32446
2023
eng
1255-1263
4
307
article
1
--
--
--
Prenatal paternal depression, anxiety, and somatic symptom burden in different risk samples: an explorative study
Purpose
Growing evidence implies that transition to parenthood triggers symptoms of mental burden not only in women but likewise in men, especially in high-risk pregnancies. This is the first study that examined and compared the prevalence rates of depression, anxiety, and somatic symptom burden of expectant fathers who face different risk situations during pregnancy.
Methods
Prevalence rates of paternal depression (Edinburgh postnatal depression scale), anxiety (generalized anxiety disorder seven), and somatic symptom burden (somatic symptom scale eight) were examined in two risk samples and one control group in the third trimester of their partners’ pregnancy: risk sample I (n = 41) consist of expectant fathers whose partners were prenatally hospitalized due to medical complications; risk sample II (n = 52) are fathers whose partners were prenatally mentally distressed; and control group (n = 70) are those non-risk pregnancies.
Results
On a purely descriptive level, the data display a trend of higher symptom burden of depression, anxiety, and somatic symptoms in the two risk samples, indicating that expectant fathers, whose pregnant partners were hospitalized or suffered prenatal depression, were more prenatally distressed. Exploratory testing of group differences revealed an almost three times higher prevalence rate of anxiety in fathers whose partner was hospitalized (12.2%) compared to those non-risks (4.3%).
Conclusion
Results underline the need for screening implementations for paternal prenatal psychological distress, as well as specific prevention and treatment programs, especially for fathers in risk situations, such as their pregnant partners’ prenatal hospitalization.
The study was registered with the German clinical trials register (DRKS00020131) on 2019/12/09.
Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics
10.1007/s00404-022-06612-2
urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-324465
@articleZacher.2023, author = Zacher, Magdalena and Wollanka, Nele and Sauer, Christina and Haßtenteufel, Kathrin and Wallwiener, Stephanie and Wallwiener, Markus and Maatouk, Imad, year = 2023, title = Prenatal paternal depression, anxiety, and somatic symptom burden in different risk samples: an explorative study, pages = 1255–1263, volume = 307, number = 4, journal = Archives of gynecology and obstetrics, doi = 10.1007/s00404-022-06612-2
md5:41a71d8ffe9eac3e7a1131160efcae43
2023-08-12T10:23:15+00:00
/tmp/phpuKNTeD
bibtex
64d75d93209275.38026074
Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics (2023) 307:4, 1255-1263 DOI: 10.1007/s00404-022-06612-2
false
true
CC BY: Creative-Commons-Lizenz: Namensnennung 4.0 International
Magdalena Zacher
Nele Wollanka
Christina Sauer
Kathrin Haßtenteufel
Stephanie Wallwiener
Markus Wallwiener
Imad Maatouk
eng
uncontrolled
prenatal paternal depression
eng
uncontrolled
anxiety
eng
uncontrolled
somatic symptom burden
eng
uncontrolled
risk pregnancy
eng
uncontrolled
hospitalization
Medizin und Gesundheit
open_access
Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik II
Universität Würzburg
https://opus.bibliothek.uni-wuerzburg.de/files/32446/s00404-022-06612-2.pdf
29740
2022
eng
21
23
article
1
--
2022-11-01
--
Running from stress: neurobiological mechanisms of exercise-induced stress resilience
Chronic stress, even stress of a moderate intensity related to daily life, is widely acknowledged to be a predisposing or precipitating factor in neuropsychiatric diseases. There is a clear relationship between disturbances induced by stressful stimuli, especially long-lasting stimuli, and cognitive deficits in rodent models of affective disorders. Regular physical activity has a positive effect on the central nervous system (CNS) functions, contributes to an improvement in mood and of cognitive abilities (including memory and learning), and is correlated with an increase in the expression of the neurotrophic factors and markers of synaptic plasticity as well as a reduction in the inflammatory factors. Studies published so far show that the energy challenge caused by physical exercise can affect the CNS by improving cellular bioenergetics, stimulating the processes responsible for the removal of damaged organelles and molecules, and attenuating inflammation processes. Regular physical activity brings another important benefit: increased stress robustness. The evidence from animal studies is that a sedentary lifestyle is associated with stress vulnerability, whereas a physically active lifestyle is associated with stress resilience. Here, we have performed a comprehensive PubMed Search Strategy for accomplishing an exhaustive literature review. In this review, we discuss the findings from experimental studies on the molecular and neurobiological mechanisms underlying the impact of exercise on brain resilience. A thorough understanding of the mechanisms underlying the neuroprotective potential of preconditioning exercise and of the role of exercise in stress resilience, among other things, may open further options for prevention and therapy in the treatment of CNS diseases.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
