely with anxiety during the test. There was no group for whom anxiety appeared to facilitate performance. Preparation correlated only with performance. The pattern of results appears inconsistent with a cognitive-interference interpretation of test anxiety and suggests that in the naturalistic setting used, anxiety is more clearly an effect than a cause of poor performance.     

The relative effectiveness of various instructional approaches in developing anticipation skill

The relative effectiveness of explicit instruction, guided discovery, and discovery learning techniques in enhancing anticipation skill in young, intermediate-level tennis players was examined. Performance was assessed pre- and postintervention, during acquisition, and under transfer conditions designed to elicit anxiety through the use of laboratory and on-court measures. The 3 intervention groups improved from pre- to posttest compared with a control group (n = 8), highlighting the benefits of perceptual-cognitive training. Participants in the explicit (n = 8) and guided discovery (n = 10) groups improved their performance during acquisition at a faster rate than did the discovery learning (n = 7) group. However, the explicit group showed a significant decrement in performance when tested under anxiety provoking conditions compared with the guided discovery and discovery learning groups. Although training facilitated anticipation skill, irrespective of the type of instruction used in this experiment, guided discovery methods are recommended for expediency in learning and resilience under pressure.     

Reaction time unchanged in older women following aerobic training

The effect of aerobic exercise on reaction time in older women was investigated. 14 women (M age = 65 yr.) were carefully screened for health status and lifestyle, then assigned to a random order of the exercise and control groups (ns = 7). Pre- and posttraining tests of aerobic capacity, simple reaction time, and choice reaction time were administered. The exercise group rode a stationary bicycle ergometer for 8 consecutive weeks for 3 35- to 40-min. sessions per week. There were no significant pretraining differences between groups on simple reaction time, choice reaction time, or estimated VO2max. No posttraining differences for simple and choice reaction time were found even though the exercise group had a significantly higher VO2max than the controls. Contrary to some other findings, the data indicate that reaction time may be independent of aerobic training in healthy older women.     

Psychometric properties of the Type D scale (DS14) in Norwegian cardiac patients

Bergvik, S., Sørlie, T., Wynn, R. & Sexton, H. (2010). Psychometric properties of the Type D scale (DS14) in Norwegian cardiac patients. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology. The combination of negative affectivity (NA) and social inhibition (SI) – the Type D Personality – is associated with poor outcomes in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients. A Norwegian translation of the standard instrument measuring Type D (DS14) was tested on 432 CAD patients receiving coronary revascularization treatment. Factor analysis produced two factors with high inter‐item reliability, indicating that the Norwegian DS14 has acceptable psychometric properties. Eighteen percent were classified as Type D, lower than has been reported elsewhere. Type D was associated with anxiety, depression, and passive coping. NA correlated positively with depression, anxiety, and passive coping. SI correlated positively with depression and anxiety, and negatively with active coping. The prevalence of Type D was higher among women, and negatively correlated with time since treatment. The variation in Type D prevalence among studies needs further elucidation as does the predictive power of continuous scoring of the Type D trait.     

The effect of exercise and childbirth classes on fear of childbirth and locus of labor pain control

This study sought to track changes in intensity of fear of childbirth and locus of labor pain control in women attending an exercise program for pregnant women or traditional childbirth classes and to identify the predictors of these changes. The study was longitudinal/non-experimental in nature and run on 109 healthy primigravidae aged from 22 to 37, including 62 women participating in an exercise program for pregnant women and 47 women attending traditional childbirth classes. The following assessment tools were used: two scales developed by the present authors – the Fear of Childbirth Scale and the Control of Birth Pain Scale, three standardized psychological inventories for the big five personality traits (NEO Five Factors Inventory), trait anxiety (State–Trait Anxiety Inventory) and dispositional optimism (Life Oriented Test–Revised) and a questionnaire concerning socioeconomic status, health status, activities during pregnancy, relations with partners and expectations about childbirth. Fear of childbirth significantly decreased in women participating in the exercise program for pregnant women but not in women attending traditional childbirth classes. Several significant predictors of post-intervention fear of childbirth emerged: dispositional optimism and self-rated health (negative) and strength of the belief that childbirth pain depends on chance (positive).     

The influence of exercise duration and cognitions during running on feeling states in an indoor running track environment

Objectives. To examine the influence of different durations of aerobic exercise and cognitions during running on exercise-induced feeling state changes in an indoor running track environment once baseline differences in feeling states were controlled.Method. Physically active females (n=69) participated in one of three experimental conditions: a) a 25 min run at 70% heart rate reserve (HRR), b) a 40 min run at 70% HRR, or c) a 40 min no exercise control. Pre-post feeling states (EFI) were assessed and cognitions during running were recorded with 5 min left in the run.Results. Multilevel modeling analyses revealed that positive engagement and revitalization significantly increased from pre- to post-exercise in comparison to the control condition regardless of exercise duration whereas physical exhaustion was significantly reduced. However, tranquility significantly increased only in the 25 min run condition. Finally, cognitions during exercise moderated the changes in feeling states from pre- to post-exercise above and beyond exercise duration with participants reporting dissociative-external thoughts reporting greater increases in revitalization and decreases in physical exhaustion.Conclusions. Both objective demands of the exercise task (i.e., exercise duration) and subjective intrapsychic phenomena (i.e., cognitions during running) may aid in explaining exercise-induced feeling state changes.     

