Mindfulness and Interoceptive Exposure Therapy for Anxiety Sensitivity in Atrial Fibrillation: A Pilot Study

Oser, Megan; Khan, Amanda J.; Kolodziej, Meghan S.; Gruner, Gabriel; Barsky, Arthur J.; Epstein, Laurence M.

doi:10.1177/0145445519877619

Cited by 15 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…The higher levels of self-awareness lead to a clear recognition of the triggering of negative effects and facilitate adaptive emotional functioning through mindful attention toward unpleasant bodily sensations[ 89 ]. As another UP component, interoceptive exposure (IE) was originally designed to target fearful reactions and anxious sensitivity toward bodily sensations linked with anxiety and fear generated by stressful experiences[ 90 ]. IE effectively reduces the fear of bodily sensations, treats anxiety sensitivity, and promotes self-regulated social interaction abilities[ 68 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Application of unified protocol as a transdiagnostic treatment for emotional disorders during COVID-19: An internet-delivered randomized controlled trial

Kou¹,

Yusufi²,

Nazari³

2022

WJCC

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BACKGROUND The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been an emotionally challenging time, especially for young adults. It is associated with a substantial increase in the prevalence of mental health problems, negative symptoms, and stressful experiences that compromise well-being. In low-income countries, internet-delivered psychological services could have a remarkable impact on the population’s mental health, given the lack of mental health professionals. AIM To investigate the efficacy of internet-delivered cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT)-transdiagnostic intervention for adults with emotional disorders. METHODS In this internet-delivered randomized controlled trial, 102 students with an emotional disorder (mean age = 28.20 years, standard deviation = 5.07) were randomly allocated to receive unified protocol (UP) ( n = 51) or treatment as the usual intervention. Following a semi-structured clinical interview, participants completed an online survey including the Overall Anxiety Severity and Impairment Scale, Overall Depression Severity and Impairment Scale, Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, and Emotional Style Questionnaire. RESULTS The participants showed a high degree of adherence. In total, 78% ( n = 40) of the experimental group participants completed the UP treatment. Considering the intention to treat procedure, the results of the analysis of covariance indicated that participants who received UP showed statistically significant changes in depression symptoms [Cohen’s d = -1.50 with 95% confidence interval (CI): -1.90 to -1.10], anxiety (Cohen’s d = -1.06 with 95%CI: -1.48 to -0.65), difficulties with emotion regulation (Cohen’s d = -0.33 with 95%CI: -0.7 to -0.06), positive affect (Cohen's d = 1.27 with 95%CI: 0.85 to 1.68), negative affect (Cohen’s d = -1.04 with 95%CI: -1.46 to -0.63), and healthy emotionality (Cohen’s d = 0.53 with 95%CI: 0.09 to 0.13) compared with the control group. CONCLUSION This study’s findings highlight the potential value of transdiagnostic internet-delivered programs for young adults with an emotional disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic, and expand the research examining emotional well-being improvements resulting from CBT-transdiagnostic interventions. The findings suggest that UP, which generally concentrates on reducing negative effects, can increase positive effects.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Application of unified protocol as a transdiagnostic treatment for emotional disorders during COVID-19: An internet-delivered randomized controlled trial

Kou¹,

Yusufi²,

Nazari³

2022

WJCC

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“…Individuals with high anxiety sensitivity (1) are more afraid of pain and more likely to seek unnecessary treatment for minor pain symptoms [ 60 ]; and (2) may misinterpret symptoms, which can result in bodily sensations related to anxiety (eg, sweating, shaky hands) that may be interpreted as severe physical symptoms or illness [ 61 ]. Since individuals with elevated anxiety sensitivity interpret anxiety-related bodily sensations to be dangerous, they exhibit increased online medical information-seeking behaviors in an attempt to placate concerns about the origins of anxiety-related bodily sensations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Fear and Anxiety Related to COVID-19 to Predict Cyberchondria: Cross-sectional Survey Study