1422-0067
10.3390/ijms232113348
urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-297407
2022-12-15T14:04:28+00:00
sword
swordwue
attachment; filename=deposit.zip
791fb4f27514d12303344b9825830b38
International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2022) 23:21, 13348. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232113348
false
true
CC BY: Creative-Commons-Lizenz: Namensnennung 4.0 International
Marta Nowacka-Chmielewska
Konstancja Grabowska
Mateusz Grabowski
Patrick Meybohm
Malgorzata Burek
Andrzej Małecki
eng
uncontrolled
stress
eng
uncontrolled
stress resilience
eng
uncontrolled
anxiety
eng
uncontrolled
depression
eng
uncontrolled
neuropsychiatric disorders
eng
uncontrolled
physical activity
eng
uncontrolled
exercise
Medizin und Gesundheit
open_access
Klinik und Poliklinik für Anästhesiologie (ab 2004)
Import
Universität Würzburg
https://opus.bibliothek.uni-wuerzburg.de/files/29740/ijms-23-13348-v2.pdf
31243
2023
eng
5
60
article
1
--
--
--
Investigating sustained attention in contextual threat using steady‐state VEPs evoked by flickering video stimuli
Anxiety is characterized by anxious anticipation and heightened vigilance to uncertain threat. However, if threat is not reliably indicated by a specific cue, the context in which threat was previously experienced becomes its best predictor, leading to anxiety. A suitable means to induce anxiety experimentally is context conditioning: In one context (CTX+), an unpredictable aversive stimulus (US) is repeatedly presented, in contrast to a second context (CTX−), in which no US is ever presented. In this EEG study, we investigated attentional mechanisms during acquisition and extinction learning in 38 participants, who underwent a context conditioning protocol. Flickering video stimuli (32 s clips depicting virtual offices representing CTX+/−) were used to evoke steady‐state visual evoked potentials (ssVEPs) as an index of visuocortical engagement with the contexts. Analyses of the electrocortical responses suggest a successful induction of the ssVEP signal by video presentation in flicker mode. Furthermore, we found clear indices of context conditioning and extinction learning on a subjective level, while cortical processing of the CTX+ was unexpectedly reduced during video presentation. The differences between CTX+ and CTX− diminished during extinction learning. Together, these results indicate that the dynamic sensory input of the video presentation leads to disruptions in the ssVEP signal, which is greater for motivationally significant, threatening contexts.
Psychophysiology
10.1111/psyp.14229
urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-312430
2023-04-19T21:47:00+00:00
sword
swordwue
attachment; filename=deposit.zip
3b118629572fcc3983016f50c5aef0c3
Psychophysiology 2023, 60(5):e14229. DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14229
false
true
CC BY: Creative-Commons-Lizenz: Namensnennung 4.0 International
Yannik Stegmann
Marta Andreatta
Paul Pauli
Andreas Keil
Matthias J. Wieser
eng
uncontrolled
anxiety
eng
uncontrolled
EEG
eng
uncontrolled
oscillation
eng
uncontrolled
threat
eng
uncontrolled
time frequency analyses
eng
uncontrolled
visual processes
Psychologie
open_access
Institut für Psychologie
Import
Universität Würzburg
https://opus.bibliothek.uni-wuerzburg.de/files/31243/Stegmann_Psychophysiology_2.pdf
31246
2023
eng
4
60
article
1
--
--
--
The effect of inherently threatening contexts on visuocortical engagement to conditioned threat
Fear and anxiety are crucial for adaptive responding in life‐threatening situations. Whereas fear is a phasic response to an acute threat accompanied by selective attention, anxiety is characterized by a sustained feeling of apprehension and hypervigilance during situations of potential threat. In the current literature, fear and anxiety are usually considered mutually exclusive, with partially separated neural underpinnings. However, there is accumulating evidence that challenges this distinction between fear and anxiety, and simultaneous activation of fear and anxiety networks has been reported. Therefore, the current study experimentally tested potential interactions between fear and anxiety. Fifty‐two healthy participants completed a differential fear conditioning paradigm followed by a test phase in which the conditioned stimuli were presented in front of threatening or neutral contextual images. To capture defense system activation, we recorded subjective (threat, US‐expectancy), physiological (skin conductance, heart rate) and visuocortical (steady‐state visual evoked potentials) responses to the conditioned stimuli as a function of contextual threat. Results demonstrated successful fear conditioning in all measures. In addition, threat and US‐expectancy ratings, cardiac deceleration, and visuocortical activity were enhanced for fear cues presented in threatening compared with neutral contexts. These results are in line with an additive or interactive rather than an exclusive model of fear and anxiety, indicating facilitated defensive behavior to imminent danger in situations of potential threat.
