Center for Behavioral Intervention Technologies, Department of Preventive Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 750 N. Lake Shore Dr. 10th Floor, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA; Anxiety Research Program, Department of Psychological Science, University of Arkansas, 216 Memorial Hall, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA.
Anxiety Research Program, Department of Psychological Science, University of Arkansas, 216 Memorial Hall, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA.
Behav Res Ther. 2020 Mar;126:103544. doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2019.103544. Epub 2020 Jan 2.
Adult research supports the efficacy of targeting the malleable risk factor of anxiety sensitivity (AS) in preventing anxiety and related psychopathology. However, very little work has evaluated the impact of AS reduction among youth, which is unfortunate given adolescence is a "core risk" period in terms of disorder onset.
The primary project aim was to test the effects of an Anxiety Sensitivity Amelioration Program for Youth (ASAP-Y) among a sample of 88 youth aged 10-14 years with elevated AS. High AS youth and a parent were randomly assigned to either the ASAP-Y, which consisted of psychoeducation and experimenter-led and parent-led exposures, or a general health information control condition.
Youth in the intervention condition sustained low AS levels across the intervention period, and although AS levels in both conditions decreased from baseline to the one-month assessment, this decrease was more pronounced at one-month for youth in the intervention condition. Further, significant indirect effects of condition on one-month anxiety and depression symptoms via reduced AS were detected. Homework compliance rates and self-report data support the acceptability of the ASAP-Y. Contrary to hypotheses, differences between conditions in emotional reactivity elicited using experimental psychopathology methods were not observed.
The current findings offer preliminary support for the ASAP-Y as an acceptable selective preventive intervention for at-risk youth, with specific anxiety- and depression-related effects through reduced AS.
成人研究支持针对可塑风险因素焦虑敏感性 (AS) 的疗效，以预防焦虑和相关的精神病理学。然而，很少有研究评估青少年时期 AS 减少的影响，这很不幸，因为青春期是发病的“核心风险”时期。
主要项目目标是在一个由 88 名年龄在 10-14 岁、AS 升高的青少年组成的样本中测试青少年焦虑敏感性改善计划 (ASAP-Y) 的效果。高 AS 青少年及其家长被随机分配到 ASAP-Y 组或一般健康信息对照组。ASAP-Y 由心理教育和实验者指导的和家长指导的暴露组成。
干预组的青少年在干预期间持续保持低 AS 水平，尽管两组的 AS 水平从基线到一个月评估都有所下降，但干预组的青少年在一个月时下降更为明显。此外，通过降低 AS，条件对一个月时焦虑和抑郁症状的间接影响是显著的。家庭作业依从率和自我报告数据支持 ASAP-Y 的可接受性。与假设相反，使用实验精神病理学方法引起的情绪反应在条件之间没有差异。
目前的发现初步支持 ASAP-Y 作为一种可接受的选择性预防干预措施，用于有风险的青少年，通过降低 AS 具有特定的焦虑和抑郁相关效果。
