The roles of emotional reactivity and tolerance in generalized, social, and health anxiety: a multimethod exploration.

The roles of emotional reactivity and tolerance in generalized, social, and health anxiety: a multimethod exploration.
Behav Ther. 2013 Mar;44(1):39-50
Authors: Macatee RJ, Cougle JR
Abstract
Emotion regulation difficulties have been implicated in the maintenance of many anxiety disorders. However, existing research has relied mostly on self-report measures of emotion regulation or one type of mood induction. The present study examined the relationships between anxiety symptoms and emotional reactivity and tolerance using multiple assessment methodologies. Participants (N=122) completed measures of generalized, social, and health anxiety symptoms and reported tolerance of and reactivity to negative emotions (sadness, fear, anger, disgust) elicited by 4 film clips. Participants also completed a mirror-tracing persistence task, a behavioral measure of distress tolerance. Social anxiety symptoms predicted unique variance in tolerance of film-elicited emotions, whereas generalized anxiety symptoms predicted unique variance in total peak reactivity to film-elicited emotions. Health anxiety was not related to tolerance or peak reactivity, but it was predictive of greater anxiety following the mirror-tracing task. The results of this study suggest heightened emotional reactivity is a salient feature of generalized anxiety symptoms, whereas emotional tolerance is more strongly related to social anxiety symptoms. The unique association between health a...

Source: Behavior Therapy - January 20, 2013 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Macatee RJ, Cougle JR Tags: Behav Ther Source Type: research