Psychophysiology
10.1111/psyp.14208
urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-312465
2023-04-19T22:12:20+00:00
sword
swordwue
attachment; filename=deposit.zip
5bf4a3b78ca557d2a03e036064c7a77e
Psychophysiology 2023, 60(4):e14208. DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14208
false
true
CC BY-NC: Creative-Commons-Lizenz: Namensnennung, Nicht kommerziell 4.0 International
Yannik Stegmann
Marta Andreatta
Matthias J. Wieser
eng
uncontrolled
anxiety
eng
uncontrolled
EEG
eng
uncontrolled
emotion
eng
uncontrolled
fear
eng
uncontrolled
heart rate
eng
uncontrolled
ssVEP
Psychologie
open_access
Institut für Psychologie
Import
Universität Würzburg
https://opus.bibliothek.uni-wuerzburg.de/files/31246/Stegmann_Psychophysiology.pdf
17329
2017
eng
1766-1774
11
12
article
1
2018-11-30
--
--
Activity alterations in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and amygdala during threat anticipation in generalized anxiety disorder
Sustained anticipatory anxiety is central to Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). During anticipatory anxiety, phasic threat responding appears to be mediated by the amygdala, while sustained threat responding seems related to the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). Although sustained anticipatory anxiety in GAD patients was proposed to be associated with BNST activity alterations, firm evidence is lacking. We aimed to explore temporal characteristics of BNST and amygdala activity during threat anticipation in GAD patients. Nineteen GAD patients and nineteen healthy controls (HC) underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during a temporally unpredictable threat anticipation paradigm. We defined phasic and a systematic variation of sustained response models for blood oxygen level-dependent responses during threat anticipation, to disentangle temporally dissociable involvement of the BNST and the amygdala. GAD patients relative to HC responded with increased phasic amygdala activity to onset of threat anticipation and with elevated sustained BNST activity that was delayed relative to the onset of threat anticipation. Both the amygdala and the BNST displayed altered responses during threat anticipation in GAD patients, albeit with different time courses. The results for the BNST activation hint towards its role in sustained threat responding, and contribute to a deeper understanding of pathological sustained anticipatory anxiety in GAD.
Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience
10.1093/scan/nsx103
28981839
urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-173298
Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience (2017) 12:11, pp. 1766-1774. https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsx103
true
true
CC BY-NC: Creative-Commons-Lizenz: Namensnennung, Nicht kommerziell 4.0 International
Christine Buff
Leonie Brinkmann
Maximilian Bruchmann
Michael P.I. Becker
Sara Tupak
Martin J. Herrmann
Thomas Straube
eng
uncontrolled
medicine
eng
uncontrolled
anticipatory anxiety
eng
uncontrolled
anxiety
eng
uncontrolled
fMRI
eng
uncontrolled
sustained threat responding
eng
uncontrolled
phasic threat responding
Medizin und Gesundheit
open_access
Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychiatrie, Psychosomatik und Psychotherapie
Universität Würzburg
https://opus.bibliothek.uni-wuerzburg.de/files/17329/nsx103.pdf
26213
2022
eng
4
19
article
1
--
2022-02-10
--
Treatment of peripartum depression with antidepressants and other psychotropic medications: a synthesis of clinical practice guidelines in Europe
