Exploring the boundary between temperament and generalized anxiety disorder: a receiver operating characteristic analysis
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Using the Threat Probability Task to Assess Anxiety and Fear During Uncertain and Certain Threat
Published on: September 12, 2014
David C Rettew1, Alicia C Doyle, Monica Kwan
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont College of Medicine, 89 Beaumont Avenue, Given Building Room B227, Burlington, VT 05405, USA. david.rettew@uvm.edu
Abstract:
Studies of individuals with an increased tendency to experience negative emotions such as fear, sadness, and anger have documented links between this temperamental trait and anxiety disorders. There exists debate, however, concerning the degree to which high levels of a temperamental trait are a necessary and/or sufficient component of a DSM diagnosis. In this study, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses assessed the relations between levels of harm avoidance (HA) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) diagnoses in 334 children and their parents. Analyses revealed HA scores to be highly predictive of GAD diagnoses in children (AUC=.791, P<.001) and adults (AUC=.818, P<.001). However, there were many individuals with high HA scores who did not qualify for a GAD diagnosis. These findings suggest that while there are strong associations between HA and GAD, high levels of HA are neither necessary nor sufficient in the formation of clinically significant anxiety symptoms.
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