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Psychology Research and Behavior... 2023During emergencies, individuals and communities often react in a variety of ways, including panic response. However, the study of panic response is limited due to narrow...
INTRODUCTION
During emergencies, individuals and communities often react in a variety of ways, including panic response. However, the study of panic response is limited due to narrow assessment tools that measure only one or two dimensions of human response (eg, physiology, cognition, emotion, and behavior). To address this limitation and to explore the risk and protective factors of panic response during the global spread of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), the current study developed and evaluated the (PRS).
METHODS
Four samples were recruited for the following purposes: interview analysis (n = 26); item analysis and exploratory factor analysis (n = 604); confirmatory factor analysis and reliability analysis (n = 603); and retest reliability, validity analysis, and regression analysis (n = 349).
RESULTS
The PRS consists of 21 items with four subscales: Physical Discomfort, Anxious Fluster, Sensitive Depression, and Excessive Prevention. Each of these subscales demonstrated good internal consistency ( 0.73), test-retest reliability ( > 0.77), criterion validity ( = 0.69, < 0.01), and convergent validity ( = 0.31-0.65, < 0.01). Regression analysis revealed significant predicting effects of COVID-19 knowledge and neuroticism on panic response. Additionally, cognitive reappraisal moderated the association between neuroticism and panic response.
DISCUSSION
Following a traumatic event, the PRS offers a potential tool for identifying individuals in need of mental health services. Moreover, during the COVID-19 pandemic, knowledge and neuroticism served as risk factors for heightened panic response, while cognitive reappraisal served as a protective factor for coping with panic response.
PubMed: 37547622
DOI: 10.2147/PRBM.S415240 -
Journal of Pediatric Psychology Apr 2024Anxiety is among the major psychological concerns for children living with food allergy (FA). Yet research exploring the variables driving anxiety symptoms in FA remains...
OBJECTIVE
Anxiety is among the major psychological concerns for children living with food allergy (FA). Yet research exploring the variables driving anxiety symptoms in FA remains sparse, and most studies still utilize homogeneous samples to assess anxiety symptoms. The current study seeks to evaluate the rates of clinically significant anxiety symptoms among a diverse sample of youth with FA and examine whether a heightened risk perception of FA outcomes and FA burden (vs. FA medical history) is associated with anxiety in youth.
METHODS
94 youth ages 10-14 and their parents were recruited from FA clinics at a mid-Atlantic children's hospital. Both youth and parents completed demographic and FA medical history questionnaires, the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders, and the Food Allergy Independent Measure as part of a longitudinal study about FA adjustment and adherence.
RESULTS
Over a third (37%) of youth scored above clinical cut-offs for overall anxiety symptoms. At least 25% of youth reported clinically significant scores on panic disorder, generalized anxiety, social anxiety, separation anxiety, and school avoidance subscales. Perception of risk of adverse FA outcomes and burden-but not FA medical history-were associated with total anxiety, generalized anxiety, panic disorder, and school avoidance symptoms, but not social anxiety and separation anxiety. Having more FAs was associated with higher social anxiety scores but not with other anxiety subscales.
CONCLUSIONS
Youth with FA might benefit from psychosocial interventions that address FA risk perception management and promote appropriate FA vigilance to cope with anxiety symptoms.
PubMed: 38679905
DOI: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsae026 -
Frontiers in Neuroscience 2023Evidence for clinically meaningful benefits of transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has been rapidly accumulating over the past 15 years. This relatively... (Review)
Review
Evidence for clinically meaningful benefits of transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has been rapidly accumulating over the past 15 years. This relatively novel non-invasive brain stimulation technique has been applied to a wide range of neuropsychiatric disorders including schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, and Alzheimer's disease. More recently, non-invasive forms of VNS have allowed for investigations within healthy aging populations. These results offer insight into protocol considerations specific to older adults and how to translate those results into effective clinical trials and, ultimately, effective clinical care. In this review, we characterize the possible mechanisms by which non-invasive VNS may promote healthy aging (e.g., neurotransmitter effects, inflammation regulation, functional connectivity changes), special considerations for applying non-invasive VNS in an older adult population (e.g., vagus nerve changes with age), and how non-invasive VNS may be used in conjunction with existing behavioral interventions (e.g., cognitive behavioral therapy, cognitive training) to promote healthy emotional and cognitive aging.
