Safety behaviour: a reconsideration

There is ample evidence that the use of safety behaviour can interfere with the progress of therapy, particularly if exposure is involved. As a result, it is widely asserted that safety behaviour is anti-therapeutic. However, an unqualified rejection of safety behaviour should be reconsidered because we now have theoretical justification, experimental evidence and clinical observations showing that the judicious use of safety behaviour, especially in the early stages of treatment, can be facilitative. Experiments in which escape behaviour facilitated fear reduction, and others in which the use of safety gear facilitated fear reduction, are reviewed. It also appears that safety behaviour does not necessarily prevent disconfirmatory experiences. We propose that additional investigations of the judicious use of safety behaviour will help to elucidate therapeutic uses of safety behaviour in the treatment of anxious and related types of psychopathology.     

Anxiety sensitivity: a unique predictor of dropout among inner-city heroin and crack/cocaine users in residential substance use treatment

The present study examined the extent to which anxiety sensitivity (AS) at treatment entry was related to prospective treatment dropout among 182 crack/cocaine and/or heroin-dependent patients in a substance use residential treatment facility in Northeast Washington, DC. Results indicated that AS incrementally and prospectively predicted treatment dropout after controlling for the variance accounted for by demographics and other drug use variables, legal obligation to treatment (i.e., court-ordered vs. self-referred), alcohol use frequency, and depressive symptoms. Findings are discussed in relation to the role of AS in treatment dropout and substance use problems more generally.     

Perceived attachment: relations to anxiety sensitivity, worry, and GAD symptoms

This investigation examined the relation between perceived alienation from parents and peers, anxiety sensitivity (AS), and current worry and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) symptoms with the goal of expanding the knowledge base on factors that may contribute to the development of AS and its role in worry. The mediating role of AS between perceptions of alienation and current worry and GAD symptoms was also examined. Ninety-four non-clinical worriers completed self-report questionnaires assessing their perceptions of attachment, AS levels, and worry and GAD symptoms. Even after controlling for worry and GAD symptoms, greater perceptions of alienation from mothers and peers were significantly associated with higher AS symptoms. AS as a unitary construct mediated the relation between perceptions of alienation from mothers and peers and worry and GAD symptoms. The facets fear of publicly observable symptoms and fear of cognitive dyscontrol also mediated this relation. The role of alienation in relation to AS, worry, and GAD symptoms is discussed along with directions for future research.     

Anxiety sensitivity and perceived control over anxiety-related events: evaluating the singular and interactive effects in the prediction of anxious and fearful responding to bodily sensations

The present investigation examined the singular and interactive effects of anxiety sensitivity and perceived control over anxiety-related events in the prediction of panic symptoms using a CO(2)-enriched air biological challenge. Two hundred and twenty-nine adult participants (M(age)=21.02, SD=7.55, 124 females) were recruited from the greater Burlington, Vermont community. Results indicated that pre-challenge anxiety sensitivity, but not perceived control over anxiety-related events, significantly predicted post-challenge panic attack symptoms, anxiety focused on bodily sensations, and, interest in returning for another challenge (behavioral avoidance). In regard to physiological findings, anxiety sensitivity was significantly related to skin conductance level whereas perceived control over anxiety-related events was related to respiration rate. Neither anxiety sensitivity nor perceived control over anxiety-related events was related to heart rate. There also were no interactive effects between anxiety sensitivity and perceived control over anxiety-related events for any of the studied dependent variables. Results are discussed in relation to multi-risk factor models of cognitive vulnerability for panic psychopathology.     

Adolescent Conduct Problems and Bulimic Tendencies: Study of an Emotional Distress Hypothesis

Prior research has documented an association between adolescent conduct problems and bulimic tendencies. However, there is limited theoretical modeling to explain this association, and prior studies have generally failed to assess for potential mediating variables of impulsivity, anxiety, and depression. The current study assessed these mediating variables in further exploring for unique associations between adolescent conduct problems and bulimic tendencies. A non-referred adolescent sample was assessed for bulimic tendencies, conduct problems, impulsivity, anxiety, and depression using a multi-informant assessment battery including parent, teacher, and self-report measures. There was a significant bivariate association between conduct problems and bulimic tendencies, r = 0.29, p < 0.01. However, this association was fully mediated by anxiety and depression symptoms. This suggests that emotional distress could be a primary factor linking adolescent conduct problems and bulimic tendencies. Implications include the potential for more regular screening of youth with conduct problems for associated eating disturbances.

