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A Study of Transdiagnostic Mediators of Emotional Disturbance in Psychiatrically-Referred Adults: The Role of Distress Tolerance, Anxiety Sensitivity and Intolerance of Uncertainty

Andreasson Lindström, Sara LU (2016) PPTN76 20161
Department of Psychology
Abstract (Swedish)
In an effort to improve our understanding of the etiology and treatment of disorders involving symptoms of anxiety and depression, researchers have set out to identify psychological traits that may leave an individual vulnerable to experiencing intense negative emotional reactions. Included among these vulnerabilities are a person’s ability to tolerate negative emotional states (Distress Tolerance - DT) and uncertainty in their everyday lives
(Intolerance of Uncertainty - IU), and a tendency to appraise behaviors and sensations associated with anxiety as harmful (Anxiety Sensitivity - AS). Each of these putative mediators has been found (individually) to be highly correlated with symptoms of the different anxiety and depressive disorders.... (More)
In an effort to improve our understanding of the etiology and treatment of disorders involving symptoms of anxiety and depression, researchers have set out to identify psychological traits that may leave an individual vulnerable to experiencing intense negative emotional reactions. Included among these vulnerabilities are a person’s ability to tolerate negative emotional states (Distress Tolerance - DT) and uncertainty in their everyday lives
(Intolerance of Uncertainty - IU), and a tendency to appraise behaviors and sensations associated with anxiety as harmful (Anxiety Sensitivity - AS). Each of these putative mediators has been found (individually) to be highly correlated with symptoms of the different anxiety and depressive disorders. However, the relationship between each of these putative mediators, and between these three mediators simultaneously and psychiatric functioning, has not received sufficient attention and is the focus of this study. Standardized self-report measures of DT, AS and IU were administered to 70 patients receiving treatment at
the Lund Outpatient Psychiatric Clinic. Participants also agreed to provide information from their medical records about their psychiatric history and their scores on routinely-administered Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), which measures symptoms across a wide range of disorders. The relationship between DT, AS and IU and the participant’s demographic and clinical characteristics were then examined. Consistent with hypotheses and previous literature, scores
on the DT, AS and IU were significantly correlated with the participant’s self-reported symptoms of anxiety and depression and with the severity of their overall symptoms. Some variance was found for DT, AS or IU as a function of diagnosis, although the conclusions that can be drawn from this are limited due to high comorbidity in the sample. Finally, regression analyses indicated that DT, AS and IU all contributed to the severity of symptoms although the primary influence on variability in functioning was found for DT. The results are
discussed in relation to extant literature on these variables and the implications for the treatment of emotional disturbances (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Andreasson Lindström, Sara LU
supervisor
organization
course
PPTN76 20161
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
distress tolerance, anxiety sensitivity, intolerance of uncertainty, psychiatric sample, transdiagnostic mediators
language
English
id
8875366
date added to LUP
2016-06-01 13:43:50
date last changed
2016-06-01 13:43:50
@misc{8875366,
  abstract     = {{In an effort to improve our understanding of the etiology and treatment of disorders involving symptoms of anxiety and depression, researchers have set out to identify psychological traits that may leave an individual vulnerable to experiencing intense negative emotional reactions. Included among these vulnerabilities are a person’s ability to tolerate negative emotional states (Distress Tolerance - DT) and uncertainty in their everyday lives
(Intolerance of Uncertainty - IU), and a tendency to appraise behaviors and sensations associated with anxiety as harmful (Anxiety Sensitivity - AS). Each of these putative mediators has been found (individually) to be highly correlated with symptoms of the different anxiety and depressive disorders. However, the relationship between each of these putative mediators, and between these three mediators simultaneously and psychiatric functioning, has not received sufficient attention and is the focus of this study. Standardized self-report measures of DT, AS and IU were administered to 70 patients receiving treatment at
the Lund Outpatient Psychiatric Clinic. Participants also agreed to provide information from their medical records about their psychiatric history and their scores on routinely-administered Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), which measures symptoms across a wide range of disorders. The relationship between DT, AS and IU and the participant’s demographic and clinical characteristics were then examined. Consistent with hypotheses and previous literature, scores
on the DT, AS and IU were significantly correlated with the participant’s self-reported symptoms of anxiety and depression and with the severity of their overall symptoms. Some variance was found for DT, AS or IU as a function of diagnosis, although the conclusions that can be drawn from this are limited due to high comorbidity in the sample. Finally, regression analyses indicated that DT, AS and IU all contributed to the severity of symptoms although the primary influence on variability in functioning was found for DT. The results are
discussed in relation to extant literature on these variables and the implications for the treatment of emotional disturbances}},
  author       = {{Andreasson Lindström, Sara}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{A Study of Transdiagnostic Mediators of Emotional Disturbance in Psychiatrically-Referred Adults: The Role of Distress Tolerance, Anxiety Sensitivity and Intolerance of Uncertainty}},
  year         = {{2016}},
}