This study examined (1) the availability and content of national CPGs for treatment of peripartum depression, including comorbid anxiety, with antidepressants and other psychotropics across Europe and (2) antidepressant and other psychotropic utilization data as an indicator of prescribers' compliance to the guidelines. We conducted a search using Medline and the Guidelines International Network database, combined with direct e-mail contact with national Riseup-PPD COST ACTION members and researchers within psychiatry. Of the 48 European countries examined, we screened 41 records and included 14 of them for full-text evaluation. After exclusion of ineligible and duplicate records, we included 12 CPGs. Multiple CPGs recommend antidepressant initiation or continuation based on maternal disease severity, non-response to first-line non-pharmacological interventions, and after risk-benefit assessment. Advice on treatment of comorbid anxiety is largely missing or unspecific. Antidepressant dispensing data suggest general prescribers' compliance with the preferred substances of the CPG, although country-specific differences were noted. To conclude, there is an urgent need for harmonized, up-to-date CPGs for pharmacological management of peripartum depression and comorbid anxiety in Europe. The recommendations need to be informed by the latest available evidence so that healthcare providers and women can make informed, evidence-based decisions about treatment choices.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
1660-4601
10.3390/ijerph19041973
urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-262130
2022-03-28T07:40:00+00:00
sword
swordwue
attachment; filename=deposit.zip
50c462c22493b65955793e511d0cc633
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2022) 19:4, 1973. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19041973
false
true
CC BY: Creative-Commons-Lizenz: Namensnennung 4.0 International
Sarah Kittel-Schneider
Ethel Felice
Rachel Buhagiar
Mijke Lambregtse-van den Berg
Claire A. Wilson
Visnja Banjac Baljak
Katarina Savic Vujovic
Branislava Medic
Ana Opankovic
Ana Fonseca
Angela Lupattelli
eng
uncontrolled
clinical practice guideline
eng
uncontrolled
depression
eng
uncontrolled
anxiety
eng
uncontrolled
antidepressant
eng
uncontrolled
psychotropic medications
eng
uncontrolled
peripartum
Medizin und Gesundheit
open_access
Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychiatrie, Psychosomatik und Psychotherapie
Import
Universität Würzburg
https://opus.bibliothek.uni-wuerzburg.de/files/26213/ijerph-19-01973-v2.pdf
26944
2022
eng
13
article
1
--
2022-04-05
--
Construction and validation of a scale to measure loneliness and isolation during social distancing and its effect on mental health
A variety of factors contribute to the degree to which a person feels lonely and socially isolated. These factors may be particularly relevant in contexts requiring social distancing, e.g., during the COVID-19 pandemic or in states of immunodeficiency. We present the Loneliness and Isolation during Social Distancing (LISD) Scale. Extending existing measures, the LISD scale measures both state and trait aspects of loneliness and isolation, including indicators of social connectedness and support. In addition, it reliably predicts individual differences in anxiety and depression. Data were collected online from two independent samples in a social distancing context (the COVID-19 pandemic). Factorial validation was based on exploratory factor analysis (EFA; Sample 1, N = 244) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA; Sample 2, N = 304). Multiple regression analyses were used to assess how the LISD scale predicts state anxiety and depression. The LISD scale showed satisfactory fit in both samples. Its two state factors indicate being lonely and isolated as well as connected and supported, while its three trait factors reflect general loneliness and isolation, sociability and sense of belonging, and social closeness and support. Our results imply strong predictive power of the LISD scale for state anxiety and depression, explaining 33 and 51% of variance, respectively. Anxiety and depression scores were particularly predicted by low dispositional sociability and sense of belonging and by currently being more lonely and isolated. In turn, being lonely and isolated was related to being less connected and supported (state) as well as having lower social closeness and support in general (trait). We provide a novel scale which distinguishes between acute and general dimensions of loneliness and social isolation while also predicting mental health. The LISD scale could be a valuable and economic addition to the assessment of mental health factors impacted by social distancing.
