Emotion regulation and its effects on mood improvement in response to in vivo peer rejection challenge

This study examined children's spontaneous use of behavioral emotion regulation (ER) strategies and their effects on subsequent mood change in response to an in vivo peer rejection manipulation. Participants (N = 186), ranging between 10 and 13 years of age, played a computer game based on the television show Survivor and were randomized to either peer rejection (being voted out of the game) or nonrejection control. In response to rejection, more than one third of the participants (38%) displayed a marked worsening (i.e., reliable change) in state mood. After receiving feedback, time spent on several behavioral ER strategies during a 5-minute postfeedback period was assessed. At the end of the postfeedback period, children's cognitive activity was also assessed. More time spent on behavioral distraction was positively linked to subsequent increases in positive affect, whereas the reverse pattern was found for disengagement/passive behavior. Moreover, higher endorsement ratings for the strategy of "cognitive analysis" were associated with stronger increases in negative affect. © 2006 APA, all rights reserved

The effects of comorbid personality disorders on cognitive behavioral treatment for panic disorder

The present study investigated the influence of personality pathology assessed both dimensionally and categorically on acute clinical response to group cognitive-behavioral treatment in a large sample of panic disorder patients (N = 173) meeting DSMIII-R criteria for panic disorder with or without agoraphobia. Nearly one-third of the sample met for one or more personality disorders, with the majority meeting for a Cluster C diagnosis. Patients with one or more comorbid personality disorders displayed higher baseline and higher post treatment scores across multiple indices of panic disorder severity compared to those without personality disorders. After controlling for panic disorder severity at baseline, the presence of both Cluster C and Cluster A Pers-Ds predicted a poorer outcome, whereas when assessed dimensionally, only Cluster C symptoms predicted a poorer treatment response. However, the influence of personality pathology was modest relative to that of baseline panic disorder severity

An examination of the decline in fear and disgust during exposure-based treatment

Item does not contain fulltextIt has been suggested that disgust plays a prominent role in the fear of spiders. Participants (N=27) displaying marked spider fear were provided 30 min of self-directed in vivo exposure to an actual tarantula, during which time their fear and disgust levels were assessed repeatedly. Growth curve analyses were then conducted to examine the decay slopes in both fear and disgust and their relationship. Consistent with prediction, exposure led to significant declines in both spider fear and spider-specific disgust but not in global disgust sensitivity. However, the decay slope observed for fear was significantly greater than that for disgust. Further analyses revealed that the reduction in disgust during treatment remained significant even after controlling for change in fear; and similarly, change in fear remained significant even after controlling for change in disgust. Contrary to prediction, disgust levels at pretreatment did not moderate the level of fear activation or fear reduction during treatment. Theoretical and clinical implications of the findings are discussed

The Speech Anxiety Thoughts Inventory: scale development and preliminary psychometric data

Item does not contain fulltextCognitions have been known to play a central role in the development, maintenance, and treatment of speech anxiety. However, few instruments are currently available to assess cognitive contents associated with speech anxiety. This report describes three studies examining the psychometric characteristics of a revised English version of the Speech Anxiety Thoughts Inventory (SATI)-an instrument measuring maladaptive cognitions associated with speech anxiety. In Study 1, factor analyses of the SATI revealed a two-factor solution-"prediction of poor performance" and "fear of negative evaluation by audience", respectively. In Study 2, the two-factor structure was replicated. In addition, results revealed stability over a four-week period, high internal consistency, and good convergent and discriminant validity. In Study 3, the scale demonstrated sensitivity to change following brief exposure-based treatments. These findings suggest that the SATI is a highly reliable, valid measure to assess cognitive features of speech anxiety

Cognitive mechanisms of social anxiety reduction: An examination of specificity and temporality