PubMed: 37575296
DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1184051 -
Acta Dermato-venereologica Aug 2023There is a lack of knowledge concerning loneliness and psychiatric disorders other than anxiety and depression in patients with atopic dermatitis. This cross-sectional...
There is a lack of knowledge concerning loneliness and psychiatric disorders other than anxiety and depression in patients with atopic dermatitis. This cross-sectional study was conducted within the Lifelines Cohort Study, in the Netherlands, by sending an atopic dermatitis questionnaire to adult participants (n = 135,950) in 2020. Psychiatric disorders were measured with a self-reported question and validated instrument (Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview; M.I.N.I.), and loneliness was assessed with the validated 6-item De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale. In total, 56,896 subjects (mean age 55.8 years, 39.7% males) were included. Atopic dermatitis showed positive associations with self-reported chronic fatigue syndrome, burnout, depression, social phobia, panic disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and eating disorder in the participants' lifetimes. Based on the M.I.N.I., atopic dermatitis was positively associated with panic disorder and at least 1 anxiety disorder. In addition, subjects with atopic dermatitis were more likely to experience loneliness compared with those without atopic dermatitis. These associations were observed only in the moderate-to-severe, but not mild, atopic dermatitis group. This study raises awareness that a significant proportion of adults with atopic dermatitis feel lonely and are affected by several psychiatric disorders, especially those severely affected by atopic dermatitis. Further studies are required to evaluate if interdisciplinary care, such as the collaboration between dermatologists and psychiatrists, could optimize medical care for this vulnerable patient group.
Topics: Male; Adult; Humans; Middle Aged; Female; Loneliness; Cohort Studies; Cross-Sectional Studies; Depression; Dermatitis, Atopic; Anxiety; Mental Disorders; Anxiety Disorders
PubMed: 37605893
DOI: 10.2340/actadv.v103.9378 -
Anxiety, Stress, and Coping Sep 2023Anxiety sensitivity (AS) is the fear of consequences of anxiety-related sensations, and has been linked to the development of panic symptoms. Distress tolerance (DT)...
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Anxiety sensitivity (AS) is the fear of consequences of anxiety-related sensations, and has been linked to the development of panic symptoms. Distress tolerance (DT) encompasses one's behavioral or self-perceived ability to handle aversive states. We examined whether higher DT buffers the relationship between AS and changes in panic symptoms across two timepoints, spaced ∼three weeks apart.
DESIGN AND METHODS
At Time 1, 208 participants completed questionnaires and a physical DT task (breath-holding duration), a cognitive DT task (anagram persistence), and a self-report measure of DT (perceived DT). Panic symptoms were assessed at both timepoints. Structural equation modeling was used to evaluate two models in which AS and DT predicted changes in panic.
RESULTS
Contrary to hypotheses, for those with longer breath-holding duration (higher physical DT), higher fears of physical anxiety-related sensations (higher physical AS) were associated with worse panic outcomes over time.
CONCLUSIONS
Findings suggest that those with lower physical DT may have been less willing to engage with difficult tasks in the short-term. Although disengagement in the short-term may provide temporary relief, it is possible that averse psychopathological consequences stemming from rigid or habitual avoidance of distressing states may develop over longer periods of time.
Topics: Humans; Anxiety; Anxiety Disorders; Panic; Fear; Phobic Disorders; Panic Disorder
PubMed: 36409614
DOI: 10.1080/10615806.2022.2146102 -
BMC Cancer Jan 2024Observational studies have explored the association of psychiatric disorders and the risk of brain cancers. However, the causal effect of specific mental illness on...