Type a behavior pattern as a predictor of psychiatric sick-leaves of Spanish teachers

The present study examined the relationship between the Type A Behavior Pattern and certain psychopathological disorders, namely, anxiety and depression, within an occupational setting. A sample group of 100 high school teachers (37 men and 63 women) who had taken one or more psychiatric leaves of absence were studied. An additional 100 teachers (47 men and 53 women), with no history of psychiatric sick-leaves, were randomly assigned to a control group. The groups shared the same organizational setting. The Jenkins Activity Survey, Form H, was administered to assess the Type A Behavior Pattern of both groups. Binomial logistic regression analysis indicated this pattern was related to psychiatric sick-leaves.     

Behavioral Experiments for Intolerance of Uncertainty: A Randomized Clinical Trial for Adults With Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Sophisticated multicomponent treatments for adults with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) have been developed over the past three decades. Although these comprehensive treatments have produced encouraging results, they appear to be less efficacious than treatments for other anxiety disorders. The goal of this randomized controlled trial is to test a newly developed, highly focused treatment for adults with GAD: Behavioral Experiments for Intolerance of Uncertainty. Sixty (60) participants (51 women, 9 men), with a mean age of 34.60 years (range: 19 to 67 years), were randomized to either treatment (n = 30) or wait-list control (n = 30). Treatment consisted of 12 weekly 1-hour sessions in which participants learned to use behavioral experiments to test their catastrophic beliefs about uncertainty. Assessments were conducted at pre-, mid- and postcondition, and at 6- and 12-month follow-up. The primary outcome was the severity of GAD, and secondary outcomes were worry, depression, somatic anxiety, and intolerance of uncertainty. Using growth curve modeling, we found that (1) the treatment group was superior to the wait-list group in terms of change from pre- to posttest on all outcomes; (2) the combined sample (once wait-listed participants received treatment) evidenced large and significant decreases on all outcomes; and (3) treatment gains were either maintained or increased over the 12-month follow-up period of the study. The new treatment is a promising treatment option for adults with GAD considering that it may be as efficacious as more comprehensive evidence-based psychological treatments for GAD.     

Aerobic physical activity effects on psychological well-being in low-income Hispanic children

Psychological well-being has been generally associated with vigorous aerobic activity and structured aerobic activity in adolescents and children. Low-income children are at greater risk than the general population for experiencing high environmental stress and increased mental health problems. This study investigated the effects of a structured physical fitness program on psychological well-being in low-income Hispanic children. A total of 66, 33 girls, 33 boys, in Grade 4 were randomly assigned to either an Aerobic intensity (n = 34) or a Control intensity physical activity program (n = 32) for 6 wk. Psychological well-being was defined as scores on trait anxiety, depression, and self-esteem, measured, respectively, by the Trait Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, and Rosenberg Self-esteem scale. Analysis showed the children in the Aerobic intensity program significantly (p < .05) improved their cardiovascular fitness as measured by the PWC170 test. After the program was over, the children in this Aerobic group reported significantly (p < .05) less depression. The main effect for self-esteem reflected the Aerobic group's greater self-reported self-esteem. No differences were found on trait anxiety. The effects on depression and self-esteem may only be attributed to the cardiovascular improvement given the higher intensity physical activity program because causation was not assessed here.     

Evaluation of a brief aerobic exercise intervention for high anxiety sensitivity

Anxiety sensitivity, or the belief that anxiety-related sensations can have negative consequences, has been shown to play an important role in the etiology and maintenance of panic disorder and other anxiety-related pathology. Aerobic exercise involves exposure to physiological cues similar to those experienced during anxiety reactions. The present study sought to investigate the efficacy of a brief aerobic exercise intervention for high anxiety sensitivity. Accordingly, 24 participants with high anxiety sensitivity scores (Anxiety Sensitivity Index-Revised scores >28) were randomly assigned to complete either six 20-minute sessions of aerobic exercise or a no-exercise control condition. The results indicated that individuals assigned to the aerobic exercise condition reported significantly less anxiety sensitivity subsequent to exercise, whereas anxiety sensitivity scores among non-exercisers did not significantly change. The clinical research and public health implications of these findings are discussed, and several potential directions for additional research are recommended.     

