疼痛患者的焦虑抑郁和患病行为的关系研究

目的:探讨不同疼痛患者的焦虑、抑郁和患病行为的关系,为疼痛患者临床心理诊断及心理干预提供必要的参考依据.方法:采用多中心合作的方式,抽取北京、西安、重庆等10家医疗单位的513例疼痛患者进行门诊问卷调查,采用医院焦虑抑郁量表(HADS)和患病行为问卷(IBQ)分别进行测量,对不同疾病种类疼痛患者焦虑、抑郁症状差异和患病行为的差异进行比较,并对焦虑、抑郁和患病行为各维度进行相关和多元逐步回归分析.结果:(1)不同疾病种类疼痛患者HADS总分差异有显著性(F=3.20,P＜0.05),其中焦虑因子得分差异无统计学意义(F=1.28,P＞0.05),抑郁因子得分差异有统计学意义(F=4.45,P＜0.01),癌症患者得分[(9.67±4.70)分]显著高于其他疾病种类;不同疾病种类疼痛患者IBQ总分差异有显著性(F=5.44,P＜0.01),其中负性情绪因子得分(F=3.11,P＜0.05)和患病角色因子得分(F=9.28,P＜0.01)差异有统计学意义,癌症患者得分最高[分别为(9.50±3.68)分和(8.10±1.82)分],显著高于其他疾病种类,行为反应因子得分差异无统计学意义(F=0.80,P＞0.05);(2)负性情绪和行为反应因子均与焦虑和抑郁因子呈显著正相关(rmax=0.517,P＜0.01;rmin=0.305,P＜0.05),多元逐步回归分析发现:焦虑和抑郁的首要影响因素为行为反应因子(分别为Beta=0.323和Beta=0.368),患病角色在抑郁维度上未进入回归方程.结论:不同疾病种类疼痛患者焦虑、抑郁和患病行为存在差异,患病行为对疼痛患者焦虑及抑郁症状具有正向预测作用.     

Associations between Neuroticism and Depression in Relation to Catastrophizing and Pain-Related Anxiety in Chronic Pain Patients

Several cognitive-affective constructs, including pain catastrophizing and pain-related anxiety, have been implicated in the onset and progression of chronic pain, and both constructs have been identified as key targets for multidisciplinary pain treatment. Both neuroticism and depression have been linked to these constructs (and to each other), but how each may contribute to the pain experience is unknown. This study tested associations between neuroticism, depression, and indices of catastrophizing and pain-related anxiety among persons seeking treatment for chronic non-malignant pain. We hypothesized, as a higher-order personality trait, neuroticism would remain uniquely associated with both pain catastrophizing and pain-related anxiety, even after accounting for current symptoms of depression. A retrospective study design assessed depression (as measured by the Centers for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression scale), neuroticism (measured with the Neuroticism-Extraversion-Openness Personality Inventory), the Pain Catastrophizing Scale, and the Pain Anxiety Symptom Score in a consecutive series of patients (n=595) admitted to a 3-week outpatient pain treatment program from March 2009 through January 2011. Hierarchical regression indicated that neuroticism was independently associated with greater pain catastrophizing and pain-related anxiety, above-and-beyond the contributions of sociodemographic characteristics, pain severity, and depression. A depression by neuroticism interaction was not observed, suggesting that associations between neuroticism and cognitive-affective pain constructs remained stable across varying levels of current depression. These findings represent an early but important step towards the clarification of complex associations between trait neuroticism, current depression, and tendencies toward catastrophic and anxiety-provoking appraisals of pain among persons seeking treatment for chronic pain.     

Relationship between Obstructive Sleep Apnea Severity and Sleep,Depression and Anxiety Symptoms in Newly-Diagnosed Patients

