Increased processing time for threatening stimuli is a reliable finding in emotional Stroop tasks. This is particularly pronounced among individuals with anxiety disorders and reflects heightened attentional bias for perceived threat. In this repeated measures study, 35 healthy participants completed a randomized series of Stroop tasks involving…

This project provides a comprehensive overview of the research literature on social anxiety disorder (SAD) in adolescents and concludes by offering a set of 10 group therapy lesson plans for SAD that therapists can use in their practice. The overview includes a description of social anxiety disorder and highlights various theories of anxiety. The…

Investigated whether the relaxation part of systematic desensitization could be learned by cancer patients from a prerecorded audiotape. Results showed four of five patients assigned to a taped-relaxation group experienced nausea while listening to the audiotape, whereas none of five patients taught muscle relaxation in person reported nausea. (BH)

Investigated the role of relaxation training as a component of desensitization to nightmares in adults (N=32). Results showed an 80 percent reduction in nightmares reported by 20 clients, of whom 12 reported total elimination of symptoms at 25-week follow-up, suggesting the effectiveness of a behavioral approach in treating nightmares. (LLL)

The study evaluates an easily-administered test-anxiety reduction program. An entire fifth grade was screened, and 36 students identified as test-anxious were randomly assigned to an Intervention or a non-participant Control group. The intervention was an accelerated desensitization and adaptive attitudes (ADAA) treatment which involved…

Studied use of electromyographic (CMG) biofeedback to increase efficacy of cue-controlled relaxation training in treatment of test anxiety. Results indicated cue-controlled relaxation was effective in increasing test performance for test-anxious subjects. EMG biofeedback did not contribute to effectiveness. Self-report measures of anxiety are…

Successful techniques for reducing tension and anxiety in athletes are described. (JD)

Investigates the effectiveness of group systematic desensitization in reducing death anxiety. Densensitization proved to be superior with both a relaxation and test-retest group when the revised Livingston and Zimet Death Anxiety Scale was the criterion measure. Mixed results were obtained when other scales were used. (Author/JAC)

Compared effectiveness of counterconditioning and self-control models of systematic desensitization in reducing targeted and nontargeted anxieties. Treatments were equally effective in reducing and maintaining reduction of targeted anxiety, debilitating test anxiety. (Author)

Compared experimental desensitization with a procedure that replaced relaxation with a distraction task and with an approach that combined both relaxation and distraction. Desensitization generally was more effective than the other two procedures. (Author)

Relaxation training is employed in relation to systematic desensitization treatment of phobias and as a direct means of dealing with tension and anxiety. Suggests that the greatest benefit may be derived when the procedures are viewed as developing coping skill and are directly related to the individual's daily living situation. (Author)

Describes the use of systematic desensitization with a group to reduce anxiety about public speaking. (EJT)

The present study compared the effects of assertion with that of progressive relaxation training in systematic desensitization. Nineteen Ss were selected on the basis of exemplifying high debilitating test anxiety according to Alpert and Haber's (1960) Achievement Anxiety Test. Results showed that test anxious Ss who received either relaxation or…

Compared effects of relaxation as self-control and a self-control variant of systematic desensitization in reducing targeted (test anxiety) and nontargeted anxieties with those of wait-list and no-treatment expectancy controls. Groups given relaxation as self-control and modified desensitization reported less debilitating test anxiety than…

Women, self-referred for dental anxiety, were given four weeks of cue-controlled relaxation treatment. Nonorthogonal planned comparisons indicated significant decreases on dental anxiety, anxiety differential, and state anxiety scales, and systolic blood pressure. Participants reported that treatment was helpful in controlling anxiety when…