Wu¹,

Nazari²,

Griffiths³

2021

J Med Internet Res

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Background Studies have highlighted that fear and anxiety generated by COVID-19 are important psychological factors that affect all populations. There currently remains a lack of research on specific amplification factors regarding fear and anxiety in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite established associations between anxiety sensitivity, intolerance of uncertainty, and cyberchondria, empirical data investigating the associations between these three variables, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, are currently lacking. Urgent research is needed to better understand the role of repeated media consumption concerning COVID-19 in amplifying fear and anxiety related to COVID-19. Objective This study investigated the associations between fear of COVID-19, COVID-19 anxiety, and cyberchondria. Methods Convenience sampling was used to recruit respondents to participate in an online survey. The survey, which was distributed via social media and academic forums, comprised the Cyberchondria Severity Scale, Fear of COVID-19 Scale, Coronavirus Anxiety Scale, Anxiety Sensitivity Index, and Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale. Multiple mediation analyses were conducted using structural equation modeling. Results A total of 694 respondents (males: n=343, females: n=351) completed the online survey. The results showed that fear and anxiety generated by COVID-19 predicted cyberchondria (fear: β=.39, SE 0.04, P<.001, t=11.16, 95% CI 0.31-0.45; anxiety: β=.25, SE 0.03, P<.001, t=7.67, 95% CI 0.19-0.32). In addition, intolerance of uncertainty and anxiety sensitivity mediated the relationship between fear and anxiety generated by COVID-19 with cyberchondria. In a reciprocal model, the standardized total effects of cyberchondria on fear of COVID-19 (β=.45, SE 0.04, P<.001, t=15.31, 95% CI 0.39-0.51) and COVID-19 anxiety (β=.36, SE 0.03, P<.001, t=11.29, 95% CI 0.30-0.41) were statistically significant, with moderate effect sizes. Compared to males, females obtained significantly higher scores for cyberchondria (t1,692=–2.85, P=.004, Cohen d=0.22), COVID-19 anxiety (t1,692=–3.32, P<.001, Cohen d=0.26), and anxiety sensitivity (t1,692=–3.69, P<.001, Cohen d=0.29). Conclusions The findings provide a better understanding of the role of COVID-19 in amplifying cyberchondria. Based on these results, cyberchondria must be viewed as a significant public health issue. Importantly, increasing awareness about cyberchondria and online behavior at both the individual and collective levels must be prioritized to enhance preparedness and to reduce the adverse effects of current and future medical crises.

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“…Bodily sensations are usually associated with high anxiety. These individual differences in awareness of internal bodily states are likely to play an essential role in various aspects of modulating emotional responses (Ardelt & Grunwald, 2018;Oser et al, 2019).…”

Section: The Six Dimensions Of Esqmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychometric validation of the Persian version of the Emotional Style Questionnaire

Nazari

Griffiths

2020

Curr Psychol

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Emotions play a central role in scientific models of decision-making, human development, interpersonal processes, psychopathology, and well-being. The Emotional Style Questionnaire (ESQ) is a novel and multifaceted psychometric scale that assesses the dimensions of individual's emotional styles. The present study evaluated the validity and factor structure of the Persian ESQ. The original version of the ESQ was translated and back-translated into Persian, followed by a pilot study. A sample of university students and staff participated in a survey (n = 822) which included the ESQ, Overall Anxiety Severity and Impairment Scale (OASIS), World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). Results showed that the Persian ESQ had very good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha coefficient: 0.84; Composite reliability = 0.89) and adequate test-retest reliability after four weeks (intraclass coefficient, r = .71 with 95% CI [.63, .77]). The confirmatory factor analysis model fitted the data well (χ 2 / df = 2.86, CFI = .970, SRMR = .046, PCLOSE = .85 > .05, RMSEA = .048, 90% CI [.043, .053]). Also, measurement invariance indicated the ESQ had acceptable construct validity among different groups. As for criterion-related validity, the ESQ positively correlated with scores on the WHOQOL-BREF (r = .76) and PANAS-positive affect (r = .62), and negatively correlated with the scores on the OASIS (r = −.68), DERS (r = −.39), and PANAS-negative affect (r = −72). The findings provide evidence that the ESQ is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing healthy emotionality among Persian speaking individuals. The Persian ESQ can be used in psychological intervention and clinical research in Iran and other Persian-speaking countries.

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Mindfulness and Interoceptive Exposure Therapy for Anxiety Sensitivity in Atrial Fibrillation: A Pilot Study

Cited by 15 publications

References 37 publications

Application of unified protocol as a transdiagnostic treatment for emotional disorders during COVID-19: An internet-delivered randomized controlled trial

Application of unified protocol as a transdiagnostic treatment for emotional disorders during COVID-19: An internet-delivered randomized controlled trial

Using Fear and Anxiety Related to COVID-19 to Predict Cyberchondria: Cross-sectional Survey Study

Psychometric validation of the Persian version of the Emotional Style Questionnaire

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