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) occurs in at least 10% of the population, and leads to higher morbidity and mortality; however, relationships between OSA severity and sleep or psychological symptoms are unclear. Existing studies include samples with wide-ranging comorbidities, so we assessed relationships between severity of OSA and common sleep and psychological disturbances in recently diagnosed OSA patients with minimal co-morbidities. We studied 49 newly diagnosed, untreated OSA patients without major co-morbidities such as mental illness, cardiovascular disease, or stroke; subjects were not using psychoactive medications or tobacco (mean ± std age: 46.8±9.1 years; apnea/hyponea index [AHI]: 32.1±20.5 events/hour; female/male: 12/37; weight <125 kg). We evaluated relationships between the AHI and daytime sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale; ESS), sleep quality (Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index; PSQI), depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory-II; BDI), and anxiety symptoms (Beck Anxiety Inventory; BAI), as well as sex and body mass index (BMI). AHI was similar in females and males. Mean levels of all symptoms were above normal thresholds, but AHI was not correlated with age, ESS, PSQI, BDI, or BAI; only BMI was correlated with OSA severity. No differences in mean AHI appeared when subjects were grouped by normal versus elevated values of ESS, PSQI, BDI, or BAI. Consistent with other studies, a strong link between OSA severity and psychological symptoms did not appear in these newly diagnosed patients, suggesting that mechanisms additional to the number and frequency of hypoxic events and arousals occurring with apneas contribute to adverse health effects in OSA. OSA patients presenting with mild or moderate severity, and no major co-morbidities will not necessarily have low levels of sleep or psychological disturbances.     

Prevalence and Associated Positive Psychological Variables of Depression and Anxiety among Chinese Cervical Cancer Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background

The prevalence of depression and anxiety and its associated factors in cervical cancer are not well evaluated in China. Meanwhile, with increasing attention given to positive psychological variables in oncology field, there is a need to conduct a study to explore the integrative effects of positive psychological variables on depression/anxiety so as to provide patients a more holistic cancer care. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of depression/anxiety as well as the integrative effects of hope, optimism and general self-efficacy on depression/anxiety among Chinese cervical cancer patients.

Methods

A multi-centre, cross-sectional study was conducted of consecutive inpatients at the Liaoning Cancer Hospital & Institute and the Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University in Liaoning Province, northeast China. A total of 224 cervical cancer patients eligible for this study completed questionnaires on demographic and clinic variables, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Herth Hope Index, Life Orientation Scale-Revised, and General Self-Efficacy Scale during February and August 2013.

Results

The prevalence of depression and anxiety was 52.2% and 65.6% in cervical cancer patients. The anxiety score was significantly higher in patients at the period of 4–6 months after diagnose and at cancer stage II. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that hope, optimism and general self-efficacy as a whole accounted for 31.3% variance of depression and 35.6% variance of anxiety. Under standardized estimate (β) sequence, hope, optimism and general self-efficacy significantly associated with depression, respectively; hope and optimism were also significant individual predictors of anxiety.

Conclusions

The high prevalence of depression and anxiety among cervical cancer patients should receive more attention in Chinese medical settings. More importantly, efforts to develop the integrated psychosocial interventions are effective and necessary to alleviate depression/anxiety in cervical cancer patients by synthesizing and integrating the individual protective effects of hope, optimism and general self-efficacy.     

The Association of Depression and Anxiety with Pain: A Study from NESDA

Chronic pain is commonly co-morbid with a depressive or anxiety disorder. Objective of this study is to examine the influence of depression, along with anxiety, on pain-related disability, pain intensity, and pain location in a large sample of adults with and without a depressive and/or anxiety disorder. The study population consisted of 2981 participants with a depressive, anxiety, co-morbid depressive and anxiety disorder, remitted disorder or no current disorder (controls). Severity of depressive and anxiety symptoms was also assessed. In separate multinomial regression analyses, the association of presence of depressive or anxiety disorders and symptom severity with the Chronic Pain Grade and location of pain was explored. Presence of a depressive (OR = 6.67; P<.001), anxiety (OR = 4.84; P<.001), or co-morbid depressive and anxiety disorder (OR = 30.26; P<.001) was associated with the Chronic Pain Grade. Moreover, symptom severity was associated with more disabling and severely limiting pain. Also, a remitted depressive or anxiety disorder showed more disabling and severely limiting pain (OR = 3.53; P<.001) as compared to controls. A current anxiety disorder (OR = 2.96; p<.001) and a co-morbid depressive and anxiety disorder (OR = 5.15; P<.001) were more strongly associated with cardio-respiratory pain, than gastro-intestinal or musculoskeletal pain. These findings remain after adjustment for chronic cardio respiratory illness. Patients with a current and remitted depressive and/or anxiety disorder and those with more severe symptoms have more disabling pain and pain of cardio-respiratory nature, than persons without a depressive or anxiety disorder. This warrants further research.     

