Fear and Anxiety in COVID-19: Preexisting Anxiety Disorders

The general population has experienced a significant elevation in fear and anxiety during COVID-19 both as a direct result of the virus but also due to measures taken to prevent it spreading, such as the need to stay inside and increase hand-washing. Lockdown has been used in many/most countries to prevent widespread infection. The advice and imposed actions are necessary to prevent the virus from spreading, but they might exacerbate the problems experienced by people with a preexisting anxiety-related disorder. The treatment of anxiety-related disorders can be provided while in quarantine. Staying at home in self-isolation does not preclude obtaining psychological treatment for anxiety-related disorders. Dealing with cognitive biases, over-estimations of threat, intolerance of uncertainty, inflated responsibility and excessive safety behavior, are useful clinical directions.     

Conducting Prolonged Exposure for PTSD During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Considerations for Treatment

The unprecedented effects and duration of the COVID-19 crisis are likely to elevate the population’s level of anxiety due to psychological stress, economic hardship, and social isolation. This effect may be especially potent for individuals with preexisting mental health conditions, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Prolonged Exposure (PE) therapy is a highly effective treatment for PTSD across trauma-exposed populations, and has been implemented effectively via telehealth. Nevertheless, PE implementation via telehealth may require specific adaptations during the COVID-19 crisis due to public health mandates calling for sheltering in place and physical distancing. This paper discusses strategies for implementing PE for PTSD during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may also be applied to other situations in which physical distancing must be considered.     

Inhibitory control and set shifting describe different pathways from behavioral inhibition to socially anxious behavior

Individuals with a behaviorally inhibited (BI) temperament are more likely to develop social anxiety. However, the mechanisms by which socially anxious behavior emerges from BI are unclear. Variation in different forms of top‐down control, specifically executive functions (EF), may play distinct roles and characterize differential pathways to social anxiety. Here 291 children were assessed for BI in toddlerhood (ages 2 and 3), parent‐reported inhibitory control and set shifting during middle childhood (age 7), and multidimensional assessment of socially anxious behavior completed during late childhood and early adolescence (ages 9 and 12). Structural equation modeling revealed that early variation in BI predicted the development of socially anxious behavior through either higher levels of parent‐reported inhibitory control or lower levels of parent‐reported set shifting. These data reinforce the notion that top‐down control does not uniformly influence relations between temperament and socially anxious behavior. These data suggest novel approaches to thinking about the role of EFs and social anxiety outcomes as children approach adolescence.     

树大招风：社交焦虑者的正性评价恐惧

正性评价恐惧是社交焦虑能够有效鉴别于抑郁症的核心特征。正性评价恐惧是指对他人给予的积极评价感到恐惧, 并因此而担忧的一种情绪反应。正性评价恐惧不仅会使社交焦虑者表现出否认积极认知、回避关注及情绪消极化等特点, 还会通过去正性化思维和解释偏向进一步加剧其认知偏差并抑制其正性情绪, 从而维持和加剧个体的社交焦虑症状。未来研究应关注正性评价恐惧在教育和咨询中的应用, 以及本土倡导谦虚文化背景下正性评价恐惧特点的研究。     

付出回报失衡与高校青年教师的焦虑：心理契约破裂的中介作用和过度承诺的调节作用

基于付出回报失衡模型,考察了高校青年教师的付出回报失衡与焦虑的关系。对336名高校青年教师进行了多时间点调查。结果显示：（1）付出回报失衡对高校青年教师的焦虑有显著正向预测作用;（2）付出回报失衡通过心理契约破裂间接影响高校青年教师的焦虑;（3）相较于低过度承诺教师,高过度承诺教师的付出回报失衡经由心理契约破裂对焦虑的影响更为突出。研究结果揭示了付出回报失衡对焦虑影响的过程机制和边界条件,对高校青年教师工作焦虑的改善有一定启示。     

刷微博，让焦虑的人更焦虑——特质焦虑对青少年注意情绪刺激的影响

采用自由观看眼动追踪范式,考察特质焦虑青少年在观看情绪面孔图片过程中的眼动轨迹。结果发现,高特质焦虑组对愤怒和恐惧面孔的首次注视到达时间（TFF）较快,首次注视持续时间（TFD）较短;低特质焦虑组对愤怒和恐惧面孔的TFF虽然稍早于平静面孔,但差异不显著。在刺激呈现1000ms之后,高特质焦虑组对愤怒和恐惧面孔的注视次数（FC）较多,平均注视持续时间（AFD）较短。低特质焦虑组对愤怒和恐惧面孔的FC较少,AFD较长;这就表明,高特质焦虑青少年在认知加工早期对威胁性刺激注意定向加速,没有注意解除困难,呈现“浅尝辄止”现象。而在认知加工晚期,他们则对威胁性刺激存在“反刍”现象。     

社交焦虑大学生情绪调节灵活性：情绪内容对策略选择和使用的影响

尽管社交焦虑个体被认为存在情绪调节灵活性的不足,但至今尚不清楚这种不足究竟在于难以灵活选择策略,还是难以灵活使用策略,抑或二者兼有？对此,本研究采用情绪调节策略选择任务考察了37名高社交焦虑大学生和29名低社交焦虑大学生在面对社交-非社交情绪图片时对认知重评-回避策略的选择模式和使用效果。结果发现：在面对社交情绪图片时,高社交焦虑被试比低社交焦虑被试更少选择认知重评,而更多选择回避;在面对非社交情绪图片时,两组被试对两种策略的选择模式无显著差异。同时,无论面对社交还是非社交情绪图片,两组被试对两种策略的使用效果也无显著差异。以上结果表明,相比低社交焦虑个体,高社交焦虑个体只有在面对社交情绪刺激时才存在情绪调节灵活性的不足,且这种不足主要在于难以灵活选择策略,而非难以灵活使用策略。     

辩证行为疗法：理论背景、治疗效果及作用机制

辨证行为疗法（Dialectical Behavior Therapy, DBT）于20世纪90年代初由美国治疗师Linehan创立。作为第三代行为治疗之一,该疗法以行为主义理论、辩证哲学、生物社会理论及禅宗为哲学基础,通过增加患者的技能使用,提高其情绪调节能力,以达到治疗目的。临床研究已证明其在边缘人格障碍,自杀及自伤行为中具有良好的治疗效果,除此之外也广泛适用于其他心理障碍及群体。DBT的临床效果、改变机制及拓展应用都需进一步研究。