Frontiers in Psychiatry
1664-0640
10.3389/fpsyt.2022.798596
urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-269446
2022-04-27T10:43:30+00:00
sword
swordwue
attachment; filename=deposit.zip
f6f5715ba6071441208168280b89fd70
Frontiers in Psychiatry (2022) 13:798596. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.798596
CC BY: Creative-Commons-Lizenz: Namensnennung 4.0 International
Marthe Gründahl
Martin Weiß
Lisa Maier
Johannes Hewig
Jürgen Deckert
Grit Hein
eng
uncontrolled
loneliness
eng
uncontrolled
social isolation
eng
uncontrolled
social distancing
eng
uncontrolled
depression
eng
uncontrolled
anxiety
Medizin und Gesundheit
open_access
Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychiatrie, Psychosomatik und Psychotherapie
Institut für Psychologie
Import
Förderzeitraum 2022
Universität Würzburg
https://opus.bibliothek.uni-wuerzburg.de/files/26944/Data_Sheet_1.pdf
https://opus.bibliothek.uni-wuerzburg.de/files/26944/fpsyt-13-798596.pdf
22857
2018
eng
822-827
9
21
article
1
2021-03-02
--
--
Plasticity of Functional MAOA Gene Methylation in Acrophobia
Epigenetic mechanisms have been proposed to mediate fear extinction in animal models. Here, MAOA methylation was analyzed via direct sequencing of sodium bisulfite-treated DNA extracted from blood cells before and after a 2-week exposure therapy in a sample of n = 28 female patients with acrophobia as well as in n = 28 matched healthy female controls. Clinical response was measured using the Acrophobia Questionnaire and the Attitude Towards Heights Questionnaire. The functional relevance of altered MAOA methylation was investigated by luciferase-based reporter gene assays. MAOA methylation was found to be significantly decreased in patients with acrophobia compared with healthy controls. Furthermore, MAOA methylation levels were shown to significantly increase after treatment and correlate with treatment response as reflected by decreasing Acrophobia Questionnaire/Attitude Towards Heights Questionnaire scores. Functional analyses revealed decreased reporter gene activity in presence of methylated compared with unmethylated pCpGfree_MAOA reporter gene vector constructs. The present proof-of-concept psychotherapy-epigenetic study for the first time suggests functional MAOA methylation changes as a potential epigenetic correlate of treatment response in acrophobia and fosters further investigation into the notion of epigenetic mechanisms underlying fear extinction.
International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
10.1093/ijnp/pyy050
urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-228571
publish
International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology (2018) 21(9): 822–827
CC BY-NC: Creative-Commons-Lizenz: Namensnennung, Nicht kommerziell 4.0 International
Miriam A. Schiele
Christiane Ziegler
Leonie Kollert
Andrea Katzorke
Christoph Schartner
Yasmin Busch
Daniel Gromer
Andreas Reif
Paul Pauli
Jürgen Deckert
Martin J. Herrmann
Katharina Domschke
eng
uncontrolled
monoamine oxidase A
eng
uncontrolled
anxiety
eng
uncontrolled
extinction
eng
uncontrolled
epigenetics
eng
uncontrolled
DNA methylation
Psychologie
open_access
Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychiatrie, Psychosomatik und Psychotherapie
Institut für Psychologie
Universität Würzburg
https://opus.bibliothek.uni-wuerzburg.de/files/22857/Plasticity_of_Functional_MAOA.pdf
24098
2021
eng
6
11
article
0
--
2021-06-04
--
Informal caregiving in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS): a high caregiver burden and drastic consequences on caregivers' lives
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that causes progressive autonomy loss and need for care. This does not only affect patients themselves, but also the patients’ informal caregivers (CGs) in their health, personal and professional lives. The big efforts of this multi-center study were not only to evaluate the caregivers' burden and to identify its predictors, but it also should provide a specific understanding of the needs of ALS patients' CGs and fill the gap of knowledge on their personal and work lives. Using standardized questionnaires, primary data from patients and their main informal CGs (n = 249) were collected. Patients' functional status and disease severity were evaluated using the Barthel Index, the revised Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale (ALSFRS-R) and the King’s Stages for ALS. The caregivers' burden was recorded by the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI). Comorbid anxiety and depression of caregivers were assessed by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Additionally, the EuroQol Five Dimension Five Level Scale evaluated their health-related quality of life. The caregivers' burden was high (mean ZBI = 26/88, 0 = no burden, ≥24 = highly burdened) and correlated with patients' functional status (r\(_p\) = −0.555, p < 0.001, n = 242). It was influenced by the CGs' own mental health issues due to caregiving (+11.36, 95% CI [6.84; 15.87], p < 0.001), patients' wheelchair dependency (+9.30, 95% CI [5.94; 12.66], p < 0.001) and was interrelated with the CGs' depression (r\(_p\) = 0.627, p < 0.001, n = 234), anxiety (r\(_p\) = 0.550, p < 0.001, n = 234), and poorer physical condition (r\(_p\) = −0.362, p < 0.001, n = 237). Moreover, female CGs showed symptoms of anxiety more often, which also correlated with the patients' impairment in daily routine (r\(_s\) = −0.280, p < 0.001, n = 169). As increasing disease severity, along with decreasing autonomy, was the main predictor of caregiver burden and showed to create relevant (negative) implications on CGs' lives, patient care and supportive therapies should address this issue. Moreover, in order to preserve the mental and physical health of the CGs, new concepts of care have to focus on both, on not only patients but also their CGs and gender-associated specific issues. As caregiving in ALS also significantly influences the socioeconomic status by restrictions in CGs' work lives and income, and the main reported needs being lack of psychological support and a high bureaucracy, the situation of CGs needs more attention. Apart from their own multi-disciplinary medical and psychological care, more support in care and patient management issues is required.
