Anxiety

Question 1

Fear (panic) vs Worry
Physical vs Cognitive vs Behavioral systems

Question 2

Anxiety:
- Physical symptoms (2)
- Behavioral inhibition system activity
- Involved brain regions (4/5)
- Environmental influences (3)
- Influence of genes (3)
- Attentional biases
- Gender prevalence, culture

Answer 2

Selective attention, anxious vigilance
—
Female, but symptoms similar
Cultures that promote obedience

Question 3

Theories of anxiety:
- Classical psychoanalytic theory
- Behavioral and learning theories (two-factor theory)
- Bowlby’s theory of attachment
- Temperament (BIS and amygdala)

Answer 3

Anxiety is defence mechanism against unconscious conflicts rooted in early upbringing
—
Fear learned thru classical conditioning and maintained thru operant conditioning
—
Insecure attachment lead child to view enviro as undependable, unavailable, hostile, threatening -> leading to anxiety
—
High behavioural inhibition (low threshold for novel stimuli) and higher amygdala activation

Question 4

Anxiety:
- Heterotypic continuity
- Selective mutism vs Panic disorder/Agoraphobia

Question 5

Selective mutism:
- Age of onset
- Cycle
- Treatment

Answer 5

3-4
Child asked question; child anxious and avoids; someone speaks for child; everyone feels better; increased likelihood of avoidanxe
Behavioral therapy

Question 6

Separation anxiety disorder (SAD):
- Age of onset
- Associated with what
- Does it persist into adulthood?
- School reluctance

Answer 6

7-8
Major stress
1/3 persist into adulthood
Reluctance starts at 5-11, fear of separation from parents

Question 7

Specific phobia:
- Lasts for how long
- Types of phobias (5)
- Age of onset

Answer 7

At least 6 months
—
Animal
Natural environment (Heights, storms, water)
Blood
Situation (elevators, airplanes, enclosed spaces)
Other (loud sounds, clowns, choking/vomiting)
—
7-9 years ild

Question 8

Social anxiety disorder:
- Age of onset
- 2x more in common in girls. Why? (2)
- Effect of parents (5)
- Bidirectional temperament x parent-child interactions

Answer 8

Mid-adolescence (rare under 10 years old)
—
More concerned w/ social competence
Greater importance to interpersonal relationships and evaluation
—
Parents can contribute to child’s anxiety, and child’s behav can also cause parents to be excessively controlling

Question 9

Generalized anxiety disorder:
- Accompanied by what
- Gender prevalence
- Age of onset

Answer 9

At least one somatic symptom (for children) or 3 (for older)
—
Equally common in boys/girls
—
Early adolescence , but symptoms persist over time

Question 10

Panic disorder:
- Age of onset
- Diff between panic disorder vs other anxiety disorders
- Comorbidity
- Expectancy theory if panic vs Alarm theory

Answer 10

15-19 years old: 18+ years old for agoraphobia
—
Panic - Unexpected attacks
Anxiety - Response to specific situation
—
Other anxiety disorder or depression common (likely to have suicidal behav + alcohol/drug abuse)
—
Expectancy theory: Elevated anxiety sensitivity to physio symptoms; personalize negative events; catastrophic misinterpretation

Alarm theory: System can be activated but emotional cues, creating false alarms, triggering panic attacks in neutral situations (no cognitive component)
- Panic self-efficacy (perceived ability to cope w/ panic attacks) can help buffer