Psychology - Student Works
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Browsing Psychology - Student Works by Subject "anxiety"
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Item Cultivating incremental theories regarding anxiety to reduce student academic and general anxiety(2017) Doherty, Kyla; Howell, Andrew J.An incremental view of a personal attribute (i.e., a growth mindset) often confers significant affective and psychological advantages relative to an entity view (i.e., a fixed mindset). For example, a fixed mindset regarding anxiety has recently been shown to be associated with higher anxiety and poorer emotional coping skills (De Castella et al., 2014). No research to date has examined the causal impact of incremental vs. entity views toward anxiety on levels of anxiety. In the current proposed study, undergraduate participants will be randomly assigned to receive either an intervention that trains an incremental view of anxiety or to receive a control intervention. Three weeks later, academic and general anxiety will be measured in both groups along with their incremental vs. fixed views toward anxiety. It is predicted that that those who undergo cultivation of an incremental view toward anxiety will exhibit less anxiety than control group participants. Supportive findings would suggest that preventative interventions may be effective for protecting students from anxiety throughout the school year and from more general health risks connected to long-lasting anxiety.Item The effect of earworms on affect(2019) Tingley, Jessica; Moscicki, Michele; Buro, KarenOur study investigated earworms in relation to affect. An earworm is defined as hearing music without currently listening to music. Affect refers to emotions. As the research on earworms is limited, one goal of our study was to confirm and advance prior findings, such as whether or not neuroticism is associated with a heightened occurrence of earworms. We hypothesized that earworms are a type of ruminative thought, which are typically associated with stress and worry. Based on this hypothesis, our specific prediction was that people with higher levels of stress/anxiety would be more likely to experience earworms.Item The effects of the H1 antagonist chlorpheniramine on anxiety in zebrafish(2017) Heritage, Susan; Schalomon, MelikeZebrafish (Danio rerio) have recently emerged as an excellent model organism to study the neurological basis of anxiety disorders. They display robust behavioural responses to external stimuli and possess all of the main vertebrate neurotransmitters. Research in rats has demonstrated that the histaminergic system plays a role in anxiety, possibly by interacting with other monoamines such as serotonin and dopamine. In zebrafish, however, the histaminergic system is not well characterized, so it is of interest to assess the role of histamine on anxiety in zebrafish. Chlorpheniramine, a histamine antagonist that has been tested multiple times in rodents and shown to decrease anxiety, was administered to fish with the expectation that we would observe similar anxiolytic effects in zebrafish. Chlorpheniramine was administered through immersion for ten minutes at two doses (20mg/L and 25mg/L), and zebrafish were tested using the shoaling test, which is a measure of anxiety based on the tendency of fish to form more cohesive shoals when anxious. We found that chlorpheniramine did not produce a significant anxiolytic effect at either dose; however previous research in our lab suggests that the 20mg/L dose reduces anxiety in the novel tank diving test. Further research using different doses and tests or other histamine antagonists should be conducted for a more thorough understanding of the histaminergic system in zebrafish.Item Exploring which anxiety-related disorder symptoms and mechanisms are associated with COVID-19 anxiety(2022) Byam, Layton; Penney, AlexanderIn the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, a rise in anxiety has been reported among the population. This rise coincides with the introduction of COVID-19 anxiety, which is the fear and emotional distress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous research has found an association between COVID-19 anxiety and symptoms of health anxiety, panic disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. COVID-19 anxiety has also been associated with dysfunctional beliefs such as anxiety sensitivity, maladaptive metacognitions, and intolerance of uncertainty. Additionally, COVID-19 anxiety has been associated with the emotion of disgust. However, the association of these factors with COVID-19 anxiety has not been explored together in a single study. In the current study, self-report questionnaires were used to examine which anxiety-related disorder symptoms, and related mechanisms, were associated with COVID-19 anxiety. A total of 593 MacEwan students completed the study between September 2020 and February 2021. A set of regression analyses examined which anxiety-related disorder symptoms were uniquely associated with COVID-19 anxiety. The two symptoms most associated with COVID-19 anxiety were health anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms. Additionally, panic disorder symptoms were also found to be associated. When examining the anxiety-related mechanisms, a second set of regression analyses identified disgust sensitivity and health anxiety-specific intolerance of uncertainty as having the strongest association with COVID-19 anxiety. Further, a maladaptive metacognitive belief related to thinking about one's health, as well as the physical and cognitive aspects of anxiety sensitivity, were associated with COVID-19 anxiety. Based on these findings, clinicians may wish to screen for COVID-19 anxiety in clients experiencing health anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, or panic disorder symptoms. Lastly, clinicians may find it helpful to target the clients' responses