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Europe's Journal of Psychology Mar 2018Panic disorder with or without agoraphobia (PD/A) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are characterized by major behavioral dysruptions that may affect patients'... (Review)
Review
Panic disorder with or without agoraphobia (PD/A) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are characterized by major behavioral dysruptions that may affect patients' social and marital functioning. The disorders' impact on interpersonal relationships may also affect the quality of support patients receive from their social network. The main goal of this systematic review is to determine the association between social or marital support and symptom severity among adults with PD/A or OCD. A systematic search of databases was executed and provided 35 eligible articles. Results from OCD studies indicated a negative association between marital adjustment and symptom severity, and a positive association between accommodation from relatives and symptom severity. However, results were inconclusive for negative forms of social support (e.g. criticism, hostility). Results from PD/A studies indicated a negative association between perceived social support and symptom severity. Also, results from studies using an observational measure of marital adjustment indicated a negative association between quality of support from the spouse and PD/A severity. However, results were inconclusive for perceived marital adjustment and symptom severity. In conclusion, this systematic review generally suggests a major role of social and marital support in PD/A and OCD symptomatology. However, given diversity of results and methods used in studies, more are needed to clarify the links between support and symptom severity among patients with PD/A and OCD.
PubMed: 29899808
DOI: 10.5964/ejop.v14i1.1252 -
Depression and Anxiety Mar 2021There is consistent evidence that mood disorders often co-occur with anxiety disorders, however, the strength of the association of these two broad groups of disorders... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
There is consistent evidence that mood disorders often co-occur with anxiety disorders, however, the strength of the association of these two broad groups of disorders has been challenging to summarize across different studies. The aim was to conduct a meta-analysis of publications reporting on the pairwise comorbidity between mood and anxiety disorders after sorting into comparable study types. We searched MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, and the grey literature for publications between 1980 and 2017 regardless of geographical locations and languages. We meta-analyzed estimates from original articles after sorting by: (a) broad or narrow diagnostic criteria, (b) study time-frame, and (c) estimates with or without covariate adjustments. Over 43 000 unique studies were identified through electronic searches, of which 391 were selected for full-text review. Finally, 171 studies were eligible for inclusion, including 53 articles from additional snowball searching. In general, regardless of variations in diagnosis type, study time-frame, temporal order, or use of adjustments, there was substantial comorbidity between mood and anxiety disorders. Based on the entire 90 separate meta-analyses, the median OR was 6.1 (range 1.5-18.7). Of these estimates, all 90 were above 1, and 87 were significantly greater than 1 (i.e., the 95% confidence intervals did not include 1). Fourteen of the 90 pooled estimates had ORs that were greater than 10. This systematic review found robust and consistent evidence of comorbidity between broadly defined mood and anxiety disorders. Clinicians should be vigilant for the prompt identification and treatment of this common type of comorbidity.
Topics: Affect; Anxiety Disorders; Comorbidity; Humans; Mood Disorders; Morbidity
PubMed: 33225514
DOI: 10.1002/da.23113 -
Journal of Affective Disorders Dec 2021Anxiety disorders are amongst the most commonly diagnosed mental illnesses amongst men; however male-specific anxiety research is lacking. This review explores men's... (Review)
Review
AIM
Anxiety disorders are amongst the most commonly diagnosed mental illnesses amongst men; however male-specific anxiety research is lacking. This review explores men's anxiety symptoms and disorders including help-seeking, coping and the role of masculinity.
METHOD
Four electronic database searches identified 8,333 citations, with 25 studies meeting inclusion criteria. Nineteen studies employed quantitative methods, five studies reported qualitative research, and one utilised mixed methods.
RESULTS
Unique profiles of anxiety, including psychosomatic symptoms, were identified and persisted over extended periods of time. Men commonly reported self-reliance over formal help-seeking, and typically managed anxiety symptoms through problem-based coping. Masculinity was related to anxiety in complex ways; adherence to norms of toughness could be protective against anxiety onset, while adherence to emotional restrictiveness and heterosexual presentation norms were positively associated with anxiety. The experience of, and help-seeking for anxiety transgressed many men's adherence to masculinity norms resulting in significant social and self-stigmas.
LIMITATIONS
The anxiety measurement scales utilised were inconsistent across included studies and there was limited scope of research into panic disorders, phobias and agoraphobia.
CONCLUSION
Findings demonstrate the enduring nature of anxiety for men and a potential under-reporting of symptoms, especially amongst younger men. To better tailor clinical care and public health resources to the needs of men with anxiety disorders, targeted research examining men's lived experiences of (and coping strategies for) anxiety is essential.
Topics: Anxiety; Anxiety Disorders; Humans; Male; Masculinity; Men; Men's Health; Social Stigma
PubMed: 34517242
DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2021.08.136 -
Journal of Behavior Therapy and... Dec 2023Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent mental disorders worldwide. Virtual reality (VR) treatment approaches have increasingly been studied. Before clinical... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent mental disorders worldwide. Virtual reality (VR) treatment approaches have increasingly been studied. Before clinical implementation, it is necessary to evaluate the treatment effect of VR applications. The objective is to evaluate the treatment effect of virtual reality applications in the treatment of anxiety disorders compared to conventional therapy.
