Disorders - Anxiety Disorders
McGrath, Patrick J., Lingley-Pottie, Patricia, Thurston, Catherine, MacLean, Cathy, Cunningham, Charles, Waschbusch, Daniel A., Watters, Carolyn, Stewart, Sherry, Bagnell, Alexa, Santor, Darcy, Chaplin, William
Objective: Most children with mental health disorders do not receive timely care because of access barriers. These initial trials aimed to determine whether distance interventions provided by nonprofessionals could significantly decrease the proportion of children diagnosed with disruptive behavior or anxiety disorders compared with usual care. Method: In three practical randomized controlled trials, 243 children (80 with oppositional-defiant, 72 with attention-deficit/hyperactivity, and 91 with anxiety disorders) were stratified by DSM-IV diagnoses and randomized to receive the Strongest Families intervention (treatment) or usual care (control). Assessments were blindly conducted and evaluated at 120, 240, and 365 days after randomization. The intervention consisted of evidence-based participant materials (handbooks and videos) and weekly telephone coach sessions. The main outcome was mental health diagnosis change. Results: Intention-to-treat analysis showed that for each diagnosis significant treatment effects were found at 240 and 365 days after randomization. Moreover, in the overall analysis significantly more children were not diagnosed as having disruptive behavior or anxiety disorders in the treatment group than the control group (120 days: χ² 1 = 13.05, p < .001, odds ratio 2.58, 95% confidence interval 1.54–4.33; 240 days: χ² 1 = 20.46, p < .001, odds ratio 3.44, 95% confidence interval 1.99–5.92; 365 days: χ² 1 = 13.94, p < .001, odds ratio 2.75, 95% confidence interval 1.61–4.71). Conclusions: Compared with usual care, telephone-based treatments resulted in significant diagnosis decreases among children with disruptive behavior or anxiety. These interventions hold promise to increase access to mental health services. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved) (journal abstract)
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 50(11) : 1162-1172
- Year: 2011
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any)
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
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Stage: Disorder established (diagnosed disorder)
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Treatment and intervention: Service Delivery & Improvement, Technology, interventions delivered using technology (e.g. online, SMS)
McMillan, L., Owen, L., Kras, M., Scholey, A.
There are surprisingly few randomised, controlled trials into the effects of dietary change on mood and cognition in healthy individuals. Here we examined the effects of 10 days of changing to a nutrient-rich diet on mood and cognitive performance. Young female adults (N = 25) were randomised to a diet change (DC), or a no change (NC) control group. Those in the DC condition adhered to the nutrient-dense Mediterranean diet. Mood and cognitive performance were assessed at baseline and on day 10. Compared with the NC group, the DC group showed significant improvements in self-rated vigour, alertness and contentment. Changes in cognitive tasks were somewhat inconsistent. These preliminary findings require verification in larger trials but suggest that appropriate dietary change may benefit mood and some aspects of cognitive performance in healthy adults. All rights reserved, Elsevier.
Appetite, 56(1) : 143-147
- Year: 2011
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any), Depressive Disorders
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
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Stage: Universal prevention
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Treatment and intervention: Complementary & Alternative Interventions (CAM)
, Dietary advice, dietary change
Lavasani, Masoud Gholamali, Khandan, Farah
Present project assess the effectiveness of cooperative learning over the mathematic anxiety and review the behavior of help seeking in first grade high school girl students. The experimental research procedure was in the form of pre-post tests after a period of 8 sessions of teaching. To measure the variables, the questionnaire of mathematic anxiety (Shokrani, 2002) and the questionnaire of help seeking technique (Ghadampour, 1998) were practiced (accepting or avoiding help seeking).To perform the assignment, 40 girl students from two schools were selected randomly and based on the highest mark of mathematic anxiety in pretest level and also after completing the two questionnaires; centered on matching process; they were placed in two groups of control and experimental. Teaching methodology of mathematic courses was offered in traditional method in control group but in experimental group, teaching methodology was cooperative learning method. After concluding the teaching sessions, once more, two questionnaires of mathematic anxiety and help seeking behavior were accomplished for the students. To analyze the data, the statistics method of analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was implemented. The accomplished results indicated that cooperative learning method, in comparison with traditional technique, significantly decreases mathematic anxiety in students and increases help seeking behavior and decline the avoidance factors (p < 0.05). These changes are, therefore, marked and meaningful in control group. Consequently, it is determined that the cooperative learning method can decrease the mathematic anxiety and increase help seeking behavior in students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved) (journal abstract)
Cypriot Journal of Educational Sciences, 6(2) : 61-74
- Year: 2011
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any)
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
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Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
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Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions (any)
, Other Psychological Interventions
Myint, K., Choy, K. L., Su, T. T., Lam, S. K.
