焦虑障碍患者焦虑敏感与特质焦虑的相关研究

目的:探讨焦虑障碍患者焦虑敏感与特质焦虑、临床特征的相关性。方法:68例焦虑障碍患者(焦虑组)根据汉密尔顿焦虑量表(HAMA)评分≥7分为分界值,分为焦虑未缓解组43例和缓解组25例,进行焦虑敏感测定量表(ASI-R)及状态-特质焦虑问卷中特质焦虑量表部份(T-AI)的评定;ASI-R评分结果与70名正常对照(正常对照组)进行比较,分析ASI-R评分与T-AI总分及临床特征的相关性。结果:焦虑组ASI-R总分、对躯体感觉的焦虑因子分、对躯体感觉的恐惧因子分、对认知失控焦虑恐惧因子分、对社会后果焦虑恐惧因子分均高于正常对照组(t分别=8.51,9.00,8.15,8.74,3.24;P均<0.01)。焦虑缓解组ASI-R总分、及对躯体感觉的焦虑因子分、对躯体感觉的恐惧因子分、对认知失控焦虑恐惧因子分均高于正常对照组(t分别=4.41,3.37,4.24,3.76;P均<0.01);未缓解组ASI-R总分及各因子分高于缓解组(t分别=3.30,3.41,2.61,2.78,2.14;P<0.05或P<0.01)。经相关分析,ASI-R总分、及躯体感觉的焦虑因子分、对认知失控的焦虑恐惧因子分与T-AI总分显著相关(r分别=0.33,0.28,0.40;P<0.05或P<0.01);ASI-R总分、对认知失控焦虑恐惧因子分、对社会后果焦虑恐惧因子分与病程显著相关(r分别=0.27,0.26,0.31;P均<0.05)。结论:焦虑障碍患者的焦虑敏感程度高于正常人群;焦虑敏感水平部分与焦虑特质有关。     

Examination of the decline in symptoms of anxiety and depression in generalized anxiety disorder: impact of anxiety sensitivity on response to pharmacotherapy

Pharmacotherapy is an effective treatment for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), but few studies have examined the nature of decline of anxiety and depression during pharmacotherapy for GAD and even fewer studies have examined predictors of symptom decline. This study examined the decline in symptoms of anxiety and depression in patients with GAD during a 6-week open trial of fluoxetine. Growth curve analyses indicated that pharmacotherapy with fluoxetine led to significant declines in symptoms of anxiety and depression over the 6 weeks of treatment. However, the decay slope observed for anxiety symptoms was significantly greater than that for depressive symptoms. Further analyses revealed that the decline in anxiety remained significant after accounting for the changes in symptoms of depression. However, the effect of treatment on depression was no longer significant after controlling for the reduction in anxiety symptoms. Overall anxiety sensitivity (AS) did not moderate the level of reduction in symptoms of anxiety or depression during pharmacotherapy. However, AS specific to physical concerns demonstated a marginal negative association with decline in anxiety and depression. AS specific to social concerns also demonstrated a marginal negative association with decline in anxiety symptoms. These findings suggest that the decline in anxiety symptoms is independent of the decline in symptoms of depression during pharmacotherapy for GAD and specific AS dimensions may predict symptom change in GAD.     

A community-based epidemiological study of health anxiety and generalized anxiety disorder

This community-based study examined the frequency of worry about personal health in respondents with and without generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and the impact of health anxiety on the disorder. A random community-based telephone survey of 5118 Chinese respondents aged 18–64 was conducted. A fully structured questionnaire covered the DSM-IV-TR criteria of GAD, major depressive episode (MDE), eight domains of worry, the seven-item Whiteley Index (WI-7), health service use, and socio-demographic information. Worry about personal health ranked fifth (75.6%) among eight domains of worries examined. GAD respondents with high level of health anxiety were significantly older, less educated, and had lower family income. High health anxiety significantly increased the occurrence of one-year MDE, previous persistent worry, previous persistent low mood, number of domains of worries, number of non-core DSM-IV-TR GAD symptoms, health service use, and mistrust of doctors. Health anxiety is common in GAD and may signify greater severity of the disorder.     