间质性肺疾病患者生活质量与肺功能和焦虑抑郁情绪的关系及其影响因素分析

摘要 目的：探讨间质性肺疾病（ILD）患者生活质量与肺功能和焦虑抑郁情绪的关系及其影响因素。方法：选取2019年3月至2020年10月期间我院收治的100例ILD患者。比较ILD患者与一般人群的圣乔治呼吸问卷（SGRQ）评分、肺功能指标[第1秒用力呼气容积（FEV₁）、用力肺活量（FVC）、肺总量（TLC）及一氧化碳弥散量（DLCo）];观察患者的医院焦虑抑郁量表（HADS）评分（该评分包括焦虑和抑郁评分两部分）;分析ILD患者的SGRQ评分与肺功能指标,焦虑、抑郁评分的相关性;单因素、多因素Logistic回归分析ILD患者生活质量的影响因素。结果：ILD患者的SGRQ各维度评分及总分均高于一般人群,FVC、FEV₁、TLC及DLCo均低于一般人群（P<0.05）;ILD患者焦虑评分和抑郁评分均较高;ILD患者SGRQ各维度评分均与FVC、FEV1、TLC和DLCo呈负相关（P<0.05）,均与焦虑评分和抑郁评分呈正相关（P<0.05）。单因素分析结果显示,不同年龄、是否吸烟、不同收入情况的ILD患者生活质量有差异（P<0.05）;多因素Logistic回归分析结果显示DLCo、FVC、焦虑和抑郁情绪是ILD患者生活质量的影响因素（P<0.05）,其中焦虑情绪对其生活质量的影响最为显著。结论：ILD患者的生活质量与肺功能和焦虑抑郁情绪有关,提示临床工作中可通过干预ILD患者肺功能和焦虑抑郁情绪以改善其生活质量。     

The Prevalence of Anxiety and Depression in Chinese Asthma Patients

It is well documented that the psychiatric disorders are common in Asthma patients in China while the studies on the relationship between asthma control and psychological disorder are comparatively rare. We therefore performed a cross-sectional study on asthmatic outpatients in one Chinese tertiary center to investigate the correlation among asthma, anxiety and depression. Demographic data, anxiety and depression scores, the level of asthma control were collected in 261 patients. All patients were evaluated with Asthma Control Test (ACT), Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and Self-rating depression scale (SDS) questionnaires. A multivariate analysis was performed to investigate the relationship between asthma control and psychological disorder. The result showed that 31 asthma patients had anxiety symptom while thirty-five asthma patients had depression. One hundred and ninety-two asthma patients were well controlled and 69 patients were not. The study found a negative correlation between ACT and SAS(r = −0.231, p<0.001) as well as ACT and SDS(r = −0.23, p<0.001) and depression (OR: 12.295, 95%CI: [5.374–28.128], p<0.001) were both independently associated with poor asthma control. We concluded that Asthma control is greatly affected by psychological disorder in Chinese patients.     

Relationship between Breathlessness and Anxiety in Asthma and Bronchitis: A Comparative Study

Two personality testing forms, the Eysenck Personality Inventory Form A and the Cattell Self Analysis Form, were completed on 471 hospital patients who fell within the general diagnostic range of asthma, bronchitis, or both. Respiratory diagnoses were based on the standard M.R.C. questionary. All categories of patients showed a tendency towards neuroticism, anxiety, and introversion, and the scores were slightly higher for bronchitics than for asthmatics. Neuroticism and anxiety increased with increasing respiratory disability. Variations in these scores with age of onset of symptoms and length of history were small.     

