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INTRODUCTION: Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is prevalent among college students. Smartphone-based interventions may be a low-cost treatment method. METHOD: College students with self-reported GAD were randomized to receive smartphone-based guided self-help (n = 50), or no treatment (n = 50). Post-treatment and six-month follow-up outcomes included the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-Short Form Stress Subscale (DASS Stress), the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ-11), and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Trait (STAI-T), as well as diagnostic status assessed by the GAD-Questionnaire, 4th edition. RESULTS: From pre- to post-treatment, participants who received guided self-help (vs. no treatment) experienced significantly greater reductions on the DASS Stress (d = −0.408) and a greater probability of remission from GAD (d = −0.445). There was no significant between-group difference in change on the PSWQ-11 (d = −0.208) or STAI-T (d = −0.114). From post to six-month follow-up there was no significant loss of gains on DASS Stress scores (d = −0.141) and of those who had remitted, 78.6% remained remitted. Yet rates of remitted participants no longer differed significantly between conditions at follow-up (d = −0.229). CONCLUSION: Smartphone-based interventions may be efficacious in treating some aspects of GAD. Methods for improving symptom reduction and long-term outcome are discussed.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the associations between insomnia, anxiety, and depression in college women with eating disorders (EDs). PARTICIPANTS: Six hundred and ninety female students from 28 U.S. colleges who screened positive for an ED were assessed for psychiatric comorbidities. Women were, on average, 22.12 years old, mostly White (60.1%), and undergraduates (74.3%). METHODS: Two mediation models were tested to determine if depression and/or anxiety mediated the relationship between insomnia and ED symptomatology. RESULTS: One-fifth of the sample (21.7%) reported clinically moderate and severe levels of insomnia. Both depression (B=.13, p

The current study examined suicidal ideation (SI) and depression outcomes among Veterans receiving Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for depression (CBT-D) throughout the Department of Veterans Affairs health care system. Patient outcomes included Beck Depression Inventory-II total score and SI item. Of 902 patients, 427 (47%) had no SI, 405 (45%) had SI but no suicidal intent, 26 (3%) indicated suicidal desire, 8 (1%) indicated suicide intent if they had the chance, and 36 (4%) did not answer this question at session one. The odds of SI decreased by 64% from 1.03 at session one to 0.37 at final assessment (OR = 0.36; 95% CI: 0.31, 0.43). Findings reveal that CBT-D was associated with significant decreases in SI and depression among Veterans.

Objective: To examine the misuse of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-specific stimulants in a college population at high risk for or with clinical or subclinical eating disorders. Participants: Four hundred forty-eight college-age women aged 18–25 at high risk for or with a clinical or subclinical eating disorder. Methods: Participants completed assessments of stimulant misuse and psychopathology from September 2009 to June 2010. Results: Greater eating disorder pathology, objective binge eating, purging, eating disorder–related clinical impairment, depressive symptoms, perceived stress, and trait anxiety were associated with an increased likelihood of stimulant misuse. Subjective binge eating, excessive exercise, and dietary restraint were not associated with stimulant misuse. Conclusions: ADHD-specific stimulant misuse is associated with eating disorder and comorbid pathology among individuals at high risk for or with clinical or subclinical eating disorders. Screening for stimula...

Elevated body image concerns may be a risk factor for eating disorders among males and contribute to a range of other mental health problems. This study tested a 6-item measure of general male body image concerns in two studies with adolescent males ages 14-18 (total N = 122). The measure showed strong convergent validity, scale score reliability, and test-retest reliability, and was significantly correlated with the number of episodes of binge eating in the past month. A short scale will relieve participant burden and provide a useful research tool for studies with males at risk for or with eating disorders.

Objective: To examine the prevalence of hypothesized risk factors and/or of early symptoms of anorexia nervosa (AN) and their relation to age in a community sample of girls. Method: N=1562 adolescent girls (ages 11–16) were screened and included. Results: The prevalence of individual hypothesized risk factors increased from 5% to 9.5% in 11-year-olds to 20–29% in 16-year-olds. Based on the combination of these factors, 10.8% of the total sample was classified as at risk for AN. The combined rate increased from 9.5% to 16.5% between ages 11 and 16. Conclusion: Hypothesized risk factors for AN are highly prevalent among young girls. Prospective intervention studies targeting these factors are needed to confirm the predictive value of these factors in reducing subsequent full- or partial-syndrome AN.

Computer-based delivery of health-related psychoeducational programming is increasingly popular. In the present study, 72 non-symptomatic undergraduate women were randomized to an Internet-based prevention program for eating disorders with or without accompanying discussion groups, or a control group. Sixty-one of the women (84%) completed the Student Bodies program, and were assessed at short and eight-nine month follow-up. Participation in the program resulted in better outcomes across all groups compared to controls, and women in the unmoderated discussion group appeared to have the most reduction in risk. Benefits of the program continued at follow-up. Decrease in risk also was associated with time spent using the Internet-based program. The present study suggests that the use of Student Bodies may reduce risk of eating and body image concerns over the long term, and that moderation of discussion groups may not be essential for successful outcomes. Further research on larger samples will help determine the degree to which discussion groups or the Student Bodies program alone are effective.

Internet technology has been expanding rapidly and has had a dramatic impact on how people communicate, learn and share information. This article presents applications of internet technology to the psychological domain, particularly in the prevention and treatment of eating disorders and obesity. Information regarding advantages and disadvantages of computerized interventions are discussed and several examples of randomized controlled trials with this technology are presented. The studies presented are not meant to be comprehensive of psychological interventions in general, but are examples of computerized applications from the eating disorder and obesity literatures. Ethical considerations and areas for future direction are also discussed.

We examine the relation between acculturation and eating disorder symptoms in a normative sample of 920 adolescent girls of high school age. Results indicate that acculturation is positively associated with structured-interview defined partial syndrome eating disorders in Hispanic girls (13.6% vs. 0% prevalence rate in more acculturated vs. less acculturated Hispanic girls), but not Asian or European American girls. There was no relation between acculturation and either weight concerns or body dissatisfaction across the 3 ethnicities. This study demonstrates that level of acculturation, as measured by language spoken at home and time lived in the United States, may influence rates of eating disorders in Hispanic adolescents but not in Asian adolescents.

Depression and anxiety are common in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Depending on the time and method of assessment, depression occurs in 9-27% of patients, and anxiety is nearly universal in patients who have had an acute myocardial infarction (MI), at least during hospitalization. Depression has a major impact on mortality, morbidity and functional recovery and there is evidence that treating depression may improve outcome. While few studies have examined risk factors for depression in patients with CVD, the risk factors for depression identified in other clinical populations, such as previous history of depression, are undoubtedly relevant to CVD patients. Our data suggest that women are much more likely to be depressed than men, and to remain so in the course of recovery. Few strategies have been evaluated for primary prevention of depression or anxiety, even in the general population, and no studies have been undertaken in patients with CVD. While primary prevention of depression in postM...