Lateralisation for processing facial emotion and anxiety: contrasting state, trait and social anxiety

Recent neuropsychological studies have attempted to distinguish between different types of anxiety by contrasting patterns of brain organisation or activation; however, lateralisation for processing emotional stimuli has received relatively little attention. This study examines the relationship between strength of lateralisation for the processing of facial expressions of emotion and three measures of anxiety: state anxiety, trait anxiety and social anxiety. Across all six of the basic emotions (anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, surprise) the same patterns of association were found. Participants with high levels of trait anxiety were more strongly lateralised to the right hemisphere for processing facial emotion. In contrast, participants with high levels of self-reported physiological arousal in response to social anxiety were more weakly lateralised to the right hemisphere, or even lateralised to the left hemisphere, for the processing of facial emotion. There were also sex differences in these associations: the relationships were evident for males only. The finding of distinct patterns of lateralisation for trait anxiety and self-reported physiological arousal suggests different neural circuitry for trait and social anxiety.     

Alexithymia and anxiety sensitivity in Turkish depressive,anxiety and somatoform disorder outpatients

Objective. To assess the relations between anxiety sensitivity, and dimensions of alexithymia in somatoform, anxiety and depressive disorder patients. Methods. The sample consisted of 124 patients with the diagnosis of depressive, anxiety, or somatoform spectrum disorders (DSM-IV). Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), 16-item Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI), Hamilton Depression (HDRS), and Anxiety (HAS) scales were used. Results. The total sample (n=124) was divided into three diagnostic categories. There was one Depression Group (n=69). Due to small sample sizes, diagnoses in anxiety and somatoform spectrum disorders were combined in two relatively larger Anxiety (n=42) and Somatoform Groups (n=13) for statistical purposes. No statistically significant difference was found in the TAS-20 total or subscale scores between the three diagnostic groups. In all three diagnostic groups, there was a strong and significant positive correlation between ASI and TAS-20 total scores. In all three groups, there was a significant positive correlation between TAS-20 Factor 1 and ASI. In the Depression and Somatoform Groups, ASI scores were found to be significantly positively correlated with scores on TAS-20 Factor 2. Conclusion. This study reveals that alexithymia does not differentiate depressive, anxiety, or somatoform disorders, yet suggests a functional relation with anxiety sensitivity on a subscale basis.     

Sertraline in generalized anxiety disorder: efficacy in treating the psychic and somatic anxiety factors

OBJECTIVE: The objective was to study the efficacy of sertraline on symptoms of psychic and somatic anxiety in patients suffering from moderate-to-severe generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). METHOD: Out-patients with DSM-IV GAD were randomized to 12 weeks of double-blind treatment with placebo. The psychic and somatic anxiety factors of the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) and the Quality of Life, Enjoyment, and Satisfaction Questionnaire were analyzed. RESULTS: Treatment with sertraline resulted in significantly greater last observation carried forward (LOCF)-endpoint improvement than placebo on both the HAM-A psychic and somatic anxiety factors. At LOCF-endpoint, all items on the HAM-A psychic factor were more improved on sertraline than placebo, as were three of seven items on the somatic factor. Reduction of secondary depressive symptoms was more correlated with endpoint improvement in quality of life than either psychic- or somatic anxiety. CONCLUSION: Sertraline treatment demonstrated efficacy for both the psychic and somatic anxiety symptoms of GAD.     

Pooled analysis of venlafaxine XR efficacy on somatic and psychic symptoms of anxiety in patients with generalized anxiety disorder