BACKGROUND
Observational studies have explored the association of psychiatric disorders and the risk of brain cancers. However, the causal effect of specific mental illness on glioma remains elusive due to the lack of solid evidence.
METHODS
We performed a two-sample bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to explore the causal relationships between 5 common psychiatric disorders (schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, autism spectrum disorder, and panic disorder) and glioma. Summary statistics for psychiatric disorders and glioma were extracted from Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC) and 8 genome-wide association study (GWAS) datasets respectively. We calculated the MR estimates for odds ratio of glioma associated with each psychiatric disorder by using inverse-variance weighting (IVW) method. Sensitivity analyses such as weighted median estimator, MR-Egger and MR-PRESSO were leveraged to assess the strength of causal inference.
RESULTS
A total of 30,657 participants of European ancestry were included in this study. After correction for multiple testing, we found that genetically predicted schizophrenia was associated with a statistically significant increase in odds of non-glioblastoma multiforme (non-GBM) (OR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.03-1.23, P = 0.0096). There is little evidence for the causal relationships between the other 4 psychiatric disorders with the risk of glioma.
CONCLUSIONS
In this MR analysis, we revealed an increased risk of non-GBM glioma in individuals with schizophrenia, which gives an insight into the etiology of glioma.
Topics: Humans; Mendelian Randomization Analysis; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Depressive Disorder, Major; Genome-Wide Association Study; Mental Disorders; Glioma
PubMed: 38262954
DOI: 10.1186/s12885-024-11865-y -
Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine Sep 2023In anxiety disorders, culture is important in symptom presentation and help-seeking. Most tools for anxiety disorders are not validated in India and thus might not...
BACKGROUND
In anxiety disorders, culture is important in symptom presentation and help-seeking. Most tools for anxiety disorders are not validated in India and thus might not capture culture-specific aspects of anxiety. This study aims to identify and generate culturally specific terms to describe symptoms of anxiety as part of the development of the Kannada version of the Panic and Anxiety National Indian Questionnaire (PANIQ). The PANIQ is a tool under development to identify anxiety and panic in Indian settings.
METHODS
This study used qualitative methods like focus group discussions (FGDs) and in-depth interviews (IDIs) to identify and generate items related to anxiety and panic in Kannada from stakeholders like individuals with anxiety disorders, their caregivers, healthcare workers, and mental health professionals who treat individuals with anxiety and panic disorders. Five FGDs ( = 28), one triad ( = 3), and 34 IDIs ( = 34) were conducted.
RESULTS
The mean age of the participants was 38.9 (standard deviation: 12.28) years; 57.1% were from rural areas. We generated 615 Kannada items. These were classified into 21 domains and facets. Items in domains like Somatic symptoms, Fear, and Impairment in day-to-day life were higher than those noted in existing tools for anxiety that focus more on cognitive symptoms of anxiety.
CONCLUSIONS
This study generated culturally specific items of anxiety through a qualitative process of tool development incorporating subjective experiences of persons with anxiety disorders and other stakeholders. This is among the first steps toward the development of PANIQ.
PubMed: 37772136
DOI: 10.1177/02537176221140742 -
JCPP Advances Mar 2024Dissociative experiences have been linked to panic symptoms in adolescents, yet the nature of the association remains unclear.
BACKGROUND
Dissociative experiences have been linked to panic symptoms in adolescents, yet the nature of the association remains unclear.
METHODS
In the present study, we investigated the longitudinal relationship between dissociative experiences (focusing on the felt sense of anomaly subtype) and panic, as well as the potential mediating roles of emotion regulation strategies (expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal), alexithymia, and cognitive appraisals of dissociation. Four thousand five hundred one adolescents aged 13-18 years were recruited via social media advertising to take part in an online survey at two timepoints, 1 month apart.
