Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 19, 2026

A Modified Trier Social Stress Test for Vulnerable Mexican American Adolescents
Published on: July 10, 2017
Minor stressors and generalized anxiety disorder among low-income patients attending primary care clinics
P J Brantley1, D J Mehan, S C Ames
1Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge 70808, USA.
Abstract:
The total number of minor life events and subjective ratings of distress associated with these events were assessed for individuals with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and for nonanxious controls. Participants consisted of 256 randomly selected, low-income patients from primary care medical clinics. Diagnoses were obtained using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for the DSM-IV (DIS-IV). An analysis of variance revealed that GAD individuals reported significantly more minor life events than did nonanxious controls (F = 50.97, p < .001). An analysis of covariance indicated that persons with GAD perceived their minor stressors as significantly more stressful than did nonanxious controls, even after the total number of events was controlled (F = 42.07, p < .001). These findings are consistent with cognitive theories of GAD and current revisions to the definition of the disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Implications for theory and research on GAD are discussed.
Related Concept Videos
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Stress and Mental Health
Individuals with depression often experience challenges in both their personal and professional...
Anxiety: Overview
Individuals with anxiety often experience a range of physical and emotional symptoms, including sweating, trembling, tachycardia, and disturbances in sleep patterns. These symptoms vary in intensity and frequency but are generally disruptive and distressing.
Panic Disorder
Psychological Responses to Stress
Types of Stressors
Catastrophes
Catastrophes refer to large-scale, unpredictable events that create overwhelming stress and a sense of threat. Examples include natural disasters like...