We evaluated the relative efficacy of venlafaxine XR on the psychic versus somatic symptoms of anxiety in patients with generalized anxiety disorder as determined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition. Data were pooled and analyzed from 1,841 patients with generalized anxiety disorder who participated in five short-term (8-week) double-blind, multicenter, placebo-controlled studies, two of which had long-term (6-month) extensions. Somatic and psychic anxieties were studied using the Hamilton rating scale for anxiety (HAM-A) factor scores. We examined response rates (> or =50% improvement over baseline severity score) in the overall population and in patients with mainly somatic symptomatology at baseline (somatizers). Venlafaxine XR significantly reduced factor scores for both psychic and somatic HAM-A factors compared with placebo, from the first and second weeks of treatment, respectively. Patients treated with venlafaxine XR had significantly higher rates of response than patients receiving placebo on the psychic (58% vs. 38%, P<.001 at week 8; 66% vs. 35% at week 24, P<.001) and somatic (56% vs. 43%, P<.001 at week 8; 67% vs. 47% at week 24, P<.001) factors of the HAM-A. There was a TreatmentxFactor interaction (P<.027) in response rates: Patients treated with venlafaxine showed similar somatic and psychic anxiety response rates, whereas placebo-treated patients showed higher somatic compared with psychic response rates. Somatizers showed similar rates of response to the total population for the somatic factor of the HAM-A in either treatment group. Patients with generalized anxiety disorder treated with venlafaxine XR showed similar absolute rates of response on somatic and psychic symptoms, but relative to patients treated with placebo, more improvement in psychic than somatic symptoms.     

5-HT-related drugs and human experimental anxiety

Clinical observations and double-blind studies demonstrated an anxiolytic effect of drugs that facilitate serotonergic transmission on several anxiety disorders. There is a latency of several weeks for their anxiolytic effect to take place. There may be, in addition, a biphasic effect, i.e., an acute anxiogenic effect followed by an anxiolytic effect after chronic use. In addition, acute administration of m-chlorophenylpiperazine (MCPP), an agonist of 5-HT-1 receptors, increased anxiety in normal volunteers as well as in patients with panic or obsessive-compulsive disorders. Studies in health volunteers have been performed in our laboratory to explore the acute effect on human anxiety of drugs that selectively influence 5-HT neurotransmission. We observed that acute administration of chlorimipramine enhanced the rise in anxiety induced in healthy volunteers by speaking in front of a video camera. With a similar experimental design, we also demonstrated an anxiogenic effect of metergoline, a nonselective 5-HT receptor blocker. It is suggested that the proanxiogenic effect of acute administration of 5-HT uptake inhibitors may be due to impaired 5-HT neurotransmission.     

城乡大学生焦虑及社交焦虑的调查分析

目的 了解城乡大学生焦虑及社交焦虑状况。方法 采用焦虑自评量表(SAS)、社交苦恼及回避量表(SAD)、交往焦虑量表(IAS)、自我意识的社交焦虑量表(SASS)对122名城乡大学生进行测量分析。结果 SAS显示大学生焦虑状态检出率为38．52％；SAS均分显著高于常模；城镇大学生，较之来自农村大学生焦虑状态更为突出；其他量表未显示出差异。结论 大学生存在一定程度的焦虑情绪，城镇大学生更为突出，城乡大学生在社交焦虑方面没有区别。     

焦虑症的特质焦虑水平与心率变异性相关研究

目的：了解焦虑症患者的特质焦虑水平与心率变异性（HRV）这一指标相关性。方法：选取焦虑症患者50例，对其进行汉密尔顿焦虑量表（HAMA）、特质焦虑问卷（T-AI）心理评定，同时用24h动态心电图记录器，对患者进行HRV指标的测定，对其测定24h全部正常心动周期的标准差（SDNN）、正常相邻心动周期差值的均方的平方根（rMSSD）、每5min正常心动周期的标准差（SDANN）、相邻R-R间期差值超过50ins的心搏数占总心搏数的百分比（PNN50）、5min低频功率（LF）、5min高频功率（HF）、5min极低频功率（VLF）、低频和高频比值（LF／HF）8项指标分别与T-AI、HAMA分值进行分析。结果：焦虑症患者的特质焦虑分值与LF／HF具有显著相关性，但并未发现随着特质焦虑分值的增加，HRV频谱指标有差异性改变。结论：焦虑症患者的特质焦虑水平与自主神经功能不平衡性有关。     

Anger experience and expression across the anxiety disorders

The purpose of this study was to explore possible differences in the experience and expression of anger across four anxiety disorder groups and non-clinical controls. Anger was assessed by two measures, the Reaction Inventory and the Aggression Questionnaire, in 112 individuals who met DSM-IV criteria for panic disorder (PD) with or without agoraphobia (n=40), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD; n=30), social phobia, (SOC; n=28), and specific phobia (SPC; n=14) as well as non-clinical controls (n=49). Patients with PD, OCD, and SOC reported a significantly greater propensity to experience anger than controls, whereas patients with SPC exhibited no differences in anger experience in comparison to controls. In addition, patients with PD reported significantly greater levels of anger aggression compared to both controls and patients with OCD, and patients with SOC reported significantly lower levels of verbal aggression than controls. Most, but not all, of these differences disappeared when symptoms of depression were controlled in the analyses. The implications of these findings and future directions for research are discussed.     

