Sensitivity to rewards and punishments in karate athletes: an examination of the temperamental characteristics and profile of karate competitors according to the revised reinforcement sensitivity theory.

BACKGROUND: The revised Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (rRST) assumes the existence of three systems controlling motivation and behavior: the behavioral activation system (BAS), the behavioral inhibition system (BIS), and the fight-flight-freeze system (FFFS). This study aims to examine for the first time the features of BAS, BIS, and FFFS among karate players in comparison with athletes representing other sports disciplines (physical education students) and physically inactive people. The specific configuration of temperament traits and profiles characterizing karate players will also be found. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was performed among male karate athletes and control groups (physically active and inactive men). The study used the modified Reinforcement Sensitivity Questionnaire (rRSQ) to measure BAS, BIS, and FFFS. RESULTS: The ANOVA showed that both karate competitors KS and KK scored significantly higher in BAS than the sample of PI participants. In addition, KK athletes scored significantly lower in Freeze than in PI and KS groups. Research also suggests that KK athletes presented significantly lower overall scores in FFFS than PI individuals. Furthermore, the results of K-means cluster analysis indicated the existence of two distinct patterns of temperamental traits: (1) Cluster 1 suggests avoidance tendencies (high Flight and Freeze, and low BAS, BIS, and Fight levels); while (2) the Cluster 2 describes approach tendencies (high BIS, BAS and Fight scores, and low levels of Flight and Freeze). Significantly more KK athletes were included in Cluster 2 than in Cluster 1, compared to PI, PA, and KS samples. CONCLUSIONS: The research indicates that individuals engaged in karate, particularly those practicing Kyokushin karate, tend to exhibit a heightened sensitivity to rewards (high BAS). This finding holds significance for coaches and sports instructors, suggesting that motivating karate athletes through incentives is more effective, while the use of punishment should be minimized during training. Additionally, the study proposes that the practice of Kyokushin karate has the potential to significantly diminish the freezing response in threatening situations and enhance overall fear management by reducing levels of the Fight-Flight-Freeze System (FFFS). Consequently, the Kyokushin karate style may be considered more advantageous than the Karate Shotokan (KS) style in these aspects, despite both styles contributing to the improvement of BAS. Given that a higher BAS is linked to positive emotions, optimism, and happiness, karate training emerges as a form of health intervention, acting as a preventive measure against mental disorders and promoting overall well-being.

Social effort discounting reveals domain-general and social-specific motivation components.

BACKGROUND: Social motivation is crucial for healthy interpersonal connections and is impaired in a subset of the general population and across many psychiatric disorders. However, compared to nonsocial (e.g., monetary) motivation, social motivation has been understudied in quantitative behavioral work, especially regarding willingness to exert social effort. We developed a novel social effort discounting task, paired with a monetary task to examine motivational specificity. We expected social task performance would relate to general motivation also show selective relationships with self-reported avoidance tendencies and with sociality. METHODS: An analyzed sample of 397 participants performed the social and nonsocial effort discounting task online, along with self-report measures of various aspects of motivation and psychiatric symptomatology. RESULTS: Social and nonsocial task motivation correlated strongly (rho=0.71 p<0.001). Both social and nonsocial task motivation related similarly to self-reported general motivation (social ß=0.16; nonsocial ß=0.13) and to self-reported approach motivation (social ß=0.14; nonsocial ß=0.11), with this common effect captured by a significant main effect across social and nonsocial conditions. Significant condition interaction effects supported a selective relationship of social task motivation with self-reported sociality and also with avoidance motivation. CONCLUSIONS: Our novel social effort discounting task revealed both domain-general and social-specific components of motivation. In combination with other measures, this approach can facilitate further investigation of common and dissociable neurobehavioral mechanisms, in order to better characterize normative and pathological variation and develop personalized interventions targeting specific contributors to social impairment.

The relationship between boredom proneness, the behavioral inhibition system, and anxiety in college students: variable-centered and person-centered analytic approaches.