Brain Sciences
2076-3425
10.3390/brainsci11060748
urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-240981
2021-07-03T15:57:03+00:00
sword
swordwue
attachment; filename=deposit.zip
f5bd9bac69ced98a970423e2dd56179f
Brain Science (2021) 11:6, 748. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11060748
false
true
CC BY: Creative-Commons-Lizenz: Namensnennung 4.0 International
Pavel Schischlevskij
Isabell Cordts
René Günther
Benjamin Stolte
Daniel Zeller
Carsten Schröter
Ute Weyen
Martin Regensburger
Joachim Wolf
Ilka Schneider
Andreas Hermann
Moritz Metelmann
Zacharias Kohl
Ralf A. Linker
Jan Christoph Koch
Claudia Stendel
Lars H. Müschen
Alma Osmanovic
Camilla Binz
Thomas Klopstock
Johannes Dorst
Albert C. Ludolph
Matthias Boentert
Tim Hagenacker
Marcus Deschauer
Paul Lingor
Susanne Petri
Olivia Schreiber-Katz
eng
uncontrolled
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
eng
uncontrolled
informal caregiving
eng
uncontrolled
caregiver burden
eng
uncontrolled
functional status
eng
uncontrolled
decreasing autonomy
eng
uncontrolled
depression
eng
uncontrolled
anxiety
eng
uncontrolled
health-related quality of life
eng
uncontrolled
socioeconomic status
eng
uncontrolled
psychological support
Medizin und Gesundheit
open_access
Neurologische Klinik und Poliklinik
Import
Universität Würzburg
https://opus.bibliothek.uni-wuerzburg.de/files/24098/brainsci-11-00748-v2.pdf
26918
2021
eng
221–234
2
45
article
1
--
--
--
Reappraising fear: is up-regulation more efficient than down-regulation?
Catastrophizing thoughts may contribute to the development of anxiety, but functional emotion regulation may help to improve treatment. No study so far directly compared up- and down-regulation of fear by cognitive reappraisal. Here, healthy individuals took part in a cued fear experiment, in which multiple pictures of faces were paired twice with an unpleasant scream or presented as safety stimuli. Participants (N = 47) were asked (within-subjects) to down-regulate, to up-regulate and to maintain their natural emotional response. Valence and arousal ratings indicated successful up- and down-regulation of the emotional experience, while heart rate and pupil dilation increased during up-regulation, but showed no reduction in down-regulation. State and trait anxiety correlated with evaluations of safety but not threat stimuli, which supports the role of deficient safety learning in anxiety. Reappraisal did not modulate this effect. In conclusion, this study reveals evidence for up-regulation effects in fear, which might be even more efficient than down-regulation on a physiological level and highlights the importance of catastrophizing thoughts for the maintenance of fear and anxiety.
Motivation and Emotion
1573-6644
10.1007/s11031-021-09871-9
urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-269187
publish
Motivation and Emotion 2021, 45(2):221–234. DOI: 10.1007/s11031-021-09871-9
false
true
CC BY: Creative-Commons-Lizenz: Namensnennung 4.0 International
Julian Wiemer
Milena M. Rauner
Yannik Stegmann
Paul Pauli
eng
uncontrolled
anxiety
eng
uncontrolled
fear conditioning
eng
uncontrolled
cognitive reappraisal
eng
uncontrolled
pupil diameter
eng
uncontrolled
heart rate
Psychologie
open_access
Institut für Psychologie
Universität Würzburg
https://opus.bibliothek.uni-wuerzburg.de/files/26918/Wiemer_Motivation.pdf