The current study examined the effects of specific phobia on an individual's quality of life (QOL) and life satisfaction. To that end, 29 individuals with DSM-IV diagnoses of specific phobia and 30 control participants with no current diagnosable psychopathology completed several widely utilized self-report questionnaires and an interview on QOL. Trained and reliable clinicians also completed ratings of participants QOL. Results were divided into participant-rated QOL findings and clinician-rated QOL findings. Participant-rated findings suggested phobic individuals experienced significantly more dissatisfaction with their ability to learn and acquire new skills than did controls. Phobic participants, however, also rated themselves as having less impairment than controls from pain—presumably related to their phobic avoidance. Clinician-rated findings suggested significant distress and impairment in phobic individuals' QOL relative to controls across a variety of domains (e.g., school, family, etc.). Discrepant findings between participant ratings and clinician ratings were explained using a cognitive dissonance model. Implications for future QOL research in those individuals with specific phobia as well as implications for their treatment were discussed. / Ph. D. / [Appendix D: Quality of Life Inventory, p. 68-74, was removed Nov. 8, 2011 GMc]

Because extreme weather events are relatively common in the Southeastern U.S., and the current treatments for phobias can be time-consuming and costly, it is important to find an effective early intervention program for those individuals who are at risk of developing severe weather phobia (SWP). Participants (N = 12) were randomly assigned to the experimental or modified control condition. Participants from both conditions participated in the therapist-aided self-help early intervention program. However, the modified control condition completed posttest measures approximately 3 weeks after baseline, before beginning the intervention. The intervention was most effective at reducing subjective fear and avoidance behavior related to severe weather events. Additionally, participants’ subjective views of their fears were no longer categorized as excessive, or unreasonable, nor did they avoid or endure severe weather with intense anxiety or distress after the three-week early intervention.

Thesis (DPhil) -- University of Stellenbosch, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Cognitive-behaviour therapy is criticised for focusing almost exclusively on strategic cognitive processing and for not attending sufficiently to non-verbal, automatic thoughts. Combining hypnosis with existing cognitive-behaviour therapy procedures is seen as a way of addressing this problem. The objective of the present study was therefore to investigate whether the effectiveness of a structured group cognitive behavioural therapy programme could be significantly improved if it is combined with hypnosis and whether such improvements will be maintained. This study, with a test-retest-follow-up design, involved 45 patients with a DSM-IV diagnosis of social phobia. Fifteen patients were treated with Heimberg's (1991) group cognitive-behaviour therapy for social phobia (the combined programme, consisting of cognitive restructuring and exposure treatment), while 16 patients were allocated to a waiting-list control condition. The effectiveness of the two treatments was assessed in terms of 13 dependent variables which were divided into the following broad categories: target phobia variables (anxiety/avoidance/escape with regard to a specific target phobia), social phobia variables (degree, nature, aspects and/or consequences of social phobia), cognitive variables (dysfunctional automatic thoughts, fear of negative evaluation and attentional bias), and severity of depression. Treatment was presented by two co-therapists in 12 \Neekly group sessions of 2 hours each. Patients were assessed in terms of the dependent variables before and after treatment and again at follow-up after 3 months. Compared to the waiting-list controls, patients in the combined treatment group (receiving cognitive restructuring and exposure) showed significant improvement at the end of treatment on all the target phobia variables, most of the social phobia variables (except for interaction anxiety and avoidance/distress), dysfunctional automatic thoughts and severity of depression. These improvements were maintained at follow-up. The combined treatment with hypnosis yielded similar results, when compared to the waiting-list control condition. In addition, this group also showed significant improvement in avoidance of and distress in social situations. A comparison of the two treatment conditions showed that they largely rendered similar results. However, the combined treatment with hypnosis yielded significantly greater improvement in terms of dysfunctional automatic thoughts compared to the treatment without hypnosis. Tentative indications were also found that adding hypnosis to the combined treatment fascilitated its ability to reduce avoidance behaviour in social phobia. The combined treatment with hypnosis did not, however, render greater change in attentional bias as reflected by the emotional Stroop task. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: 'n Belangrike beswaar teen die kognitiewe gedragsterapie is dat dit grootliks op strategiese kognitiewe prosessering fokus en dat daar nie genoegsaam aan nie-bewustelike, nie-verbale, outomatiese gedagtes aandag gegee word nie. Die kombinasie van hipnose met bestaande kognitiewegedragsterapeutiese prosedures word toenemend beskou as 'n manier om die probleem op te los. Die doel van hierdie studie was derhalwe om na te gaan of die effektiwiteit van 'n gestruktureerde groepkognitiewegedragsterapieprogram vir die behandeling van sosiale fobie beduidend verbeter kan word deur hipnose by die program te inkorporeer, en indien sodanige verbetering plaasgevind het, of dit oor 'n langer termyn gehandhaaf sou word. Die studie het 'n toets-hertoets-opvolgontwerp behels en 45 pasiënte met 'n DSM-lV-diagnose van sosiale fobie het daaraan deelgeneem. Vyftien pasiënte is met Heimberg (1991) se groepkognitiewegedragsterapie vir sosiale fobie (bestaande uit kognitiewe herstrukturering en blootstelling en ook die gekombineerde behandeling genoem) behandel, terwyl16 pasiënte dieselfde behandeling aangevul met hipnose ontvang het. Veertien pasiënte het 'n waglys-kontrolegroep gevorm. Vir behandelingsdoeleindes is die twee behandelingsgroepe in twee subgroepe van 7 of 8 deelnemers elk verdeel. Die uitwerking van die behandelings is in terme van 13 afhanklike veranderlikes wat in die volgende vier breë kategorieë verdeel is, ondersoek: teikenfobie-veranderlikes (angs/vermyding/ontsnapping ten opsigte van 'n spesifieke fobie), sosialefobie-veranderlikes (wat met die graad, aard, aspekte en/of gevolge van sosiale fobie verband hou), kognitiewe veranderlikes (gedagte-funksionaliteit, vrees-virnegatiewe- evaluasie deur ander en aandagsverdraaiing), en graad van depressie. Behandeling deur twee ko-terapeute het in 12 weeklikse groepsessies van 2 uur elk geskied. Pasiënte is voor behandeling, na afloop daarvan en na 'n opvolgperiode van 3 maande in terme van die afhanklike veranderlikes beoordeel. Die gekombineerde behandeling (bestaan uit kognitie-.ve herstrukturering en blootstelling) het, in vergelyking met die waglys-kontrolekondisie, aan die einde van behandeling tot 'n verbetering gelei van al die teikenfobie-veranderlikes, die meeste van die sosialefobie-veranderlikes (met uitsondering van sosialefobie-interaksie-angs en sosialefobie-vermyding/-ongemak), disfunksionele outomatiese gedagtes en graad van depressie. Hierdie verbeterings is gehandhaaf oor die opvolgperiode van 3 maande. In vergelyking met die waglys-kontrolekondisie het die gekombineerde behandeling met hipnose dieselfde resultate gele-.ver as die gekombineerde behandeling daarsonder. Addisioneel hiertoe het hierdie groep ook beduidend verbeter in terme van vermyding van en ongemak in sosiale-situasies. 'n Vergelyking van die effekte van die twee behandelingsprosedures het aangetoon dat hulle grootliks dieselfde resultate gel9lNer het. Die gekombineerde behandeling met hipnose het egter 'n groter verbeterende effek op disfunksionele outomatiese gedagtes gehad as die gekombineerde behandeling daarsonder. Aanduidings is ook gevind dat die byvoeging van hipnose by die gekombineerde behandeling 'n groter verbetering in vermydingsgedrag gefasiliteer het. Die gekombineerde behandeling met hipnose het egter nie 'n groter effek op aandagsverdraaiing as die behandeling daarsonder gehad nie.

