Brief computerized intervention reduces anxiety sensitivity

A brief computerized intervention reduced anxiety sensitivity among individuals who were high in health anxiety and anxiety sensitivity, according to results of a randomized controlled trial published in Journal of Anxiety Disorders.

“Despite the availability of [several] highly efficacious single-session [anxiety sensitivity] reduction interventions and the well-established link between [anxiety sensitivity] and the exacerbation of health-related anxiety, no research, to date, has evaluated the efficacy of a brief intervention targeting [anxiety sensitivity] among individuals suffering from health anxiety specifically,” Emily M. O’Bryan, PhD, of the department of psychology at the University of Cincinnati, and colleagues wrote. “This lack of research attention is unfortunate, as efficacy testing is an important first step in identifying brief interventions that adequately target health anxiety. If efficacious, such brief, computerized interventions could have the potential for later dissemination both online and in primary care or specialty clinic settings where health anxious individuals seek excessive reassurance, and with little burden on health care providers.”

The researchers sought to assess the effect of a single-session, computerized anxiety sensitivity intervention on anxiety sensitivity and health anxiety among 68 university students (women = 79.4%; mean age, 19.68 years) with elevate levels of both. They randomly assigned participants to either the anxiety sensitivity intervention condition or an active control condition. Participants completed self-report and behavioral follow-up assessments after the intervention, at 1-week follow-up and at 1-month follow-up.

Results showed a significant time by condition interaction for the Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3 at each follow-up assessment (all, P < .001), with individuals in the active condition demonstrating greater reductions in anxiety sensitivity compared with the control condition. The researchers observed no significant time by condition interaction for health anxiety at any follow-up. According to mediation analyses, there was a significant indirect effect of condition on changes in health anxiety through changes in anxiety sensitivity. O’Bryan and colleagues reported no significant effects for behavioral outcomes.

“Although our findings did not support the efficacy of this intervention for targeting health anxiety directly, results from our mediation analysis suggest that this intervention may indirectly contribute to reductions in health anxiety over time through reductions in [anxiety sensitivity],” the researchers wrote. “Further research is needed in clinical samples and across longer follow-up periods to better ascertain the utility of this intervention in the treatment of health anxiety.”