Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 5, 2025
04:20
Social Isolation Model: A Noninvasive Rodent Model of Stress and Anxiety
Published on: November 11, 2022
4.3K
Reciprocal and Indirect Effects Among Intervention, Perceived Social Support, and Anxiety Sensitivity Within a
Allison V Metts1, Peter Roy-Byrne2, Murray B Stein3
1University of California, Los Angeles.
Behavior Therapy
|January 12, 2024
Summary
Social support and anxiety sensitivity have a reciprocal relationship, influencing each other over time. Effective anxiety disorder treatments can improve both, suggesting integrated therapeutic approaches.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Social support can aid in reappraising stressors, including somatic symptoms.
- Anxiety sensitivity, characterized by negative beliefs about anxiety-related somatic symptoms, may affect perceptions of social support.
- Evidence-based treatments might mediate the interplay between social support and anxiety sensitivity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the reciprocal relationship between perceived social support and anxiety sensitivity.
- To explore indirect effects of an intervention on these constructs.
- To examine these associations within a randomized controlled trial for anxiety disorders.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study design over 18 months.
- Random intercept cross-lagged panel models.
- Analysis of data from 940 primary care patients in a randomized controlled trial (CALM vs. usual care).
Main Results:
- Significant reciprocal associations were found between increases in perceived social support and decreases in anxiety sensitivity.
- The intervention (CALM) showed indirect effects on both constructs, mediated by changes in the other.
- CALM predicted changes in social support and anxiety sensitivity over usual care.
Conclusions:
- Perceived social support and anxiety sensitivity dynamically influence each other.
- Anxiety disorder treatments like CALM can positively impact both constructs reciprocally.
- Future treatments could target social support to improve somatic symptom reappraisal and vice versa.
Related Concept Videos
01:28Social Anxiety Disorder
34
Social anxiety disorder, also known as social phobia, is characterized by an intense fear of social situations where one might face humiliation, rejection, embarrassment, or negative evaluation. This disorder leads individuals to avoid activities like casual conversations, public speaking, or seemingly simple tasks such as eating, signing documents, or swimming, in public settings. Its impact extends beyond discomfort, often significantly interfering with daily functioning and quality of life.
34
01:19Autism Spectrum Disorder
98
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition marked by persistent deficits in social communication and interaction alongside restrictive and repetitive behaviors or interests. ASD is sometimes accompanied by intellectual impairment.
These core symptoms manifest differently among individuals, ranging from mild to severe. The disorder's complexity extends beyond its clinical presentation, encompassing a diverse range of biological, cognitive, and sociocultural influences.
These core symptoms manifest differently among individuals, ranging from mild to severe. The disorder's complexity extends beyond its clinical presentation, encompassing a diverse range of biological, cognitive, and sociocultural influences.
98
01:22Behavior Therapy
51
Behavior therapy incorporates diverse techniques rooted in classical conditioning principles to address maladaptive behaviors and anxiety disorders. These methods aim to reduce avoidance behaviors, foster adaptive coping mechanisms, and alter associations between stimuli and responses, making them effective in a wide range of therapeutic contexts.
Exposure therapy is a cornerstone of behavioral treatment for anxiety disorders. It involves systematic exposure to feared stimuli, either in real...
Exposure therapy is a cornerstone of behavioral treatment for anxiety disorders. It involves systematic exposure to feared stimuli, either in real...
51
01:28Stress Prevention and Stress Management Techniques V
31
A social support system is a structured network of personal relationships that provides assistance to individuals facing various challenges, offering a buffer against psychological and physical stressors. This network may consist of family members, friends, neighbors, colleagues, or other community members who provide resources and companionship. Social support can take many forms, including advice, emotional comfort, practical help, and companionship. Research indicates that these networks can...
31
01:54The Placebo Effect
6.2K
The placebo effect occurs when people's expectations or beliefs influence or determine their experience in a given situation. In other words, simply expecting something to happen can actually make it happen.
6.2K
01:18Anxiety: Overview
273
Anxiety is a common mental disorder featuring excessive worry, fear, and apprehension, significantly affecting daily life. People with anxiety disorders experience persistent and intense anxiety, interrupting their everyday functioning.
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.
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.
273