George J. Allen

The behavioral treatment of test anxiety: Recent research and future trends

The methodology of previously unreviewed studies dealing with the behavioral treatment of test-anxious college students was examined. In combination, the studies suggest that combinations of desensitization and study counseling procedures were most effective in alleviating anxiety and improving academic performance. The generality of reported findings, however, is limited by the use of highly motivated volunteers. Suggestions for further systematic research programs, such as developing strategies effective for “unmotivated” students, are presented.

Comparative effectiveness of situational programming, financial pay-offs and group pressure in weight reduction

Forty-nine overweight women participated in a study comparing the relative effectiveness of financial remuneration, situational eating management and social pressure procedures in a weight reduction program conducted by two female therapists. Results indicated that a combination of situational management and monetary pay-offs for weight loss was not reliably more effective than behavioral management techniques. Both of these procedures led to significantly greater weight loss at posttreatment assessment than social pressure or no treatment. Weight loss as a result of participation was maintained over a two-month follow-up period. Therapist specificity and intrasubject variability in weight fluctuation were ruled out as competing hypotheses, and suggestions regarding methods of increasing the efficacy and replicability of weight-control programs were made.

Experience of maltreatment as a child and acceptance of violence in adult intimate relationships: mediating effects of distortions in cognitive schemas

Links exist between being subjected to maltreatment as a child and tendencies to accept violence as normative in adult relationships. Constructivist Self Development Theory suggests that such relationships may be affected by “cognitive disruptions” in “self” and “other” schemas. Mediating effects of distorted cognitive schemas on the association between history of child maltreatment and the acceptance of violence in intimate interpersonal relationships were investigated among 433 men and women. Outcomes indicated that individuals who reported childhood maltreatment were more likely to display distortions in their cognitive schemas and those individuals with disrupted schemas were more likely to accept relationship violence. Least-square multiple regression analyses revealed that distorted beliefs fully mediated the relationship between reporting childhood maltreatment and acceptance of violence, for both men and women. Subsidiary analyses suggested that this full mediation was replicated for schemas involving the self but not for schemas about others.

Stress management in the workplace: A comparison of a computer-based and an in-person stress-management intervention

Work stress contributes significantly to corporate health costs. Numerous corporations have implemented worksite stress-management interventions to mitigate the financial and personal impact of stress on their employees. Cognitive-behavioral stress-management interventions can reduce both perceived and physiologically measured stress. Traditionally, these interventions have been delivered in small, instructor-led groups. Outcomes from a stress-management intervention provided via an instructor led versus a computer-presented format were compared through a randomized, controlled design. Brief relaxation procedures presented in both formats led to highly significant reductions in immediately-reported stress. Stress reduction, however, was not associated with improvement in longer-term indices of workplace stress following completion of the intervention and at a one-month follow-up. Attrition was significantly higher in the computer-presentation format. Across both presentation formats, however, more frequent use of stress-reduction techniques was correlated significantly with greater reductions in stress indices (e.g., nervousness, social isolation, overall work stress) at follow-up.

Study behaviors and their relationships to test anxiety and academic performance.

Multivariate regression analysis of academic aptitude, test anxiety, and self-report study data from 122 undergraduates indicated high school rank to be the best predictor of grade point average. The number of days Ss reported studying and one test anxiety scale also added significantly to the prediction. Analysis of the study-relevant variables across the semester indicated differential patterns of study existed for students with good, average, and poor grades. The relative independence of test anxiety and study behaviors suggested that the latter class of variables might profitably be used to increase prediction of academic performance.

Treatment of test anxiety by group-administered and self-administered relaxation and study counseling

Test-anxious college students received therapy consisting of relaxation or relaxation and study counseling in small groups or via self-instructional manuals. Subjects were also assigned to a group-administered placebo condition or two control groups. Self-report anxiety and academic performance data, collected before and after therapy, indicated both modes of therapeutic intervention to be (a) equally effective in reducing anxiety and improving grades, and (b) significantly better than no treatment.