Syftet med studien var att genom intervjuer med kuratorer, belysa hur elevhälsan berättar om hur de förhåller sig till och arbetar med elever i skolan som är eller riskerar att bli skolfrånvarande. Studien utgår från en hermeneutisk forskningstradition. Materialet i studien bygger på semistrukturerade intervjuer som gjordes med sex kuratorer som arbetar på kommunala skolor i årskurs sju till nio. Resultatet visar att arbetet med skolfrånvarande elever är individanpassat. Elevens känsla av trygghet, goda relationer, god skolmiljö, samverkan, och tidigare indentifiering av skolfrånvarande elever är faktorer som främjar skolnärvaro. Bland skolfrånvarande elever förekommer det psykisk ohälsa. Handlingsplan/tillvägagångssätt samt det hälsofrämjande/förebyggande arbetet är i praktiken svårt att implementera, detta då skolfrånvarande elever inte är en homogen grupp och arbetet måste anpassas efter individen. Resultatet är tolkat utifrån Bronfrenbrenners ekologiska modell. Resultatet visar att påverkan och samspel mellan alla Bronfrenbrenners system finns i arbetet med skolfrånvarande elever.

published_or_final_version / abstract / Psychiatry / Master / Master of Philosophy

No description available.

Developmental theorists describe friendship development in terms of stages that mature well into adolescence. The purpose of this prospective study is to investigate the possible differences between high school students, with and without social phobia, and their levels of friendship quality and friendship expectation. It is hypothesized that students with social phobia will have lower quality friendships as well as less mature expectations of friendship compared to students without social phobia. A MANOVA analysis will be utilized to identify interactions between these variables. Gender and grade level differences will also be examined. Implications for treatment supplements are discussed. / text

Claustrophobia is huge problem which affects a lot of people in their everyday life, not to mention the financial and scientific difficulties with prematurely terminated MRI-sessions, due to claustrophobia. In this essay there will be a further introduction of phobias in general and also a deeper presentation of claustrophobia in order to reach a better understanding of the nature of this disorder and how it affect people’s daily life compared to the effect of a single claustrophobic reaction, when it is caused by the experience of a confined space. The objective of this essay is to investigate several treatment options, to find the most effective way of treating the condition in an attempt to diminish the personal and societal issues.

Social phobia is the fear that one’s behavior in a social situation will be inappropriate and will lead to humiliation and rejection. The purpose of this study was to learn more about how individuals with social phobia direct their attention when they are experiencing social anxiety. Previous research shows that such individuals focus their attention on negative self-evaluation during a feared social event, while other research shows that an individual with social phobia focuses on picking up negative cues in the environment during a stressful event. Fifty participants from a region in Southern California completed the study. Participants completed a computer task in which targets to be identified were preceded by negative or neutral social cues. Participants were then given an anxiety induction before completing another block of the computer task. Results showed that neither level of social anxiety nor manipulation of anxiety affected performance on the computer task. Regardless of social anxiety level, all participants showed slower reaction times when prompted with a negative social cue whether at the target location or elsewhere. Future research should explore the effects of negative social cues on attention.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Canterbury, 2007. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (p. 113-120). Also available via the World Wide Web.