Is everything really okay?: Using ecological momentary assessment to evaluate daily co-fluctuations in anxiety and reassurance seeking.

Autor: Meyer AE; Indiana University School of Medicine, United States; Duke University, United States. Electronic address: allemeye@iu.edu., Silva SG; Duke University, United States., Curry JF; Duke University, United States.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Behaviour research and therapy [Behav Res Ther] 2023 Dec; Vol. 171, pp. 104429. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Nov 10.
DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2023.104429
Abstrakt: Objective: Reassurance seeking, a behavior prominent in anxiety disorders and depression, is associated with poorer quality of interpersonal relationships and acts as a mechanism of stress generation. However, little research has elucidated momentary associations between state anxiety and reassurance seeking behaviors.
Method: In a sample of 104 university-affiliated young adults, we sought to replicate cross-sectional associations of reassurance seeking with trait anxiety (Aim 1) and intolerance of uncertainty (Aim 2). We then used ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to evaluate concurrent fluctuations in daily anxiety and reassurance seeking across 14 consecutive days (Aim 3). Hierarchical multi-level models for intensive longitudinal data were used to evaluate the relationship between state anxiety and daily reassurance seeking.
Results: In baseline analyses, trait anxiety and intolerance of uncertainty were significantly associated with greater trait reassurance seeking, controlling for depression. Analyses of the EMA data showed that daily reassurance seeking behaviors fluctuated concurrently with daily anxiety during the 14 days, while controlling for trait anxiety and depression.
Conclusion: Given evidence of concurrent fluctuations between state anxiety and reassurance seeking, the behavior should be considered as a potential target in treatment for anxiety disorders.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflict of interest.
(Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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