METHODS
A systematic literature review with meta-analysis was conducted. Four databases were used to identify randomized controlled trials published between April 2011 and April 2021 which compare VR applications with non-VR interventions or waiting lists. Study characteristics, pre- and post-treatment data were extracted. Hedges g was calculated as effect size. Primary outcome was anxiety symptoms.
RESULTS
Data from 17 studies from 827 participants was extracted. The studies examined specific phobia (n = 9), social anxiety disorder (n = 4), agoraphobia (n = 2) and panic disorder (n = 2). 16 out of 17 studies used head-mounted displays as VR application. A non-significant effect size with significant heterogeneity was observed in favor of the use of VR applications in anxiety symptoms (g, 0.33; 95%-CI, -0.20-0.87). Compared to passive control groups, VR applications are associated significant with lower anxiety symptoms (g, 1.29; 95%-CI, 0.68-1.90).
LIMITATIONS
The study and patient characteristics varied between the individual studies which is reflected in a high statistical heterogeneity of the effect sizes.
CONCLUSIONS
The added value of VR applications over waiting-list or psychoeducation only control groups is obvious. VR applications can be used as part of the treatment of anxiety disorders, especially when conventional therapy is unavailable.
Topics: Humans; Anxiety Disorders; Phobic Disorders; Phobia, Social; Anxiety; Virtual Reality; Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
PubMed: 37453405
DOI: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2023.101893 -
Clinical Psychology Review Apr 2016Researchers and clinicians assume a strong, positive correlation between anxiety symptoms and functional impairment. That assumption may be well-justified since... (Review)
Review
Researchers and clinicians assume a strong, positive correlation between anxiety symptoms and functional impairment. That assumption may be well-justified since diagnostic criteria typically include functional impairment. Still, the relationship remains largely unavailable in any systematic review. Our aim with this paper was to provide empirical evidence for this assumed relationship and to document the observed correlations between anxiety symptom measures and functional impairment measures. Correlations existed for symptoms of six anxiety disorders (Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia, Social Anxiety Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) across four functional domains (global, social, occupational, and physical). Overall, the mean of 497 correlations across all disorders and functional domains was modest (r=.34); since the variability between disorders and functional domains tended to be rather large, we explored these correlations further. We presented these results and the potential explanations for unexpected findings along with the clinical and research implications.
Topics: Activities of Daily Living; Anxiety Disorders; Humans; Psychometrics; Severity of Illness Index; Social Behavior
PubMed: 26953005
DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2015.10.005 -
Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics 2013Placebo-controlled trials showed that both benzodiazepines (BDZ) and antidepressant drugs (AD) are effective in treating anxiety disorders. However, in the last years a... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Placebo-controlled trials showed that both benzodiazepines (BDZ) and antidepressant drugs (AD) are effective in treating anxiety disorders. However, in the last years a progressive shift in the prescribing pattern from BDZ to newer AD has taken place. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to analyze whether controlled comparisons support such a shift.
METHODS
CINHAL, the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, PubMed and Web of Science were searched from inception up to December 2012. A total of 22 studies met the criteria for inclusion. They were mostly concerned with tricyclic antidepressants (TCA; 18/22) and involved different anxiety disorders. In order to reduce clinical heterogeneity, only the 10 investigations that dealt with the comparison between TCA and BDZ in panic disorder were submitted to meta-analysis, whereas the remaining papers were individually summarized and critically examined.
RESULTS
According to the systematic review, no consistent evidence emerged supporting the advantage of using TCA over BDZ in treating generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), complex phobias and mixed anxiety-depressive disorders. Indeed, BDZ showed fewer treatment withdrawals and adverse events than AD. In panic disorder with and without agoraphobia our meta-analysis found BDZ treatments more effective in reducing the number of panic attacks than TCA (risk ratio, RR = 1.13; 95% CI = 1.01-1.27). Furthermore, BDZ medications were significantly better tolerated than TCA drugs, causing less discontinuation (RR = 0.40; 95% CI = 0.20-0.57) and side effects (RR = 0.41; 95% CI = 0.34-0.50). As to newer AD, BDZ trials resulted in comparable or greater improvements and fewer adverse events in patients suffering from GAD or panic disorder.
CONCLUSIONS
The change in the prescribing pattern favoring newer AD over BDZ in the treatment of anxiety disorders has occurred without supporting evidence. Indeed, the role and usefulness of BDZ need to be reappraised.
