No abstract

Maternal anxiety and depression are significant risk factors for the development of these disorders in offspring. The pathways through which risk is conferred remain unclear. This study examined fear acquisition and extinction in 26 children at high risk for emotional disorders by virtue of maternal psychopathology (n=14 with a mother with a principal anxiety disorder and n=12 with a mother with a principal unipolar depressive disorder) and 31 low risk controls using a discriminative Pavlovian conditioning procedure. Participants, aged between 7 and 14 years, completed 16 trials of discriminative conditioning of two geometric figures, with (CS+) and without (CS-) an aversive tone (US), followed by 8 extinction trials (4×CS+, 4×CS-). In the context of comparable discriminative conditioning, children of anxious mothers showed larger skin conductance responses during extinction to the CS+ compared to the CS-, and to both CSs from the first to the second block of extinction trials, in comparison with low risk controls. Compared to low risk controls, children of depressed mothers showed smaller skin conductance responses to the CS+ than the CS- during acquisition. These findings suggest distinct psychophysiological premorbid risk markers in offspring of anxious and depressed mothers.

Worry is a normal part of child development. However, a significant proportion of young people experience excessive worry that causes distress and interference with daily functioning. Although worry is a common feature of all anxiety disorders, it is a defining feature of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Cognitive-behavioural therapy is an efficacious treatment for GAD and other anxiety disorders that in recent years has been successfully adapted into short, time-limited formats for other childhood anxiety disorders including Specific Phobia, Social Phobia, Panic, Separation Anxiety and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. However, intensive treatments for GAD specifically have not been examined to date. This paper provides a brief overview of the characteristics of youth with GAD, followed by a review of current intensive treatments for other anxiety disorders and evidence suggesting these approaches are effective in treating comorbid GAD. Potential benefits of an intensive treatment for GAD are outlined, and directions for future research on intensive treatments for GAD are discussed.