Item does not contain fulltextCognitive theories posit that exposure-based treatments exert their effect on social anxiety by modifying judgmental biases. The present study provides a conservative test of the relative roles of changes in judgmental biases in governing social anxiety reduction and addresses several limitations of previous research. Longitudinal, within-subjects analysis of data from 53 adults with a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) social phobia diagnosis revealed that reductions in probability and cost biases accounted for significant variance in fear reduction achieved during treatment. However, whereas the reduction in probability bias resulted in fear reduction, the reduction in cost bias was merely a consequence of fear reduction. A potential implication is that exposure-based treatments for social anxiety might focus more attention on correcting faulty appraisals of social threat occurrence

Peer victimization and internalizing problems in children: A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies

Objective: A recent meta-analytic review of cross-sectional studies examining correlations between peer victimization and indices of internalizing problems indicates that victims of bullying are highly distressed. However, the reliance on cross-sectional studies precludes interpretation of the direction of effects. The present study was designed to investigate if internalizing problems are antecedents of victimization, consequences of victimization, or both. Method: This paper provides a meta-analysis of 18 longitudinal studies examining prospective linkages between peer victimization and internalizing problems (n = 13,978). Two prospective paths were examined: the extent to which peer victimization at baseline predicts changes in internalizing problems, as well as the extent to which internalizing problems at baseline predict changes in peer victimization. Results: Results revealed significant associations between peer victimization and subsequent changes in internalizing problems, as well as significant associations between internalizing problems and subsequent changes in peer victimization. Several moderator effects were observed. Conclusions: Internalizing problems function as both antecedents and consequences of peer victimization. These reciprocal influences suggest a vicious cycle that contributes to the high stability of peer victimization. Practice implications: This study should further encourage steps to reduce bullying at schools

Psychological approaches in the treatment of specific phobias: A meta-analysis

Data from 33 randomized treatment studies were subjected to a meta-analysis to address questions surrounding the efficacy of psychological approaches in the treatment of specific phobia. As expected, exposure-based treatment produced large effects sizes relative to no treatment. They also outperformed placebo conditions and alternative active psychotherapeutic approaches. Treatments involving in vivo contact with the phobic target also outperformed alternative modes of exposure (e.g., imaginal exposure, virtual reality, etc.) at post-treatment but not at follow-up. Placebo treatments were significantly more effective than no treatment suggesting that specific phobia sufferers are moderately responsive to placebo interventions. Multi-session treatments marginally outperformed single-session treatments on domain-specific questionnaire measures of phobic dysfunction, and moderator analyses revealed that more sessions predicted more favorable outcomes. Contrary to expectation, effect sizes for the major comparisons of interest were not moderated by type of specific phobia. These findings provide the first quantitative summary evidence supporting the superiority of exposure-based treatments over alternative treatment approaches for those presenting with specific phobia. Recommendations for future research are also discussed

The effect of attributional processes concerning medication taking on return of fear

Item does not contain fulltextIn this investigation, the authors examined the effect of attributional processes concerning medication taking on return of fear following exposure-based treatment. Participants (87% undergraduate students and 13% community volunteers) displaying marked claustrophobic fear (N = 95) were randomly allocated to a waitlist condition, a psychological placebo condition, a I-session exposure-based treatment, or the same exposure treatment given in conjunction with an inactive pill. Attributions concerning medication taking were manipulated by further randomly assigning participants in the exposure-based treatment plus pill condition to 1 of 3 instructional sets immediately following treatment completion and posttreatment assessment: (1) The pill was described as a sedating herb that likely made exposure treatment easier; (2) the pill was described as a stimulating herb that likely made exposure treatment more difficult; or (3) the pill was described as a placebo that had no effect on exposure treatment. Return of fear rates for the 3 conditions were 39%, 0%, and 0%, respectively. Moreover, the deleterious effects of the sedation instructions were mediated by reduced self-efficacy. These findings highlight the importance of assessing patient attributions regarding the improvements achieved with combined exposure-based and pharmacological treatments for anxiety disorders