Although mindfulness meditation practice appears to confer positive effects on various clinical conditions, physiological responses to this practice in healthy individuals are largely unknown. This study is aimed at evaluating the physiological effects of short-term mindfulness meditation in university students intending to take a written term examination. Young healthy university students (n=18) recruited as participants were divided equally into a meditation group without examination stress, a non-meditating group with examination stress, and a meditation group with examination stress. The meditation intervention groups were offered mindfulness practice twice daily of 1 h each time for a period of 5 weekdays, except for weekends, for 3 consecutive weeks. The parameters measured included heart rate, blood pressure and serum cortisol. Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) were also obtained to monitor any negative psychological symptoms. All parameters were measured before intervention, just after intervention, which also coincided with the eve of the academic examination and at 3 weeks after. The DASS-Stress scale was significantly (p<0.05) reduced after intervention in the meditation group with no examination challenge. However, no significant changes were found in the cardiovascular and cortisol outcomes amongst all groups for all time lines. Even though these findings did not show any significant physiological responses to the short-term mindfulness practice in stressful conditions, nonetheless, the results demonstrate the potential benefits of this practice in alleviating stress in the neutral environment of university students. Future studies should address the effects of mindfulness practice in larger groups exposed in stressful situations.
Biomedical Research, 22(2) : 165-171
- Year: 2011
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any), Depressive Disorders
- Type: Controlled clinical trials
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Stage: Universal prevention
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Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions (any)
, Mindfulness based therapy
Midgley, N., Kennedy, E.
For many years psychoanalytic and psychodynamic therapies have been considered to lack a credible evidence-base and have consistently failed to appear in lists of 'empirically supported treatments'. This study systematically reviews the research evaluating the efficacy and effectiveness of psychodynamic psychotherapy for children and young people. The researchers identified 34 separate studies that met criteria for inclusion, including nine randomised controlled trials. While many of the studies reported are limited by sample size and lack of control groups, the review indicates that there is increasing evidence to suggest the effectiveness of psychoanalytic psychotherapy for children and adolescents. The article aims to provide as complete a picture as possible of the existing evidence base, thereby enabling more refined questions to be asked regarding the nature of the current evidence and gaps requiring further exploration. (copyright) 2011 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.
Journal of Child Psychotherapy, 37(3) : 232-260
- Year: 2011
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any), Depressive Disorders, Eating Disorders (any)
- Type: Systematic reviews
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Stage: Disorder established (diagnosed disorder)
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Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions (any)
, Psychodynamic/Psychoanalysis
Miller, Lynn D., Laye-Gindhu, Aviva, Liu, Yan, March, John S., Thordarson, Dana S., Garland, E. Jane
The present research examined the effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) based intervention program, FRIENDS, for children from grades 4 to 6, using random assignment at the school-level and an attention-control design in two longitudinal studies. The first study targeted children with anxiety symptoms (N = 191, mean age = 10.1) as screened with self, parent, and teacher-reports; the second study took a universal approach with full classrooms of children participating (N = 253, mean age = 9.8). The results showed no intervention effect in both studies, with children’s anxiety symptoms decreasing over time regardless of whether they were in the story-reading (attention control) or FRIENDS condition. The findings also indicated that girls reported a higher level of anxiety than boys and children in higher grades reported lower anxiety relative to younger children in both studies. In addition, similar patterns were found using a subgroup of children with high-anxiety symptoms from both studies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved) (journal abstract)
Behaviour Research & Therapy, 49(5) : 315-323
- Year: 2011
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any)
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
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Stage: Universal prevention
, At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
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Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions (any)
, Other Psychological Interventions
Miller, Lynn D., Laye-Gindhu, Aviva, Bennett, Joanna L., Liu, Yan, Gold, Stephenie, March, John S., Olson, Brent F., Waechtler, Vanessa E.