RESULTS
Analysis of 421 datasets found a significant positive relationship between initial dissociative experiences and panic symptoms reported 1 month later. This was mediated by the emotion regulation strategy of cognitive reappraisal, and cognitive appraisals of dissociation. These two variables were no longer significant mediators when controlling for panic symptoms at the first time point, likely due to the stability of panic symptoms across both assessments. Neither alexithymia nor expressive suppression were significant mediators.
CONCLUSIONS
Thus, dissociative experiences that are persistently misinterpreted in a catastrophic manner may lead to escalating anxiety and panic symptoms, which could in turn heighten and maintain the feared dissociation sensation. These results indicate that dissociative experiences are associated with panic symptoms in adolescence, with cognitive appraisals of dissociation and cognitive reappraisal playing a role in this relationship.
PubMed: 38486953
DOI: 10.1002/jcv2.12202 -
Nature Neuroscience Jan 2024Panic disorder is characterized by uncontrollable fear accompanied by somatic symptoms that distinguish it from other anxiety disorders. Neural mechanisms underlying...
Panic disorder is characterized by uncontrollable fear accompanied by somatic symptoms that distinguish it from other anxiety disorders. Neural mechanisms underlying these unique symptoms are not completely understood. Here, we report that the pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP)-expressing neurons in the lateral parabrachial nucleus projecting to the dorsal raphe are crucial for panic-like behavioral and physiological alterations. These neurons are activated by panicogenic stimuli but inhibited in conditioned fear and anxiogenic conditions. Activating these neurons elicits strong defensive behaviors and rapid cardiorespiratory increase without creating aversive memory, whereas inhibiting them attenuates panic-associated symptoms. Chemogenetic or pharmacological inhibition of downstream PACAP receptor-expressing dorsal raphe neurons abolishes panic-like symptoms. The pontomesencephalic PACAPergic pathway is therefore a likely mediator of panicogenesis, and may be a promising therapeutic target for treating panic disorder.
Topics: Mice; Animals; Anxiety; Medically Unexplained Symptoms; Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide; Fear; Behavior, Animal
PubMed: 38177337
DOI: 10.1038/s41593-023-01504-3 -
Journal of Behavior Therapy and... Dec 2023& Objectives: Virtual Reality (VR) refers to an artificial, immersive three-dimensional environment with interactive sensory stimuli. VR is typically incorporated into... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
& Objectives: Virtual Reality (VR) refers to an artificial, immersive three-dimensional environment with interactive sensory stimuli. VR is typically incorporated into the psychotherapeutic process as a means of providing exposure therapy. The objectives of this scoping review were to synthesize the most up-to-date evidence on the outcomes, acceptability, and side effects of VR interventions for treating anxiety disorders in adults.
METHODS
This scoping review is grounded in the methodological framework of Arksey and O'Malley (2005). The databases searched were PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses.
RESULTS
The search process identified 112 unique citations. 52 (46%) of the eligible articles examined participants with specific phobias, 25 (22%) with PTSD, 21 (19%) with social anxiety disorder, 12 (10%) with panic disorder with or without agoraphobia, and 3 (3%) with generalized anxiety disorder. VR interventions often led to statistically significant and meaningful reductions in symptoms for people with anxiety disorders. Additionally, they were acceptable to clients and associated with minimal side effects for all types of anxiety disorders, except for Combat-Related PTSD in Vietnam veterans.
LIMITATIONS
Limitations included the fact that the studies in this review were of varying quality, and that articles in languages other than English and French were excluded.
CONCLUSION
VR interventions appeared to be a viable alternative to conventional exposure therapy. Future research should include more male participants and have a stronger emphasis on acceptability and side effects. Increased traction for VR interventions for generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder is also important.
Topics: Adult; Male; Humans; Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy; Anxiety Disorders; Phobic Disorders; Agoraphobia; Panic Disorder; Anxiety
PubMed: 36947972
DOI: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2023.101851