Anxiety sensitivity, state anxiety and perceptions of facial emotions

We investigated relationships between anxiety sensitivity and perceptions of facial emotions following relaxation and hyperventilation. The Anxiety Sensitivity Index was administered to 606 female college undergraduates and samples of high (n = 30) and low (n = 25) scorers were obtained from the top and bottom 15% of the distribution. Following exposure to randomly counterbalanced 5-minute relaxation and hyperventilation instructions, participants rated the intensity of seven basic emotions in photographs of faces using a standardized test of affect-receiving ability. High ASI scorers perceived significantly more intense fear and anger than did low ASI respondents and reported relatively larger increases in ratings of sadness and fear following hyperventilation. ASI was significantly correlated with heightened state anxiety and vigilance prior to beginning the experiment, and these affects mediated interpersonal perceptions. Results suggest that high ASI scorers may manifest a chronic state of vigilance that triggers heightened anxiety in ambiguous situations. The combination of high anxiety sensitivity and state anxiety appears to foster greater sensitivity to interpersonal stimuli.

Case study: Implementation of behavior modification techniques in summer camp settings

Application of behavior modification techniques in summer camp settings can serve the purpose of remediating severe behavioral problems in environments conducive to efficient behavioral engineering. Reasons for the paucity of research in camp settings are examined. A single-subject case study is presented to demonstrate that research in such environments can support the efficacy of behavioral remediation procedures. Advantages such settings offer in terms of conducting unobtrusive assessment, ease of staff training, and utilization of a wide-variety of potential reinforcers are discussed.

Using a Personalized System of Instruction to Improve the Writing Skills of Undergraduates.

and consideration is a rarity today. Also, a special thanks to student ratings of instruction: Individual versus class effects. Robert Strahan, whose statistical expertise was untiringly Journal of Educational Psychology, 1979, 71 293-302. offered. The statistical reanalysis would have been much more difficult to accomplish without Roberts guidance. Notes 2. Strahan, R. F. On choosing a MANOVA test statistic. Journal 1. I wish to thank an anonymous reviewer whose criticism of the of Counseling Psychology, 1983, Under review. initial data analysis (step-wise regression) was very construc3. Address requests for reprints to Gary D. Phye, Department of tive and offered in an unassuming mannet,. Such diligence Psychology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 5001 1.

The Interactive Effects of Metabolic Syndrome, Blood Pressure, and Mental Health in Worksite Employees

Abstract Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD), CVD-related conditions, and mental health disorders are prevalent in the US workforce. We examined associations between metabolic syndrome (METS), blood pressure (BP), and mental health indicators in 1813 employees (25.4% women; 74.6% men) from a large manufacturing firm. Methods: Employees participated in a health screen. Biometric measures were body mass index, waist circumference, BP, and fingerstick determinations of blood lipid-lipoproteins and glucose. Mental health was assessed with 5 self-reported questions regarding anger, depression, anxiety, and family and work stress. Multivariate analysis of covariance tested for differences in BP and mental health indicators in employees (370 employees with METS, and 1443 employees without). Results: Participants were primarily middle-aged (44.8 ± 0.3 years), overweight (27.9 ± 0.1 kg/m2) men (n = 1352) and women (n = 461) with a resting BP of 122.5 ± 0.3 mm Hg and 79.8 ± 0.2 mm Hg, respectively. Diastolic BP (DBP) was found to be 5 mm Hg higher in men with METS compared with men who did not have METS. When questioned, men with higher DBP stated that they often experienced anxiety (n = 39; 91.0 ± 2 mm Hg) compared with men who reported they rarely experienced anxiety (n = 112; 86.2 ± 1.9 mm Hg) (P = 0.020). Similarly, systolic BP (SBP) tended to be 4 mm Hg higher in men with METS who stated they often experienced anxiety (n = 39; 138.9 ± 2 mm Hg) compared with men who reported they rarely experienced anxiety (n = 112; 134.5 ± 1.2 mm Hg) (P = 0.119). Diastolic BP tended to be 2 mm Hg higher among men with METS who stated they often experienced anger (n = 117; 89.4 ± 0.9 mm Hg) compared with those who indicated they rarely experienced anger (n = 157; 87.3 ± 0.8 mm Hg) (P = 0.086), and DBP was 3 mm Hg higher in men with METS who reported overwhelming work stress (n = 83; 89.7 ± 1.1 mm Hg) compared with those reporting little work stress (n = 79; 86.6 ± 1.2 mm Hg) (P = 0.176). In contrast, no associations were found between BP and mental health in men without METS, and in women, regardless of the presence or absence of METS (P > 0.05). Conclusions: Men with METS who reported higher levels of anxiety, anger, and work stress had higher BP than men without METS, who also reported lower levels of these mental health indicators. The METS appeared to adversely interact with BP and mental health in men at this worksite. Our findings suggest worksite health promotion programs can improve the cardiometabolic and mental health profile of US employees.