Stress and Health in Spanish Women1

This study examines the relationship between stress and health in a sample of 1,566 women aged between 18 and 65 years. Multiple regression analyses were conducted using the scaled version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ‐28) scales as the dependent variables, and 21 personal and social variables as predictors. The women with more severe depression, anxiety, and somatic and social dysfunction symptoms were those who had a more emotional coping style and greater work role dissatisfaction. Moreover, depression, anxiety, and social dysfunction symptoms were predicted by low self‐esteem, while depression, anxiety, and somatic symptoms were predicted by chronic stress. The women with more symptoms of anxiety and depression were those who have experienced more life events and have low perceived social support. Women with Type‐A behavior patterns were found to suffer more anxiety and somatic symptoms. Women who exercise more hours per week had fewer somatic symptoms, and those with a more rational coping style suffered less social dysfunction.     

Effects of aerobic and nonaerobic exercise on depression and self-concept.

The effects of aerobic and nonaerobic exercise on depression and self-concept were investigated in a pretest-posttest control group design. 89 undergraduates engaged in the aerobic exercise of swimming, the nonaerobic exercise of weight training, or a control, Introductory Psychology class. Dependent measures were the Beck Depression Inventory, Depression Adjective Check Lists, Tennessee Self-concept Scale, and Cooper's 12 Minute Swim. Analysis indicated that both the aerobic and nonaerobic groups were equally effective in significantly reducing self-reported depression in comparison to the controls. The nonaerobic condition was superior to the aerobic condition for enhancing self-concept. These results contradict earlier findings suggesting that only aerobic types of exercise yield psychological benefit but are consistent with more recent findings showing the psychological benefit of nonaerobic exercise.     

Effects of minimal exercise and cognitive behavior modification on adherence, emotion change, self-image, and physical change in obese women

The present investigation tested a 12-wk. treatment protocol which employed low intensity cardiovascular and resistance exercise as well as cognitive-behavior modification on 13 obese, previously sedentary women. Separate analyses were conducted on program maintenance, emotional change, and physiological change. Although self motivation was lower in the treatment group than in the control group (n=35), measures of exercise maintenance were significantly higher. Analyses within the treatment group only indicated significant improvements in measures of State Anxiety, Depression, Anger, Fatigue, Tension, and Vigor, also Health Evaluation, Body Area Satisfaction, and heightened Overweight Preoccupation, over the 12 weeks. Their feelings after individual bouts of exercise indicated significantly increased Positive Engagement, Revitalization, and Tranquility, and reduced Physical Exhaustion. Maximum volume of oxygen uptake (VO2max) significantly increased (2nd to 10th percentile), but not resting heart rate. No significant correlation was found between cardiorespiratory change and change in scores on depression and anxiety. No significant association was found between physiological change and change in body image. Preliminary evaluation of the minimal exercise treatment was given. The need to replicate findings with larger and different samples was emphasized.     

Coping, control, and adjustment in Type 2 diabetes.

The relationships of both coping strategies and perceived control to psychological and physiological adjustment were investigated in 115 adults (65 women, 50 men) with Type 2 diabetes. Results showed that (a) emotional preoccupation and palliative coping were positively correlated with depression and state anxiety, whereas perceived control was negatively correlated with depression, state anxiety, and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c); (b) instrumental coping predicted lower depression; (c) perceived control moderated the relationships between instrumental coping and depression, and emotional preoccupation coping and HbA1c; and (d) emotional preoccupation coping mediated the relationships between perceived control and depression, and perceived control and state anxiety. Results are discussed in terms of the goodness-of-fit hypothesis (V. J. Conway & D. J. Terry, 1992), optimal coping, and the importance of perceived control in psychological and physiological adjustment.     

The potential mediating role of anxiety sensitivity in the impact of mindfulness training on anxiety and depression severity and impairment: A randomized controlled trial

The benefits of mindfulness-based interventions to alleviate anxiety and depression have been supported by many studies. Given the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions on anxiety and depression, the underlying mechanisms need to be explored. Using a randomized waitlist-controlled design, this study investigated whether anxiety sensitivity was a potential mechanism for the impact of mindfulness training on anxiety and depression. Participants with high psychological distress were randomly assigned to an eight-week mindfulness intervention (N = 35) or a wait-list control group (N = 34). Before and after the intervention or corresponding waitlist period, participants completed measures of anxiety and depression severity and impairment and anxiety sensitivity. Separate mixed ANOVA demonstrated significant group (intervention vs. control group) × time (pre- vs. post-test) interactions for anxiety sensitivity and overall anxiety severity and impairment and marginally significant interaction for overall depression severity and impairment. Moreover, simple mediation models showed that reductions of anxiety sensitivity from pre- to post-test mediated the impact of mindfulness training on changes in anxiety and depression severity and impairment. The findings suggest that anxiety sensitivity is a potential mechanism underlying the effect of mindfulness training on anxiety and depression, which provides a new perspective for the study of processes of change of mindfulness-based interventions.