A preliminary investigation of impulsivity in generalized anxiety disorder

Few studies have examined the association between impulsivity and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). This study examined whether individuals with probable GAD display impulsivity in a particular way, and the extent to which impulsivity uniquely predicts GAD severity and GAD status, over and above intolerance of uncertainty (IU), a key cognitive factor in GAD. Individuals with (n = 63) and without (n = 77) probable GAD completed self-report measures of impulsivity and IU. Results revealed that elevations in the severity of GAD symptoms and in IU were associated with impulsive actions in the face of negative affect (i.e., negative urgency), but also greater premeditation and lower “functional” impulsivity (i.e., the ability to take quick action when it is advantageous to do so). Impulsivity led to an increment in the prediction of GAD symptoms and GAD status, over and above IU. Negative urgency and lower functional impulsivity were significant unique predictors of GAD severity or GAD status. The findings highlight a need to consider impulsivity in theories that implicate intolerance of negative affect and uncertainty in excessive and uncontrollable worry.     

The happy cyclist: Examining the association between generalized authoritarianism and subjective well-being

Although authoritarianism can negatively impact others (e.g., by predicting prejudiced intergroup attitudes), implications for the self are mixed and require clarification. Extending previous research, we examined the association between generalized authoritarianism (GA, indicated by right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation) and subjective well-being (SWB, indicated by positive affect, negative affect, and life satisfaction) by testing simultaneously the general-level association between GA and SWB as well as specific residual associations between GA and SWB components, independent of basic personality dimensions. We observed a significant general-level association between GA and SWB whereby heightened authoritarianism predicted greater SWB. No residual associations were found between specific GA and SWB components. Despite being “bad” for others, generalized authoritarianism may be “good” for the self.     

Affective flexibility and generalized anxiety disorder: valence-specific shifting difficulties

ABSTRACT

Background: Growing evidence suggests that generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is associated with poor affective flexibility, defined as the ability to switch between emotional aspects and non-emotional aspects of a situation. However, it is unclear whether affective inflexibility is valence-specific in GAD.

Methods: Participants with GAD (n?=?21) and non-clinical control participants (n?=?28) were tested on an Affective Switching Task during which participants were asked to categorize pictures either by the valence or by the number of humans present in the pictures.

Results: Individuals with GAD, but not healthy controls, exhibited greater difficulty shifting from emotional aspects of negative material compared to emotional aspects of positive material and shifting to the emotional aspects of positive material compared to emotional aspects of negative material.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that GAD is associated with valence-specific affective flexibility biases. The relevance of the findings and directions for future research are discussed.     

Dimensions of perceived control: A factor analysis of three measures and an examination of their relation to activity level and mood in a student and cross-cultural patient sample

Abstract

This study investigated whether measures of three perceived control (PC) concepts tapped independent dimensions, were invariant to population characteristics of health and culture, were differentially sensitive to health outcomes, and were discriminable from self-report disability. The Multidimensional Health Locus of Control, Generalized Self-efficacy, and Perceived Health Competence (PHC) Scales were administered to 106 Scottish students and 145 Scottish, Spanish and Irish patients, who also completed versions of the Sickness Impact Profile. Principal Components analyses revealed five factors reflecting scale constructions for students and six factors for patients, as PHC items fell on two factors. Disability items fell on a separate factor from all PC items. Results suggest: (a) PC is multidimensional regardless of health and culture; (b) adequate assessment requires multiple PC measures; and (c) it is meaningful to consider PC as a possible influence on disability.     