to feelings of disgust, and their health anxiety-specific intolerance of uncertainty, when working with clients experiencing high levels of COVID-19 anxiety.Item Undergraduate student experience of COVID-19 anxiety: opinions, dysfunctional beliefs, and anxiety symptoms(2021) Byam, Layton; Penney, AlexanderThe COVID-19 pandemic is an international health crisis that has changed the experience of undergraduate students across Canada. As of February 23rd, 2021, Canadian officials have reported over 800 thousand cases and 21 thousand deaths due to COVID-19. Additionally, there has been a rise in anxiety reported throughout the general population. The current study aims to examine the links between anxiety disorder symptoms, anxiety-related dysfunctional beliefs, and COVID-19-related anxiety in an undergraduate sample. Additionally, the study seeks to examine how COVID-19 anxiety, anxiety disorder symptoms, and anxiety-related dysfunctional beliefs are related to undergraduate students' opinions of their current school circumstances and pandemic experience. To measure students' COVID-19 anxiety, participants completed the Coronavirus 19 Phobia Scale, the Fear of Coronavirus Scale, and the COVID Stress Scales. Participants also completed online measures of health anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms. To measure participants' anxiety-related dysfunctional beliefs, scales were completed to measure anxiety sensitivity, intolerance of uncertainty, metacognitions, disgust propensity and sensitivity, somatosensory amplification, and body vigilance. The investigated opinions included attitudes towards in-person classes, campus life, conspiratorial beliefs, and their anticipated physical response to potentially contracting COVID-19. Additionally, participants reported the perceived risk to themselves and those around them if they contracted the virus. Data was collected from a total of 593 MacEwan students between September 2020 and January 2021. Preliminary findings will be presented at Student Research Day.Item Undergraduate student experience of COVID-19 anxiety: opinions, dysfunctional beliefs, and anxiety symptoms(2021) Byam, Layton; Penney, AlexanderThe COVID-19 pandemic is an international health crisis that has changed the experience of undergraduate students across Canada. As of February 23rd, 2021, Canadian officials have reported over 800 thousand cases and 21 thousand deaths due to COVID-19. Additionally, there has been a rise in anxiety reported throughout the general population. The current study aims to examine the links between anxiety disorder symptoms, anxiety-related dysfunctional beliefs, and COVID-19-related anxiety in an undergraduate sample. Additionally, the study seeks to examine how COVID-19 anxiety, anxiety disorder symptoms, and anxiety-related dysfunctional beliefs are related to undergraduate students' opinions of their current school circumstances and pandemic experience. To measure students' COVID-19 anxiety, participants completed the Coronavirus 19 Phobia Scale, the Fear of Coronavirus Scale, and the COVID Stress Scales. Participants also completed online measures of health anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms. To measure participants' anxiety-related dysfunctional beliefs, scales were completed to measure anxiety sensitivity, intolerance of uncertainty, metacognitions, disgust propensity and sensitivity, somatosensory amplification, and body vigilance. The investigated opinions included attitudes towards in-person classes, campus life, conspiratorial beliefs, and their anticipated physical response to potentially contracting COVID-19. Additionally, participants reported the perceived risk to themselves and those around them if they contracted the virus. Data was collected from a total of 593 MacEwan students between September 2020 and January 2021. Preliminary findings will be presented at Student Research Day.Item Which dysfunctional beliefs may be contributing to COVID-19 anxiety?(2021) Byam, Layton; Penney, AlexanderMental health issues have increased in the population since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, anxiety and fear related to COVID-19 has emerged, with limited research looking at which problematic beliefs may contribute to COVID-19 anxiety. Since specific dysfunctional beliefs have been shown to play a role in anxiety-related disorders, these same beliefs may also contribute to COVID-19 anxiety. The current study examined the link between COVID-19 anxiety and dysfunctional beliefs. A non-clinical undergraduate sample (N = 416) completed two established measures of COVID-19 anxiety: the COVID Stress Scales (CSS) and the Fear of Coronavirus Scale (FCV-19S). Additionally, participants completed measures of anxiety sensitivity, intolerance of uncertainty, metacognitions, disgust propensity and sensitivity, somatosensory amplification, and body vigilance. All the dysfunctional beliefs had low to moderate correlations with the CSS, rs = .24 - .55, and the FCV-19S, rs = .12 - .51. Multiple regression analyses were conducted on the CSS and FCV-19S. The belief that anxiety may damage one’s mind was a unique predictor of CSS scores, p = .005, while the belief that anxiety may lead to heart failure was found to be a unique predictor of FCV-19S scores, p < .001. The metacognitive belief that illness can be prevented or caused by the way an individual thinks was a unique predictor of COVID-19 anxiety on both the CSS, p < .001, and the FCV-19S, p = .032. Additionally, disgust sensitivity was associated with COVID-19 anxiety on both the CSS, p < .001, and the FCV-19S, p = .004. These findings establish that COVID-19 anxiety is related to anxiety sensitivity, metacognitions, and disgust sensitivity. Therapists who work with clients with COVID-19 anxiety may find that these specific dysfunctional beliefs increase the anxiety. Therefore, therapists may wish to target these beliefs in their treatment plan.