Finding gene-environment interactions for generalised anxiety disorder

It is becoming increasingly apparent that genetic research into psychiatric disorders would benefit from consideration of the environment because these risk mechanisms are likely to interact. Despite generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) being one of the most prevalent disorders presented in primary care, there is a paucity of published studies of gene-environment interactions (G × E) for this phenotype. This article describes how our current knowledge of GAD is useful in designing studies of G × E for GAD. To increase the chances of identifying replicable G × E for GAD further information is needed with regards to: defining and measuring GAD, difficulties co-occurring with GAD, quantitative genetic estimations for GAD, specific genes associated with GAD, and specific environmental risks for GAD.     

What do anxiety scales measure?

Keedwell P, Snaith RP. What do anxiety scales measure? Acta Psychiatr Scand 1996: 93: 177–180. c̊ Munksgaard 1996. At present researchers appear to rely on instruments for the assessment of anxiety without due consideration of what it is that the instrument may be presumed to measure. A survey was undertaken of the presently most frequently used rating scales which purport to assess anxiety. The allocation of items of the scales to the major aspects of anxiety was examined. It was found that the scales tapped different areas of psychopathology. Furtherance of research requires closer attention to the nature of the scales and the assumption that they all measure much the same construct must be discarded.     

Separation anxiety in the elderly

Separation anxiety has been studied in children and young adults but little is known about this form of anxiety in older people. This study aimed to examine socio-demographic, psychological and physical health correlates of separation anxiety in the elderly. Eighty-six ambulatory subjects aged 62-87 years were recruited from primary medical care practices to participate in this study. The presence of lifetime DSM-IV affective and anxiety disorders was determined by structured clinical interview. Subjects also completed a battery of self-report questionnaires measuring levels of state and trait anxiety, juvenile and adult separation anxiety. Adult separation anxiety scores were moderately correlated with juvenile separation anxiety scores (r= .52, P < .001), trait anxiety (r = .55, P < .001) and state anxiety scores (r = .66, P < .001), as well as younger age (r = .39, P < .001). Higher adult separation anxiety scores were also associated with a lifetime history of any anxiety disorder (t = 3.74, df = 84, P < .001) or any affective disorder (t = 2.12, df = 84, P < .05). However, adult separation anxiety was not associated with increasing age, being widowed, living alone or poorer physical health. Clinicians working with the elderly need to routinely explore this form of anxiety as it may complicate the pattern of presentation of other anxiety and affective disorders, and require specific forms of intervention.     

Targeted Behavioral Therapy for childhood generalized anxiety disorder: A time-series analysis of changes in anxiety and sleep

This study examined the efficacy of Targeted Behavioral Therapy (TBT), a newly developed intervention targeting features of childhood generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Using a time-series design, 4 children (7–12 years) with primary GAD were treated with TBT, which includes sleep improvement strategies, systematic desensitization for reducing intolerance of uncertainty, and in vivo exposures for anxiety. Diagnostic interviews and questionnaires were administered at baseline, post-treatment and 3 months follow-up. Anxiety symptoms and sleep characteristics/problems were rated weekly during a 4-week baseline and 14-weeks of treatment. Two children remitted at post-treatment and no child had a GAD diagnosis at follow-up. Child but not parent report revealed improvements in both worry and sleep. Despite improvements from pre- to post-assessment, considerable symptom fluctuation observed during the baseline period preclude conclusion that symptom changes are specifically attributable to the course of treatment. Overall, preliminary support is provided for the efficacy of TBT for childhood GAD.