© iStockphoto
Most people worry from time to time. A new research study, led by a
Case Western Reserve University faculty member in psychology, also shows that worrying can be so intrusive and obsessive that it interferes in the person’s life and endangers the health of social relationships.
These people suffer from what’s called generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), says Case Western Reserve psychologist Amy Przeworski.
Individuals with GAD frequently put social relationships with family, friends, or coworkers at the top of their lists of worries, but the negative methods they use to cope—from over nurturing to extreme detachment—may be destructive.
Przeworski and colleagues at Penn State University observed that people in therapy for GAD manifested their worries in different ways based on how they interact with other people.
In two studies the researchers found four distinct interactive styles prominent among people with GAD—intrusive, cold, nonassertive and exploitable.
Both studies supported the presence of these four interpersonal styles and their significant role in how people with GAD manifested their worrying.
“All individuals with these styles worried to the same extent and extreme, but manifested those worries in different ways,” Przeworski said.
Take the examples of two people with similar worries about someone’s health and safety. [continue reading…]
Young drivers who experience anxiety and depression are more likely to take risks on the road, according to a new study by Queensland University of Technology (QUT).
The results of the study led by Bridie Scott-Parker, from QUT’s Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety – Queensland (CARRS-Q), have been published in the international journal Injury Prevention today.
Mrs Scott-Parker said the study of more than 760 young drivers, who were on their provisional licence, found anxiety and depression accounted for 8.5 per cent of the risky driving behaviour reported by these young adults. [continue reading…]
Published: February 14, 2011
Brain Study Says Yes!
When psychotherapy is helping someone get better, what does that change look like in the brain? This was the question a team of Canadian psychological scientists set out to investigate in patients suffering from social anxiety disorder. Their findings are published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association of Psychological Science. [continue reading…]
Published: January 13, 2011
Students can combat test anxiety and improve performance by writing about their worries immediately before the exam begins, according to a University of Chicago study published in the journal Science.
Researchers found that students who were prone to test anxiety improved their high-stakes test scores by nearly one grade point after they were given 10 minutes to write about what was causing them fear, according to the article, “Writing about Testing Boosts Exam Performance in the Classroom.” The article appears in the Jan. 14 issue of Science and is based on research supported by the National Science Foundation. [continue reading…]
