Milou S C Sep1, Anna Steenmeijer2, Mitzy Kennis3. 1. Brain Research and Innovation Centre, Ministry of Defence, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Department of Translational Neuroscience, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands. Electronic address: m.s.c.sep-2@umcutrecht.nl. 2. Brain Research and Innovation Centre, Ministry of Defence, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Center North-West, Military Mental Healthcare, Ministry of Defence, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. 3. Department Clinical Psychology, Faculty Social and Behavioural Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Anxious personality characteristics form a risk factor for anxiety disorders. A proposed mechanistic pathway is that anxious personality could lead to greater vulnerability by increasing fear generalization. Here, we investigate if there is evidence for this relationship before the onset of pathological anxiety, with a meta-analysis in healthy subjects. METHODS: Our search (anxious personality & fear generalization) was performed in PubMed, PsychInfo, and Embase and via snowballing. RESULTS: In total, 4892 studies were screened and 19 studies (1348 participants) were included in the current review (meta-analysis: 18 studies, 1310 participants). The meta-analysis showed a significant, small, positive relationship between anxious personality and fear generalization (r = .19, 95%CI [.126, .260], p <.001). No moderators of the relationship were identified. CONCLUSIONS: The identified robust relation suggests that people who score high on anxious personality have a somewhat stronger tendency to generalize fear to safe or novel situations. This might explain their vulnerability to anxiety disorders mechanistically, yet future (prospective) studies are warranted to confirm the hypothesized directionality of this effect.
BACKGROUND:Anxious personality characteristics form a risk factor for anxiety disorders. A proposed mechanistic pathway is that anxious personality could lead to greater vulnerability by increasing fear generalization. Here, we investigate if there is evidence for this relationship before the onset of pathological anxiety, with a meta-analysis in healthy subjects. METHODS: Our search (anxious personality & fear generalization) was performed in PubMed, PsychInfo, and Embase and via snowballing. RESULTS: In total, 4892 studies were screened and 19 studies (1348 participants) were included in the current review (meta-analysis: 18 studies, 1310 participants). The meta-analysis showed a significant, small, positive relationship between anxious personality and fear generalization (r = .19, 95%CI [.126, .260], p <.001). No moderators of the relationship were identified. CONCLUSIONS: The identified robust relation suggests that people who score high on anxious personality have a somewhat stronger tendency to generalize fear to safe or novel situations. This might explain their vulnerability to anxiety disorders mechanistically, yet future (prospective) studies are warranted to confirm the hypothesized directionality of this effect.
Authors: Samuel E Cooper; Eva A M van Dis; Muriel A Hagenaars; Angelos-Miltiadis Krypotos; Charles B Nemeroff; Shmuel Lissek; Iris M Engelhard; Joseph E Dunsmoor Journal: Neuropsychopharmacology Date: 2022-04-30 Impact factor: 8.294
Authors: Nabi Nazari; Shahnaz Safitri; Muhammet Usak; Arman Arabmarkadeh; Mark D Griffiths Journal: Int J Ment Health Addict Date: 2021-08-23 Impact factor: 11.555
Authors: Lingling Weng; Antoinette I M van Laarhoven; Kaya J Peerdeman; Andrea W M Evers Journal: Front Psychiatry Date: 2022-08-04 Impact factor: 5.435
Authors: Katharina Herzog; Marta Andreatta; Kristina Schneider; Miriam A Schiele; Katharina Domschke; Marcel Romanos; Jürgen Deckert; Paul Pauli Journal: Front Psychol Date: 2021-06-01
Authors: Julia Reinhard; Anna Slyschak; Miriam A Schiele; Marta Andreatta; Katharina Kneer; Andreas Reif; Katharina Domschke; Matthias Gamer; Paul Pauli; Jürgen Deckert; Marcel Romanos Journal: Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry Date: 2021-05-13 Impact factor: 5.349