青年卒中后抑郁/焦虑危险因素logistic回归分析

目的:探讨青年卒中患者抑郁/焦虑发生的危险因素,为制定科学的管理策略提供依据。方法:选择2012年7月至2013年7月我院收治的69例青年卒中患者,采用《Hamilton抑郁量表(HAMD)》和《Hamilton焦虑量表(HAMA)》筛选出抑郁/焦虑病例作为病例组,其他病例作为对照组,通过多因素非条件Logistic回归模型分析青年卒中后抑郁/焦虑产生的危险因素。结果:69例青年卒中病人中,抑郁、焦虑的发生率分别约26.0%和36.2%。多因素Logistic回归分析显示NIHSS评分(OR值5.002,95%CI为4.015~6.023)、幕下病变(OR值0.466,95%CI为0.145~1.505)、伴随基础疾病(OR值0.093,95%CI为0.008~1.129)是青年卒中后抑郁/焦虑出现的危险因素。结论:对青年卒中患者要积极控制基础疾病,重视幕下病变和严重残疾,有助于预防及早期识别卒中后抑郁/焦虑的产生。     

Anxiety Mediates the Relationship between Perfectionism and Insomnia Symptoms: A Longitudinal Study

Objectives

Individuals with insomnia often report aspects of perfectionism and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Investigation of these factors together has been limited. As such, the aim of the present study was to examine the extent to which the association between perfectionism and insomnia symptoms was mediated by anxiety and depression, concurrently and longitudinally.

Methods

Seventy-six members from the general-population participated at baseline. Data from 57 participants were subsequently analysed at twelve-month follow-up. Insomnia symptoms were assessed using The Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). Perfectionism was assessed using two Multidimensional Perfectionism Scales (F-MPS; HF-MPS). Symptoms of anxiety and depression were assessed using The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Correlational analysis examined longitudinal associations between perfectionism and insomnia symptoms. Hierarchical regression analysis examined whether significant associations remained after controlling for anxiety and depression.

Results

Baseline insomnia symptoms were associated with future doubts about action. Further, this relationship was mediated by preceding symptoms of anxiety and concurrent symptoms of insomnia. Similarly, baseline insomnia symptoms were also associated with future parental criticism. However this relationship was partially mediated by preceding symptoms of anxiety, and was not mediated by concurrent insomnia symptoms.

Conclusions

Symptoms of insomnia appear to be related to an increase in negative perfectionistic thinking in the form of doubts about action and parental criticism, however these relationships appear to be mediated by symptoms of anxiety. Therefore, treatments for insomnia should address anxiety symptoms with the prospect of preventing the accentuation of aspects of perfectionism due to poor sleep.     

恶性肿瘤患者LGT指纹阴转阳的对比分析

目的:分析恶性肿瘤危重病人预警蛋白(LGT-Lost Goodwill Target)指纹由阴性向阳性转变后是否出现有意义的差异指纹.方法:应用CM10弱阳离子芯片结合表面增强飞行时间质谱(Surface Enhanced Laser Desorption/Ionization Time of Flight MassSpectrometry,SELDI-TOF-MS)技术检测21例恶性肿瘤患者(分析组)LGT指纹由阴性向阳性变异前后的血清蛋白质指纹谱,以质/核比(M/Z):11100+H～11900+H,出现丰度>10%峰簇(cluster),视为LGT阳性,反之为阴性.另选择12例肿瘤患者各1份血清样本,间隔一周检测一次,再选择5例肿瘤患者取连续两天血清标本各1份进行检测,以此作为影响因素对照组.去除与对照组相同差异指纹后,比较LGT阳性向阴性转变后差异蛋白质组指纹有无显著性.结果:分析组中恶性肿瘤患者LGT指纹由阴性向阳性变异时,有18个蛋白质指纹差异有统计学意义(P<0.05),对照组中有差异指纹44个,其中M/Z为1005、1008的指纹与分析组相同,将之剔除后,剩余了16个有统计学意义的差异蛋白质指纹,其中上调指纹的m/z(质/核比)值分别为6626、2889、6429、8866、3452、1259、3052、3699、8531、757、1146和8765.下调指纹的m/z值分别为17650、7979、778和1006.结论:SEL-DI-TOF-MS技术检测恶性肿瘤患者血清捕获的m/z:6626、2889、6429、8866、3452、1259、3052、3699、8531、757、1146和8765蛋白质指纹呈上调趋势,m/z:17650、7979、778和1006蛋白质指纹呈下调趋势,可视为恶性肿瘤LGT指纹阴转阳的差异蛋白质.     

Patients with Blepharitis Are at Elevated Risk of Anxiety and Depression

Purpose

Population-based cohort study on the risk of anxiety and depression in patients with blepharitis is limited. This study evaluated whether blepharitis patients are at a higher risk of anxiety and depression.

Design

A retrospective cohort study.

