Self-reported Avoidance Behavior Research Articles

A network perspective on real-life threat, anxiety, and avoidance.

Anxiety, approach, and avoidance motivation crucially influence mental and physical health, especially when environments are stressful. The interplay between anxiety and behavioral motivation is modulated by multiple individual factors. This proof-of-concept study applies graph-theoretical network analysis to explore complex associations between self-reported trait anxiety, approach and avoidance motivation, situational anxiety, stress symptoms, perceived threat, perceived positive consequences of approach, and self-reported avoidance behavior in real-life threat situations. A total of 436 participants who were matched on age and gender (218 psychotherapy patients, 218 online-recruited nonpatients) completed an online survey assessing these factors in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The resulting cross-sectional psychological network revealed a complex pattern with multiple positive (e.g., between trait anxiety, avoidance motivation, and avoidance behavior) and negative associations (e.g., between approach and avoidance motivation). The patient and online subsample networks did not differ significantly, however, descriptive differences may inform future research.

Avoidance Behavior Is an Independent Indicator of Poorer On-road Driving Skills in Older Adults.

The aim of the current work was to investigate the relationship between avoidance of specific driving situations and on-road driving skills in older drivers considering factors found to be related to both avoidance behavior and driving skills. Seventy-two older drivers (M = 76 years) from the general population were included in this study. Self-reported avoidance behavior, driving practice, perceived driving difficulties, driving-related cognitive functions, as well as medical conditions were assessed within two sessions. Standardized on-road assessments served for assessing on-road driving skills in a third session. Self-reported avoidance behavior was associated with reduced driving skills (r = -.41), and this relationship remained significant beyond the influence of cognitive skills, self-reported health, driving practice, and perceived driving difficulties. Specifically, avoidance of driving in bad weather, poor visibility and complicated parking was found to be associated with reduced driving skills. This study suggest that avoidance behavior is an independent indicator of impaired driving skills in older drivers. Our results argue against the assumption that avoidance behavior may be a reasonable strategy for safe traffic participation. Longitudinal studies are urgently needed to get more evidence on safety aspects of avoidance behavior.

Self-reported and behavioral sound avoidance in tinnitus and hyperacusis subjects, and association with anxiety ratings

Objective: The purpose of the study was to analyse the role of sound avoidance and anxiety in tinnitus subjects with hyperacusis, defined as hypersensitivity to low to moderate intensity sounds. Design: A group of tinnitus subjects with hyperacusis was compared to tinnitus subjects without hyperacusis, and healthy controls. For assessing noise avoidance, a questionnaire was developed (noise avoidance questionnaire, NAQ) and the duration of self-exposure to a pure tone was assessed as a behavioral index. Different self-rating instruments concerning tinnitus (STI, TF-12), hyperacusis (GÜF), and anxiety (BAI, STAI-T) were used, as well as a psychoacoustic indicator of hyperacusis (ULL). Study sample: Fifty-six tinnitus subjects with/without hyperacusis and 30 controls without tinnitus and hyperacusis participated in the experiment. Results: The findings indicate that subjects with hyperacusis reported significantly more noise-related avoidance in daily life and show significantly shorter exposure to a pure tone than non-hyperacusic subjects, while discomfort was at the same level for each individual. Self-reported avoidance behavior correlated significantly with distress attributed to hyperacusis (r =0.81), and with anxiety ratings. Conclusions: These results suggest that hyperacusis is associated with noise-related avoidance behavior and anxiety. Systematic exposure to sound could play a significant role in the treatment of hyperacusis.

Fear of fear and the anxiety disorders

The responses of 271 outpatients with diagnoses of agoraphobia with panic attacks, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, social phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or depression (major depressive disorder or dysthymic disorder) to the Agoraphobic Cognitions Questionnaire (ACQ) and the Body Sensations Questionnaire (BSQ) were examined. Agoraphobics scored significantly higher than all other groups on fear of body sensations associated with anxiety. In addition, agoraphobics, together with clients with panic disorder, had significantly higher scores on thoughts that physical illness would be caused by their anxiety. All clinical groups scored significantly higher than normal controls on thoughts that their anxiety would lead to social embarrassment or loss of control; there were no significant differences among clinical subjects on this measure, although agoraphobics' scores were higher than those of all other groups. In addition, analyses of data from 364 agoraphobics showed that the ACQ and BSQ predicted an important feature of agoraphobia—namely, self-reported avoidance behavior, even once the common variance of fear of fear with trait anxiety was partialed out. In summary, it appears that fear of fear is an important distinguishing characteristic among clients with anxiety disorders, and one that cannot be reduced to global psychological distress or trait anxiety.

Effects of Course in Hospice Nursing: Attitudes and Behaviors of Baccalaureate School of Nursing Undergraduates and Graduates

The study is a longitudinal quasiexperimental study of two groups of baccalaureate school of nursing students ( n = 6) and graduates ( n = 69). One group completed a course in hospice nursing; the control group said they would elect to enroll in the course were it offered. The attitudinal component, focusing on fears of death and dying, was measured by the Colett-Lester Fear of Death Scale. The behavioral component, focusing on self-reported avoidance behaviors towards dying, alcoholic, psychiatric, and AIDS patients, was measured by the Social Distance Scale. Between 1980 and 1985 pretest data were collected on the first day of a hospice nursing course and posttest data on the last day. Delayed posttest data were collected in 1985 from students and those graduates who could be located. Analysis of pretest, posttest, and delayed posttest scores indicated significantly less fear of death and dying and significantly fewer avoidance behaviors toward dying, alcoholic, psychiatric, and AIDS patients in the trained group's delayed posttest scores. Maintaining social distance or avoiding groups perceived as low in social worth such as the dying, alcoholic, psychiatric, and AIDS patient was a very real occurrence.