Anxiety Sensitivity and Panic Disorder: Evaluation of the Impact of Cognitive-Behavioral Group Therapy

Cognitive behavioural group therapy for insomnia (CBGT-I) in patients undergoing haemodialysis: a randomized clinical trial

Background:

Given the many complications of drug therapy, it seems reasonable to use non-pharmacological therapies that can improve mental and physical disorders in haemodialysis patients.

Aims:

This study aims to determine the effectiveness of cognitive behavioural group therapy for insomnia (CBGT-I) in sleep quality, depression, anxiety and general psychological health of haemodialysis patients.

Method:

This randomized clinical trial was conducted on 116 haemodialysis patients who were randomly assigned to experimental (n=58) and control (n=58) groups. In the experimental group, CBGT-I was provided during nine weekly sessions. Data collection tools included Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDIII), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), Clinical Global Improvement Scale (CGI), Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ) and Working Alliance Inventory-Short Form (WAI-S). Data were analysed by SPSS-25 and p<.05 was considered significant.

Results:

The findings demonstrated that CBGT-I compared with control group was effective in improving sleep quality (p<.001, η2=.790), depression (p<.001, η2=.616), anxiety (p<.001, η2=.682) and general psychological health (p<.001, η2=.871). Participants of CBGT-I showed notable improvements as a result of the treatment, were satisfied with treatment, and had a good therapeutic relationship.

Conclusions:

CBGT-I is effective in reducing depression and anxiety in addition to improving sleep quality and general psychological health in haemodialysis patients. Therefore, it is recommended to be used as a complementary treatment for these patients.

Anxiety Sensitivity Moderates the Impact of COVID-19 Perceived Stress on Anxiety and Functional Impairment

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound negative impact on mental health symptoms and daily life functioning across the United States and worldwide. Past work has revealed that perceived stress relates to poorer outcomes, however, little work to date has examined factors that may exacerbate these outcomes, and no work to date has examined this relation in terms of COVID-19. Anxiety sensitivity is a promising individual difference factor that has shown to be related to mental health and functional impairment. Anxiety Sensitivity is also a vulnerability factor related to heightened stress perception.

Method

Therefore, the current study sought to examine the potential moderating role of anxiety sensitivity in the relation between COVID-19 specific perceived stress and global anxiety symptom severity, anxious arousal symptom severity, and functional impairment among 563 adults (58.1% male; M _age  = 38.3 years; SD = 12.15).

Results

Results indicated a statistically significant interaction between COVID-19 perceived stress and anxiety sensitivity with global anxiety symptom severity, anxious arousal symptom severity, and functional impairment. Post-hoc analysis indicated that COVID-19 perceived stress was associated with an increased likelihood of clinically significant global anxiety symptom severity and anxious arousal symptom severity at higher levels of anxiety sensitivity.

Conclusions

The current study provides support for the role of anxiety sensitivity in identifying individuals at risk for clinically significant global anxiety symptom severity and anxious arousal symptom severity.