Methods

We used the universal insurance claims data from 1997 to 2010 in Taiwan to identify annually patients with newly diagnosed blepharitis (N = 9764) and without the disease (N = 39056). Incidences, rate ratios (IRR) and hazard ratios (HR) of anxiety and depression were measured for both cohorts by baseline demographic characteristics and comorbidities until the end of 2010.

Results

Compared with the non-blepharitis cohort, the blepharitis cohort had higher incidence of anxiety (15.9 vs. 9.5 per 1000 person-years), with an adjusted HR of 1.58 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.46–1.70). The incidence of depression was also higher in the blepharitis cohort (7.66 vs. 5.05 per 1000 person-years), with an adjusted HR of 1.42 (95% CI = 1.28–1.58). The blepharitis cohort to the non-blepharitis cohort IRR decreased from 1.73 in the first quartile to 1.32 in the 4^th quartile for anxiety, and from 1.67 to 1.29 for depression.

Conclusions

Patients with blepharitis are at elevated risks of anxiety and depression. The risk is higher in earlier period after the diagnosis of blepharitis, and declines by time, but remains significantly higher for those with blepharitis than those without blepharitis.     

Ratio between Negative and Positive Lymph Nodes Is Suitable for Evaluation the Prognosis of Gastric Cancer Patients with Positive Node Metastasis

Objective

To date, there is no consensus to evaluate the most appropriate category of the nodal metastasis for precise predication the prognosis of gastric cancer patients with positive node metastasis after curative surgery.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed the clinicopathologic characteristics and overall survival (OS) of 299 gastric cancer patients with positive node metastasis after curative surgery for evaluation the optimal category of the nodal metastasis.

Results

With the univariate and multivariate survival analyses, the depth of primary tumor invasion was identified as the independent predicators with the OS of 299 gastric cancer patients with nodal metastasis postoperatively, as were the number of positive lymph nodes (PLNs), the number of negative lymph nodes (NLNs), and the ratio between negative and positive lymph nodes (RNPL). The RNPL was identified to be more suitable for predication the OS of gastric cancer patients with positive node metastasis than the ratio between positive and dissected lymph nodes (RPDL) by using the stratum procedure of survival analysis. Besides, we found both PLNs and NLNs were independently correlated with OS of gastric cancer patients with nodal metastasis when RNPL, instead of RPDL, was controlled in the partial correlation model.

Conclusions

RNPL, a new category of the nodal metastasis, was suitable for predication the OS of gastric cancer patients with nodal metastasis after curative resection, as were the PLNs, and NLNs.     

A Meta-Analysis on the Relationship between Self-Reported Presence and Anxiety in Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy for Anxiety Disorders

In virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) for anxiety disorders, sense of presence in the virtual environment is considered the principal mechanism that enables anxiety to be felt. Existing studies on the relation between sense of presence and level of anxiety, however, have yielded mixed results on the correlation between the two. In this meta-analysis, we reviewed publications on VRET for anxiety that included self-reported presence and anxiety. The comprehensive search of the literature identified 33 publications with a total of 1196 participants. The correlation between self-reported sense of presence and anxiety was extracted and meta-analyzed. Potential moderators such as technology characteristics, sample characteristics including age, gender and clinical status, disorder characteristics and study design characteristics such as measurements were also examined. The random effects analysis showed a medium effect size for the correlation between sense of presence and anxiety (r = .28; 95% CI: 0.18–0.38). Moderation analyses revealed that the effect size of the correlation differed across different anxiety disorders, with a large effect size for fear of animals (r = .50; 95% CI: 0.30–0.66) and a no to small effect size for social anxiety disorder (r = .001; 95% CI: −0.19–0.19). Further, the correlation between anxiety and presence was stronger in studies with participants who met criteria for an anxiety disorder than in studies with a non-clinical population. Trackers with six degrees of freedom and displays with a larger field of view resulted in higher effect sizes, compared to trackers with three degrees of freedom and displays with a smaller field of view. In addition, no difference in effect size was found for the type of presence measurement and the type of anxiety measurement. This meta-analysis confirms the positive relation between sense of presence and anxiety and demonstrates that this relation can be affected by various moderating factors.     

