OBJECTIVES The Amniocentesis Results: Investigation of Anxiety (ARIA) trial tested two hypotheses: first, that giving amniocentesis results out on a fixed date alters maternal anxiety during the waiting period, compared with a policy of telling parents that the result will be issued 'when available' (i.e. a variable date), and secondly, that issuing early results from a rapid molecular test alt...

BACKGROUND Although heart transplants have become more common, little is known about the psychological status of patients waiting for a heart transplant. METHODS Thirty-eight inpatients waiting for heart transplantation from October 2010 to December 2011 in a large general hospital in Shanghai were assessed by a psychiatrist using the Hamilton Depression Scale and the Hamilton Anxiety Scale a...

OBJECTIVE The authors' goal was to examine the efficacy of computer-generated (virtual reality) graded exposure in the treatment of acrophobia (fear of heights). METHOD Twenty college students with acrophobia were randomly assigned to virtual reality graded exposure treatment (N = 12) or to a waiting-list comparison group (N = 8). Seventeen students completed the study. Sessions were conducte...

AIM To evaluate the effect of exposure to positive images of dentistry on dental anxiety among 7 to 12 years old children. MATERIALS AND METHODS Controlled trial. Assessment of anxiety and analysis of data were conducted blind to experimental condition. Assessment of anxiety was carried out in the waiting room prior intervention, postintervention into the operatory during the treatment and ag...

OBJECTIVES To assess anxiety, depression, and social adjustment in patients awaiting coronary artery bypass surgery. DESIGN Patient completed questionnaire study. SETTING Regional cardiothoracic centre. PATIENTS 109 questionnaires were sent to patients on the waiting list of two cardiothoracic surgeons. Sixty eight (62%) were returned and 15 (22%) of the respondents were women. There was ...

The current trial examined the value of modifying empirically validated treatment for childhood anxiety for application via written materials for parents of anxious children. Two hundred sixty-seven clinically anxious children ages 6-12 years and their parents were randomly allocated to standard group treatment, waitlist, or a bibliotherapy version of treatment for childhood anxiety. In general...

BACKGROUND Patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery who have increased anxiety levels have poorer outcomes than patients with lower levels, yet few studies have identified the concerns associated with this anxiety. OBJECTIVE To describe the concerns of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery and to identify concerns that were associated with higher levels of anxiety. ME...

BACKGROUND There is ongoing debate about the efficacy of placebos in the treatment of mental disorders. In randomized control trials (RCTs) about the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder, the administration of a psychological placebo or placement on a waiting list are the two most common control conditions. But there has never been a systematic comparison of the clinical effect of these di...