Topics: Antidepressive Agents; Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic; Anxiety Disorders; Benzodiazepines; Evidence-Based Medicine; Humans; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder; Practice Patterns, Physicians'; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 24061211
DOI: 10.1159/000353198 -
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Jul 2020The current systematic review and meta-analysis examined the efficacy and effectiveness of internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) on panic disorder and... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
The current systematic review and meta-analysis examined the efficacy and effectiveness of internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) on panic disorder and agoraphobia symptom severity. Twenty-seven studies were identified. Results from nine randomised controlled trials (RCTs) showed that iCBT outperformed waiting list and information controls for panic ( = 1.22) and agoraphobia ( = .91) symptoms, but the quality of RCTs varied and heterogeneity was high. Results from three RCTs suggested iCBT may have similar outcomes to face-to-face CBT in reducing panic and agoraphobia symptoms. Within-group effect sizes between baseline and post-treatment were large for panic ( = 29, = 1.16) and medium for agoraphobia symptom severity ( = 18, = .73). Subgroup analyses of within-group pre/post treatment effect sizes showed larger within-group effect sizes for efficacy studies ( = 15) compared to effectiveness studies ( = 14) for panic severity ( = 1.38 vs. = .98) but not agoraphobia severity. There was no impact of program length, inclusion or arousal reduction techniques, or degree of clinician support. Within-group effects of iCBT suggest the reduction in panic and agoraphobia symptom severity is maintained at 3-6 month follow-up ( = 12).
Topics: Agoraphobia; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; Humans; Internet; Panic Disorder; Therapy, Computer-Assisted; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 31303121
DOI: 10.1080/16506073.2019.1628808 -
Revista Brasileira de Psiquiatria (Sao... Jun 2012Anxiety disorders are often associated with several non-psychiatric medical conditions. Among the clinical conditions found in association with anxiety stands out the... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Anxiety disorders are often associated with several non-psychiatric medical conditions. Among the clinical conditions found in association with anxiety stands out the joint hypermobility (JH).
OBJECTIVES
To carry out a systematic review of the clinical association between anxiety disorders and JH.
METHOD
A survey was conducted in MEDLINE, PsychINFO, LILACS e SciELO databases up to December 2011. We searched for articles using the keywords 'anxiety', 'joint' and 'hypermobility' and Boolean operators. The review included articles describing empirical studies on the association between JH and anxiety. The reference lists of selected articles were systematically hand-searched for other publications relevant to the review.
RESULTS
Seventeen articles were included in the analysis and classified to better extract data. We found heterogeneity between the studies relate to the methodology used. Most of the studies found an association between anxiety features and JH. Panic disorder/agoraphobia was the anxiety disorder associated with JH in several studies. Etiological explanation of the relationship between anxiety and JH is still controversial.
CONCLUSION
Future research in large samples from the community and clinical setting and longitudinal studies of the association between anxiety and HA and the underlying biological mechanisms involved in this association are welcome.
Topics: Agoraphobia; Anxiety Disorders; Humans; Joint Instability
PubMed: 22729449
DOI: 10.1590/s1516-44462012000500005 -
Clinical Psychology Review Nov 2020Anxiety disorders and related traits have become increasingly relevant to the study of physical health and health behaviors over the years. One important health behavior...
Anxiety disorders and related traits have become increasingly relevant to the study of physical health and health behaviors over the years. One important health behavior is healthcare utilization, and both over- and under-use have important implications within both personal and public health domains. Anxiety disorders are associated with reassurance-seeking, avoidance behaviors, and other characteristics and traits that may impact patterns of healthcare utilization. The current paper reviews the literature on the known associations between anxiety disorders and healthcare utilization, including studies (N = 70) that examined the association of healthcare utilization with generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder and agoraphobia, dental and blood-injection-injury phobias, and illness anxiety disorder/health anxiety. Overall, the majority of the studies reviewed indicate that anxiety disorders and health anxiety are associated with increased healthcare utilization across multiple care settings. In addition, there is preliminary but limited evidence that, in some cases, anxiety can be associated with delayed, irregular, or inconsistent use of healthcare services. More work is needed to fine-tune our understanding of the impact of anxiety disorders in healthcare settings.
Topics: Adult; Aged; Anxiety Disorders; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Panic Disorder; Patient Acceptance of Health Care; Phobia, Social; Phobic Disorders
PubMed: 32818687
DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2020.101894 -
PloS One 2018The catastrophic misinterpretation model of panic disorder (PD) predicts that the catastrophic misinterpretation of bodily sensations is a distinctive characteristic of... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Catastrophic misinterpretation of bodily sensations and external events in panic disorder, other anxiety disorders, and healthy subjects: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
The catastrophic misinterpretation model of panic disorder (PD) predicts that the catastrophic misinterpretation of bodily sensations is a distinctive characteristic of PD. Existing research on this prediction has produced mixed findings. This paper presents a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies comparing the strength of catastrophic misinterpretation of bodily sensations and external events in patients with PD, patients with other anxiety disorders, and healthy controls. Following a systematic screening, seven studies were included in the meta-analysis. For the catastrophic misinterpretation of bodily sensations, analyses showed medium to large effects between patients with PD and healthy controls and between patients with PD and patients with other anxiety disorders. For the catastrophic misinterpretation of external events, analyses showed medium to large effects between patients with PD and healthy controls and a small negative effect between patients with PD and patients with other anxiety disorders. The findings support the assumption that the catastrophic misinterpretation of bodily sensations is a distinctive characteristic of panic disorder and thus lend support to the catastrophic misinterpretation model of PD.
Topics: Agoraphobia; Anxiety Disorders; Arousal; Healthy Volunteers; Humans; Models, Psychological; Panic Disorder; Sensation
PubMed: 29558505
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0194493