An Evaluation of Finger Pulse Volume as a Psychophysiological Measure of Anxiety

The present experiment explored the utility of finger pulse volume (FPV) as a measure of anxiety. Subjects were exposed to either a threatening or nonthreatening situation, and indices of physiological arousal (pulse rate (PR) and FPV) and self-report of anxiety (Affect Adjective Checklist (AACL)) were collected. Results indicated that FPV was responsive to changes in experimentally induced anxiety and significantly correlated with PR and AACL, although the strength of these relationships was not substantial. Relevance for psychophysiological theory and the clinical observation of anxiety is discussed.     

安徽省有焦虑症状大学生的社会人口特征及社会心理分析

目的:了解安徽省大学生焦虑症状流行状况及其社会人口和社会心理影响因素。方法:对所有省属高校按专业分层,以校为整群抽样(每专业1校),抽取该校在校生的15%。采用无记名问卷调查,共获得有效问卷4178份。调查工具包括焦虑自评问卷(SAS)和青少年负性生活事件量表(ASLEC)。结果:6.94%的大学生存在焦虑,其中男生7.22%,女生为6.35%。理工学生焦虑检出率最高(10.08%),西医学生最低(3.59%)。卡方检验显示焦虑症状与社会人口特征中的出生地、年级、学习成绩、专业及父亲学历有关;与社会心理因素中的生活事件与生活经历,家庭环境中的大部分特征都有统计意义的相关性。多元逐步回归模型进一步发现焦虑症状受社会人口特征中理工类专业(OR=1.77,95%CI:1.30～2.41)和成绩差(OR=1.45,95%CI:1.09～1.93)的显著影响,同时也受社会心理因素中的负性生活事件(OR=4.76,95%CI:3.36～6.77)、消极社会经历(OR=3.35,95%CI:2.43～4.62)以及家庭环境特征中的亲密度(OR=0.65,95%CI:0.49～0.85)和情感表达(OR=0.71,95%CI:0.54～0.94)的显著影响。结论:大学生焦虑症状受社会人口特征及社会心理各方面的综合影响,大学生焦虑症状的预防需家庭、学校和社会的共同参与和促进。     

焦虑敏感问卷中文版的信度和效度

目的:翻译和修订焦虑敏感问卷,测试中文版的信效度。方法:翻译焦虑敏感量表,通过对中学生的三次测试,对量表的因素结构、信度和效度进行了检验。结果:修编的焦虑敏感问卷中文版通过探索性因素分析将原量表由36题缩减为15题,共包括三个因素:对生理唤醒的恐惧;对认知失控的恐惧;对社会评价的恐惧;三个因素的累积贡献率为52．29％,项目的因素负荷率在0．63～0．98之间;因素彼此之间的相关在0.37～0．53之间,因素与问卷总分之问的相关在0．72～0．84之间,因素内部的相关在0．68～0．78之间。问卷在各个因素上的内部一致性系数在0.73～0．78之间．分半信度在0．71～0．76之间,重测信度在0．70～0．78之间。结论:问卷的中文简化版在中学生中具有良好的信度和效度。     

不同社交地位小学生的自我意识与社交焦虑的特点及关系

目的:考察不同社交地位小学生自我意识水平和社交焦虑的特点及关系。方法:采用社会测量法、问卷法对272名3~5年级的小学生的社交地位、自我意识和社交焦虑进行评定。结果:(1)3~5年级小学生的自我意识水平有显著的性别、社交地位差异。女生的自我意识水平(58.0±10.7)显著高于男生(53.4±11.3)(t=-3.49,P<0.01),受欢迎组的自我意识水平(59.2±11.1)显著高于被拒绝组(51.2±12.3)和被忽视组(54.2±11.0)(P<0.05)。(2)受欢迎组儿童的社交焦虑水平(6.4±3.2)高于被拒绝组儿童的社交焦虑水平(4.8±3.5,P<0.05)。(3)综合模型中,社会喜好是通过社交自我知觉的中介作用与社交焦虑产生联系,不存在直接效应。结论:小学生的社交地位与其自我意识水平和社交焦虑水平存在一定关联性;社交自我知觉在社交地位和社交焦虑之间起到中介作用。     

Prevalence of generalized anxiety at eight weeks postpartum

Summary Objective: This study investigated the prevalence and nature of generalized anxiety symptoms in women who were eight weeks postpartum. Method: A community-based sample of 68 postpartum women completed an interview assessing generalized anxiety disorder and depression and a self-report measure of worry associated with concerns relevant to postpartum women. Results: Three women (4.4%) met DSM-IV criteria for generalized anxiety disorder, and an additional 19 women (27.9%) endorsed subsyndromal difficulties with generalized anxiety. Approximately one third of these women endorsed symptoms of depression. In contrast, only two woman met criteria for major depressive disorder. Conclusion: Postpartum generalized anxiety has a higher prevalence than postpartum depression. Received February 26, 2002; accepted November 11, 2002 Published online January 31, 2003 Acknowledgement This work was supported by a New Faculty Scholar Award and a Graduate Research Fellowship from the University of North Dakota. The authors would like to express their appreciation to Jennifer Brendle, Peter Schmutzer, Talia Tweten, and Chad Lystad for their assistance with this research. Correspondence: Amy Wenzel, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND 58202-8380, U.S.A.; e-mail: amy_wenzel@und.nodak.edu     