过度担忧和广泛性焦虑障碍与rCBF关系的SPECT脑显像研究

目的：探查过度担忧者和GAD病人的r CBF变化,更好地了解导致病理性焦虑和GAD的神经病理生理学基础。方法：回顾性分析18例过度担忧者和61例GAD病人SPECT脑显像的结果。GAD患者再按病程分为3个亚组。计算各组患者特定脑区r CBF损伤的百分比及损伤的脑区数。结果：12例（66.7%）过度担忧者可见前额叶、基底节、扣带回、颞叶和枕叶r CBF增加（11例）和/或减少（9例）。58例（95.1%）GAD患者可见r CBF减少,主要累及中和下前额叶、中和下颞叶、前扣带、海马旁回、基底节和丘脑。大多数GAD患者累及的主要脑区等于或大于3个。GAD病人的r CBF损伤和病程之间存在一定的相关性。结论：结果支持GAD患者r CBF的变化是一个与担忧和焦虑等心理和情绪改变密切相关的慢性和渐进的过程。GAD的局部脑功能障碍是病理性焦虑产生的先决条件,并出现在局部脑结构异常之前。     

Generalized others and imaginary audiences: A neo-Meadian approach to adolescent egocentrism

Piaget’s conception of adolescent egocentrism, as interpreted and extended by Elkind (1967) is discussed, and research that has related Elkind’s egocentric ideations of personal fable and imaginary audience to age and intellectual development is considered. Alternative theories of adolescent egocentrism and its decentration are examined, and a neo-Meadian framework is discussed that understands the imaginary audience ideation of adolescents as a possibly functional, highly variable response to the complex task of coordinating individual and social perspectives as part of the adolescent’s search for identity.     

Perseverative thought: a robust predictor of response to emotional challenge in generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) frequently co-occur, yet the reasons for their comorbidity remain poorly understood. In the present experiment, we tested whether a tendency to engage in negative, repetitive thinking constitutes a common risk process for the two disorders. A mixed sample of adults with comorbid GAD–MDD (n = 50), GAD only (n = 35), MDD only (n = 34), or no lifetime psychopathology (n = 35) was administered noncontingent failure and success feedback on consecutive performance tasks. Perseverative thought (PT), measured by negative thought intrusions during a baseline period of focused breathing, emerged as a powerful prospective predictor of responses to this experimental challenge. Participants reporting more frequent negative thought intrusions at baseline, irrespective of thought content or diagnostic status, exhibited a stronger negative response to failure that persisted even after subsequent success. Higher PT over the course of the experiment was associated with later behavioral avoidance, with negative affect and other traits closely linked to anxiety and depression, and with the presence and severity of GAD and MDD. These findings provide evidence for a broadly-defined PT trait that is shared by GAD and MDD and contributes to adverse outcomes in these disorders.     

Measuring inaccuracy of uncertain doxastic states in many-valued logical systems

I will propose an alternative philosophical approach to the representation of uncertain doxastic states. I will argue that the current account of measuring inaccuracy of uncertain doxastic states is inadequate for Belnap's four-valued logic. Specifically, a situation can be found in which either an inaccuracy measure returns a completely wrong result or an agent's inaccuracy score is inadequate relative to the mistake in her doxastic attitude. This will motivate an alternative representation of uncertain doxastic states based on ordered pairs. I will describe a possible inaccuracy measure that is suitable for ordered pairs, and I will show that it has all the qualities that are required for an inaccuracy measure to be legitimate. Finally, I will introduce conditions of rationality for uncertain doxastic states represented by ordered pairs.     

Graph matching approach and generalized median graph for automatic labeling of cortical sulci with parallel and distributed algorithms

The human brain cortex is very complex structure containing folds (gyri) and fissures (sulci) that were the subject of our study in this paper. The sulcus is one of the most important features in order to know the different functions areas of the brain. The exact identification of sulci on human brain using MRI images is helpful in many studies and applications related to brain diseases and human behavior. Automatic labeling of cortical sulci with all this complexity and inter-subject variability, this is considered non-trivial task. In this paper, we have proposed a new graph based approach of automatic labeling of cortical sulci with parallel and distributed algorithms using graph matching and generalized median graph. The graph matching is very important in many studies and applications such as pattern recognition and classification. The generalized median graph of a set of graphs is a way to represent a set of graphs by a comprehensive graph that minimizes the sum of the distances to all graphs. We have used the characteristics of shape, orientation and location to describe the sulci. The results that we have obtained prove that our approach is accurate and acceptable in this field which uses the graph matching for automatic labeling of cortical sulci.