Anxiety disorders are prevalent in the school-aged population and are present across cultural groups. Scant research exists on culturally relevant prevention and intervention programs for mental health problems in the Aboriginal populations. An established cognitive behavioral program, FRIENDS for Life, was enriched to include content that was culturally relevant to Aboriginal students. Students (N = 533), including 192 students of Aboriginal background, participated in the cluster randomized control study. Data were collected three times over 1 year. A series of multilevel models were conducted to examine the effect of the culturally enriched FRIENDS program on anxiety. These analyses revealed that the FRIENDS program did not effectively reduce anxiety for the total sample or for Aboriginal children specifically. However, all students, regardless of intervention condition, Aboriginal status, or gender, reported a consistent decrease in feelings of anxiety over the 6-month study period. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved) (journal abstract)
Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 40(4) : 618-629
- Year: 2011
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any)
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
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Stage: Universal prevention
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Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions (any)
, Other Psychological Interventions
Muto, T., Hayes, S. C., Jeffcoat, T.
International students often experience significant psychological distress but empirically tested programs are few. Broadly distributed bibliotherapy may provide a cost-effective approach. About half of the Japanese international students in a western university in the United States (N= 70) were randomly assigned to a wait-list or to receive a Japanese translation of a broadly focused acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) self-help book. Although recruited without regard to health status, the sample was highly distressed with nearly 80% exceeding clinical cutoffs on one or more measures. After a 2-months period for the first treatment group to read the book and a 2-month follow up, wait-list participants also received the book. Students receiving the book showed significantly better general mental health at post and follow up. Moderately depressed or stressed, and severely anxious students showed improvement compared to those not receiving the book. These patterns were repeated when the wait-list participants finally received the book. Improvements in primary outcomes were related to how much was learned about an ACT model from the book. Follow-up outcomes were statistically mediated by changes in psychological flexibility, but not vice versa and were moderated by level of initial flexibility. Overall, the data suggest that ACT bibliotherapy improved the mental health and psychological flexibility of Japanese international students. (copyright) 2011.
Behavior Therapy, 42(2) : 323-335
- Year: 2011
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any), Depressive Disorders
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
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Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions (any)
, Acceptance & commitment therapy (ACT)
, Self-help
Mohammadian, Y., Shahidi, S., Mahaki, B., Mohammadi, A. Z., Baghban, A. A., Zayeri, F.
The aim of the present study was to explore the effectiveness of group poetry intervention on signs of depression, anxiety and stress in female undergraduate students in Iran. A sample of 29 participants were randomly assigned to either an intervention (n= 14) or a no intervention group (n= 15). The intervention group took part in seven sessions of group poetry therapy of 90-120. min duration each while the no intervention group was put on a waiting list. All participants completed the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS) before the intervention and after second, fifth and the last session. Results showed that the use of poetry as an intervention technique plays a significant role in reducing signs of depression, anxiety and reported stress. This confirms previous research. Results are discussed in terms of the viability of poetry as a possible therapeutic method in alleviating depressive and anxiety related disorders considering some important characteristics of the Iranian culture. (copyright) 2011 Elsevier Inc.
Arts in Psychotherapy, 38(1) : 59-63
- Year: 2011
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any), Depressive Disorders
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
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Stage: Universal prevention
-
Treatment and intervention: Complementary & Alternative Interventions (CAM)
, Creative expression: music, dance, drama, art
Moyer, C. A.
Objectives: It is frequently asserted that massage therapy (MT) reduces cortisol levels, and that this mechanism is the cause of MT benefits including relief from anxiety, depression, and pain, but reviews of MT research are not in agreement on the existence or magnitude of such a cortisol reduction effect, or the likelihood that it plays such a causative role. A definitive quantitative review of MT's effect on cortisol would be of value to MT research and practice. Methods: After first performing a comprehensive literature search and retrieval, we use rigorous and conventional meta-analytic methods for calculating between-groups effect sizes. As a point of comparison, we also replicate an unconventional approach taken by other reviewers, in which MT recipients' within-group cortisol reductions are quantified as a percentage of change, despite the fact that this introduces numerous confounds not addressed by the first approach. Results: Resultant between-groups effect sizes are almost all small (ds = 0.05-0.30) and nonsignificant. The lone exception is MT's multiple-dose effect in children, which is larger (d = 0.52) and statistically significant, but which is based on only three studies and vulnerable to the file-drawer threat. Within-group percentage reductions of cortisol in MT recipients are generally smaller than those found by other reviewers, and are generally inconsistent with the more rigorous between-groups results, which illustrates the unsuitability of this unconventional approach to assessment of treatment effects. Conclusions: MT's effect on cortisol is generally very small and, in most cases, not statistically distinguishable from zero. As such, it cannot be the cause of MT's well-established and statistically larger beneficial effects on anxiety, depression, and pain. We conclude that other causal mechanisms, which are still to be identified, must be responsible for MT's clinical benefits. (copyright) 2010 Elsevier Ltd.