Relationship Patterns between Ichthyoplankton and Zooplankton: A Conceptual Model

Selected cases of plankton studies were analyzed to illustrate the main types of relationships between the zooplankton and the ichthyoplankton abundance observed in the pelagic realm. Such relationships may exhibit a positive, a negative, or a random pattern. In the conceptual model here proposed, short-term oscillations among these patterns were attributed to small-scale biological processes, such as competition, predation, and intraguild predation, acting in conjunction with water turbulence. A negative relationship between zooplankton and ichthyoplankton abundance may be caused both by predation on fish eggs and larvae, and by detrimental competition and intraguild predation interactions for fish larvae. In contrast, positive relationships emerge from the absence or low abundance of major predators on the ichthyoplankton, and from food availability for fish larvae and competing species. The random pattern may appear as a gradual transitional stage between the negative and positive patterns, or be promoted by strong water turbulence – which generates random movements of individuals. The size of zooplankters greatly influences these small-scale phenomena. Hence, their role in the trophic web, the success in competition interactions and vulnerability to water turbulence depends on their size. Intra- and interspecific competition may be reduced by variability in body size within or among fish larvae populations. Owing to a strong interaction among phenomena at different scales, these small-scale processes are also influenced by larger scale features, such as seasonal changes in zooplankton biomass, water currents, or spawning periods of fish. At the space level, some theoretical studies have emphasized the role of water currents as a vector for fish larvae to reach the nursery grounds (migration triangle hypothesis), or to allow them to remain within their own population’s distributional area (member/vagrant hypothesis). At the temporal level, the match/mismatch theory insists in a synchrony between reproductive strategies of fish and cyclical changes in abundance and size spectrum of potential prey items for their larvae. In any case, a coincidence between favorable abiotic and biotic features during the whole life-cycle of fish would assure a success in survival of larvae and their subsequent recruitment to adult population.     

Social Support as a Moderator of the Relationship between Anxiety and Depression: An Empirical Study with Adult Survivors of Wenchuan Earthquake

Background

On May 12th 2008, an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.0 on the Richter scale struck China, causing a large number of casualties and significant economic losses. By interviewing 2080 survivors of Wenchuan earthquake, the objective of this study is to estimate the role of different types of social support as possible moderating factors between anxiety and depression.

Methods

A stratified random sampling strategy about the cross-sectional study was adopted. The self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) and Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS) were used. A total of 2080 adult survivors of the Wenchuan earthquake from 19 damaged countries participated in the survey. Correlation analysis and regression analysis were performed to evaluate the moderating role of social support on the relationship between anxiety and depression.

Results

One year after the Wenchuan earthquake, anxiety and depression were found to be 37.6% and 40.7%, respectively. Demographic characteristics were seen as significant in the cases of depression, except for age (p=0.599), while age and education level were not found to be significant for anxiety. The results showed that social support, especially subjective support could moderate the association between anxiety and depression.

Conclusions

Social support should be particularly focused on female survivors, those of the Han ethnic group, and those with a lower level of education and a lower income. Psychological intervention and care for survivors should focus on those most disoriented by the disaster.     

Gender Matters: The Relationship between Social Anxiety and Alcohol-Related Consequences

Background and Objectives

Identification of risk factors for alcohol-related consequences is an important public health concern. Both gender and social anxiety have been associated with alcohol-related consequences broadly, but it is unknown whether these variables are differentially related to specific types of alcohol-related consequences for American college students.

Methods

In the present study, 573 undergraduate students (M _age = 19.86 years, SD = 1.40; range 18 to 25; 68.9% female) completed an on-line assessment of social anxiety, alcohol use, and four types of alcohol-related consequences (personal, social, physical, and role). Poisson regressions were run to examine social anxiety, gender, and the interaction between social anxiety and gender as predictors of each type of alcohol-related consequences.

Results

After controlling for alcohol use, social anxiety was positively associated with all four types of consequences, and females endorsed higher rates of physical, personal, and role consequences. The interaction between social anxiety and gender was statistically significant only for physical consequences, with social anxiety having a stronger effect for males.

Discussion and Conclusions

These findings, which diverge somewhat from those of a prior study with Australian college students, are discussed in the context of a biopsychosocial model of social anxiety and substance use problems.

Scientific Significance

This study highlights the importance of further investigating cultural differences in the relationships among social anxiety, gender, and alcohol-related consequences.