Computerised cognitive‐behaviour therapy (cCBT) and older people: A pilot study to determine factors that influence willingness to engage with cCBT

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore whether older people with depression and/or anxiety were potentially willing to engage with computerised cognitive‐behaviour therapy (cCBT). Method: A short questionnaire was sent to 60 service users aged 65+ who were identified as having anxiety and/or depression. Results: There was a 63.3% response rate for the questionnaire. Almost half of the respondents said they would be interested in using cCBT, and would be willing to learn the necessary computer skills. Conclusions: This pilot study suggests that older people with anxiety and/or depression may be willing to engage with cCBT. However, a number of important factors are highlighted that would need to be considered in deciding whether to develop access to cCBT for older people.     

心理韧性儿童的社会能力自我觉知

旨在考察心理韧性儿童与缺乏心理韧性儿童相比社会能力自我觉知特点, 以探究社会能力自我觉知的心理韧性发展意蕴。利用量表法和内隐联结测验(IAT), 对经由汇聚操作法筛选出的99名心理韧性儿童和176名缺乏心理韧性儿童, 分别测量社会能力外显自我觉知与内隐自我觉知, 并从2个信息源多角度测量其实际社会能力。结果发现：心理韧性儿童比缺乏心理韧性儿童有更高水平的社会能力外显自我觉知, 社会能力自我觉知与心理社会发展功能总体上存在极其显著的正向关联; 心理韧性组儿童自我觉知的社会能力低于其实际社会能力但两者显著正相关, 缺乏心理韧性组儿童自我觉知的社会能力接近于其实际社会能力但两者不存在显著相关, 两组儿童自我觉知的社会能力与实际社会能力之差的差异极其显著; 心理韧性儿童在内隐社会能力自我觉知测验不相容任务与相容任务上反应时之差显著大于缺乏心理韧性儿童。这提示, 外显上谨慎一致的高水平社会能力自我觉知和内隐上更倾向于认为自己有能力或为心理韧性发展的主体性机制原因之一。     

Implicit and Explicit Occupational Gender Stereotypes

This study was designed to compare implicit and explicit occupational gender stereotypes for three occupations (engineer, accountant, and elementary school teacher). These occupations represented the end points and middle of a masculine–feminine continuum of explicit occupational gender stereotypes. Implicit stereotypes were assessed using the Implicit Association Test (IAT), which is believed to minimize self-presentational biases common with explicit measures of occupational gender stereotypes. IAT results for the most gender stereotyped occupations, engineer (masculine) and elementary school teacher (feminine), were comparable to explicit ratings. There was less agreement with less stereotyped comparisons. Results indicated that accounting was implicitly perceived as more masculine than explicit measures indicate, which calls into question reports of diminishing gender stereotyping for such occupations.     

The influence of experimentally created extrapersonal associations on the Implicit Association Test

We examined the influence of extrapersonal associations (Olson & Fazio, 2004)—associations that neither form the basis of the attitude nor become activated automatically in response to the object—on the Implicit Association Test (Greenwald, McGhee, & Schwartz, 1998) by experimentally creating both attitudes and extrapersonal associations. The results revealed that participants who were given extrapersonal information that was inconsistent with their own attitudes were affected by this information when they later performed an IAT. They exhibited significantly reduced IAT scores compared to participants who were provided attitude-consistent extrapersonal information. This attenuation of the IAT effect occurred despite the fact that participants rated the source of the attitude-inconsistent extrapersonal information as irrational and foolish. On the other hand, the extrapersonal associations did not influence a subliminal priming measure in Experiment 1, nor a personalized version of the IAT (Olson & Fazio, 2004) in Experiment 2. These measures proved sensitive to the attitude, regardless of the congruency of the extrapersonal information.     

TOMM Performances and Self-Reported Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety

The Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM) is the most frequently used symptom validity test (SVT) by neuropsychologists and appears to be robust in the context of a number of neurological and psychiatric conditions. The current study cross-validated and extended prior research by examining the relation between scores on self-report measures of depression and anxiety, independently and combined, and scores on the TOMM in an outpatient neuropsychology clinic. A total of 262 files were reviewed, 67 of which contained complete data on the TOMM, Beck Depression Inventory-II, and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Results show that scores on self-report inventories of depression and anxiety are not significantly related to scores on the TOMM, cross-validating previous research. Extending prior research, current analyses demonstrate that TOMM scores are not significantly influenced by the combined relation of self-reported symptoms of depression and anxiety. Findings support the utility of the TOMM with patients reporting affective disturbances.