Journal of Bodywork & Movement Therapies, 15(1) : 3-14
- Year: 2011
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any)
- Type: Systematic reviews
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Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Complementary & Alternative Interventions (CAM)
, Massage
Youngstedt, Shawn D., Kline, Christopher E., Ginsberg, Jay P., Zielinski, Mark R., Hardin, James W.
Background: Available treatments for anxiety have limitations and/or side effects. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of bright light exposure as a treatment in high-anxious young adults. Methods: In an acute exposure study, participants (n = 33) were randomly assigned to 4Smin of (I) bright light or (2) placebo. Participants then performed a 5-week study (n = 29). Following a 1-week baseline, participants were randomly assigned to 4 weeks of daily exposure to either (1) bright light (45min/day) or (2) placebo treatment, initiated ≤ l hr after awakening. Before and after the experiment, clinical ratings were conducted with the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A), Hamilton Depression Scale, and Clinical Global Impressions scale. Following each week, blood pressure, anxiety (Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Yl), depression, mood, sleep, and side effects were assessed. Results: No significant treatment effect was found in the acute exposure study. Likewise, in the 5-week study, no significant treatment effect was found. However, bright light elicited marginally greater reductions in psychic symptoms of the HAM-A (P = .06) and other measures. Conclusions: This pilot study provides little compelling evidence for an anxiolytic effect of bright light in high-anxious young adults. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved) (journal abstract)
Depression & Anxiety, 28(4) : 324-332
- Year: 2011
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any)
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
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Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
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Treatment and intervention: Complementary & Alternative Interventions (CAM)
, Bright light therapy
Warnecke, E., Quinn, S., Ogden, K., Towle, N., Nelson, M. R.
This study aimed to determine whether the practice of mindfulness reduces the level of stress experienced by senior medical students. We carried out a multicentre, single-blinded, randomised controlled trial with intention-to-treat analysis in three clinical schools attached to the University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania. Participants included 66 medical students in their final 2 years of study in 2009. Participants were block-randomised to either an intervention or a usual care control group. The intervention used an audio CD of guided mindfulness practice designed and produced for this trial. Participants were advised to use the intervention daily over the 8 weeks of the trial. All participants completed two self-report questionnaires, at baseline and at 8 weeks, respectively. The intervention group also completed a questionnaire at 16 weeks to provide follow-up data. The primary outcome measure was the difference over time in scores on the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). The secondary outcome measure referred to differences over time in scores on the subscales of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS). Mean baseline scores on the PSS and the stress component of the DASS were 15.7 (maximal score of 40) and 13.2 (maximal score of 42), respectively, both of which exceed scores in age-matched normative control data. Using multivariable analysis, participants in the intervention group demonstrated significant reductions in scores on the PSS (-3.44, 95% confidence interval [CI] - 6.20 to -0.68; p<0.05) and the anxiety component of the DASS (-2.82, 95% CI -4.99 to -0.64; p <0.05). A borderline significant effect was demonstrated on the stress component of the DASS (-3.69, 95% CI -7.38 to 0.01; p = 0.05). Follow-up at 8 weeks post-trial revealed that the effect was maintained. Mindfulness practice reduced stress and anxiety in senior medical students. Stress is prevalent in medical students and can have adverse effects on both student health and patients. A simple, self-administered, evidence-based intervention now exists to manage stress in this at-risk population and should be widely utilised. (copyright) Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2011.
Medical Education, 45(4) : 381-388
- Year: 2011
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any), Depressive Disorders
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
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Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions (any)
, Mindfulness based therapy