大学生成就目标定向、自我效能感和状态焦虑的关系研究

目的探讨大学生成就目标定向、自我效能感和状态焦虑之间的关系。方法随机抽取350名大学生进行问卷调查。结果①女生的状态焦虑水平显著高于男生，而自我效能感显著低于男生；文科学生焦虑水平显著高于理科学生。②合作取向目标和状态焦虑之间呈显著负相关，自我-趋向型目标和状态焦虑之间呈显著正相关；自我效能感和状态焦虑之间呈显著负相关；自我效能感和成就目标定向总分及合作取向目标、社会亲密目标、任务目标、自我-趋向型目标之间呈显著正相关，和自我-逃避型目标相关不显著。③自我-趋向型目标及自我效能感直接影响状态焦虑，合作取向目标和任务目标通过自我效能感间接影响状态焦虑。结论成就目标定向、自我效能感和状态焦虑之间关系密切。     

Psychiatric comorbidity of smoking and nicotine dependence

Recent epidemiologic studies have revealed that comorbidity of psychiatric disorders is far more pervasive than previously suspected. Strong associations have been reported between specific substance use disorders and between any mental disorder and any substance use disorder. This report focuses on comorbidity of nicotine dependence, a substance use disorder on which little epidemiologic information is available. Data come from an epidemiologic study of approximately 1000 young adults in southeast Michigan, in which the NIMH-DIS, revised according to DSM-III-R, was used. Lifetime prevalence of nicotine dependence was 20%. Males and females with nicotine dependence had increased odds for alcohol and illicit drug disorders, major depression, and anxiety disorders, compared with nondependent smokers and nonsmokers combined. Major depression and any anxiety disorder were associated specifically with nicotine dependence. Increased odds for alcohol or illicit drug disorders were observed also in nondependent smokers, compared to nonsmokers. History of early conduct problems increased the odds for nicotine dependence among smokers. Potential mechanisms in the comorbidity of nicotine dependence are discussed.     

Employing Empirically Supported Treatments: A Research-Informed Clinical Practitioner Perspective

Ruscio and Holohan (2006 ) offer many excellent ideas for improving research on empirically supported treatments (ESTs) applied to complex cases. They hope that, as more empirical findings are accumulated, clinical practitioners will be more willing to use ESTs in their clinical work with such patients. This commentary suggests additional research strategies that are necessary to acquire information more useful and relevant to clinical practitioners. These include (a) integrating information from research on empirically supported relationship factors with findings from EST outcome research, (b) studying longer term therapies attempting to address issues beyond the symptoms of diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM)-defined disorders, and (c) investigating the efficacy and effectiveness of integrative forms of psychotherapy. The author's successes and difficulties of incorporating ESTs in his integrative therapy for anxiety disorders are highlighted.     

Sensation Seeking, Trait and State Anxiety, and the Electrodermal Orienting Response

The relationship between sensation seeking and the orienting reflex (OR) using skin conductance change is investigated in two experiments. In Experiment I, high sensation seekers gave a greater initial OR In novel visual stimuli while not differing in habituation on subsequent trials. In Experiment II. the paradigm was extended to include auditory as well as visual stimuli. Again, high sensation seekers were found to be more arousable with respect to initial ORs while not differing in habituation rates. The results suggest that sensation seekers may be characterized as having strong excitatory CNS processes. In Experiment II, anxiety (trait and state) was also related to the OR. There were no effects due to trait anxiety but state anxiety did yield significant differences. The more highly anxious (state) subjects had weaker initial ORs than lows in both novel tones, but not to repeated tones. The findings with state anxiety are consistent with findings by others using anxiety neurotics as subjects.     

Fear-Potentiated Startle in Humans: Effects of Anticipatory Anxiety on the Acoustic Blink Reflex

The effects of fear/anticipatory anxiety on the acoustic startle reflex were investigated in humans using a paradigm involving anticipation of electric shocks. The eyeblink component of the startle reflex, elicited by an abrupt auditory stimulus, was measured in 9 normal volunteers during either the anticipation of electric shocks (anticipatory anxiety) or periods in which no shocks were anticipated (safe period). The eyeblink was consistently higher in amplitude, and shorter in latency, during periods when the subjects anticipated shocks, compared to the safe periods. This effect could not be attributed solely to a reduction in habituation and was statistically significant before the subjects actually received any shock (a single 30 mA stimulation on the median nerve). These results indicate that anticipatory anxiety can be measured objectively in humans using the fear-potentiated startle reflex in a paradigm not actually requiring any shock. Because a great deal is known about the neuroanatomical and pharmacological mechanisms of fear-potentiated startle in laboratory animals, this test procedure may be especially useful in humans to investigate the neurobiological substrates of anxiety disorders and their pharmacological treatments.