Objective: To explore the relationship among boredom proneness, the behavioral inhibition system, and anxiety among college students based on variable-centered and person-centered analytic approaches. Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted on 1,102 college students from a university in Hebei Province using the Boredom Proneness Questionnaire (BPQ) for College Students, the Behavioral Inhibition System Scale (BIS), and the General Anxiety Disorder-7 scale (GAD-7). Results: The results reveal that boredom proneness was negatively correlated with scores on the behavioral inhibition system (r = -0.100, p < 0.01), and positively correlated with anxiety (r = 0.457, p < 0.001), while the behavioral inhibition system was positively correlated with anxiety (r = 0.086, p < 0.01). In the variable-centered analyses study, it was found that the behavioral inhibition system partially mediated the association between boredom proneness and anxiety. In the person-centered analyses study, three subtypes were identified: the high boredom-low inhibition group (9.35%), the moderate boredom-inhibition group (66.70%), and the low boredom-high inhibition group (23.95%). Individuals in these subtypes showed significant differences in anxiety scores (F = 4.538, p < 0.05), with the low boredom-high inhibition group scoring the highest. Conclusion: The results showed that the behavioral inhibition system partially mediates the relationship between boredom proneness and anxiety in college students; boredom proneness and the behavioral inhibition system exhibit group heterogeneity, with distinct classification features closely related to anxiety.

Parenting as a Moderator of the Relation Between Child Inhibited Temperament and Anxiety in Western Contexts: A Systematic Review.

The literature on the role of parenting in the relation between child inhibited temperament and child anxiety is inconsistent, with some literature supporting a moderating role and some literature supporting alternative (e.g., mediating) roles. A systematic review of the evidence that parenting moderates the longitudinal relation between child inhibited temperament and child anxiety is needed. A systematic review of the literature was conducted in February and March of 2022 and repeated in January of 2024. Ten articles met criteria for inclusion, with 39 moderation analyses of interest among them. All included studies were conducted in Western contexts with predominately White, middle-class families. Thus, the current review can only be generalized to this population. Despite inconsistent findings, some evidence indicated that avoidance-promoting parenting behaviors such as overprotection and overinvolvement moderate the relation between child inhibited temperament and social anxiety symptoms, in particular. There was a lack of evidence that parenting behaviors moderate the relation between child inhibited temperament and anxiety disorders, and that affect-related parenting behaviors (e.g., negativity) moderate the relation between child inhibited temperament and non-social anxiety symptoms. There was mixed evidence regarding the moderating role of control-related parenting behaviors in the relation between child inhibited temperament and non-social anxiety symptoms, with some evidence that encouraging behaviors moderate this relation. Future research is needed to clarify these inconsistent and nuanced findings and investigate this moderation in non-Western, non-White, and low-income populations.

Refraining from spontaneous face touch is linked to personality traits, reduced memory performance and EEG changes.

Spontaneous touches of one's face (sFST) were suggested to serve cognitive-emotional regulation processes. During the pandemic, refraining from face-touching was recommended, yet, accompanying effects and the influence of personal attributes remain unclear. Ninety participants (45 female, 45 male) filled out a questionnaire concerning personality, anxiety screening and ADHD screening. Subsequently, they performed a delayed verbal memory recall task four times. After two times, sixty participants were instructed to refrain from face-touching (experimental group). Thirty participants did not receive behavioral instructions (control group). To identify face-touches and conduct further analysis, Video, EMG, and EEG data were recorded. Two samples were formed, depending on the adherence to completely refrain from face-touching (adherent, non-adherent sample) and compared to each other and the control group. EEG analyses uncovered that refraining from face-touching is accompanied by increased beta-power at sensorimotor sites and, exclusively in the non-adherent sample, at frontal sites. Decreased memory performance was found exclusively in subsamples, who non-adherently touched their face while retaining words. In terms of questionnaire results, lower Conscientiousness and higher ADHD screening scores were revealed by the non-adherent compared to the adherent sample. No differences were found among the subsamples. The presented results indicate that refraining from face-touching is related to personal attributes, accompanied by neurophysiological shifts and for a portion of humans by lower memory performance, supporting the notion that sFST serve processes beyond sensorimotor.

Behavioral Inhibition and Social Anxiety Disorder as Predictors of Long-Term Outcomes of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Youth Anxiety Disorders.

The temperamental trait behavioral inhibition (BI) is related to the development and maintenance of anxiety, particularly much so to social anxiety disorder. We investigated if BI and social anxiety disorder predicted cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) outcomes for youth anxiety. Youth (N = 179; Mage = 11.6 years) were assessed 4 years following a randomized controlled CBT effectiveness trial. BI was measured by the parent-reported Behavioral Inhibition Questionnaire at baseline. The outcomes were diagnostic recovery, youth- and parent-reported anxiety symptoms, and clinical severity at post-treatment, 1-year, and 4-year follow-up. Having social anxiety disorder negatively predicted diagnostic recovery and predicted higher clinical severity at all assessment points and was the only significant predictor of outcomes at 4-year follow-up. Higher BI negatively predicted diagnostic recovery and predicted higher clinical severity and parent-reported symptom levels at post-treatment and 1-year follow-up, and predicted higher youth-reported anxiety levels at 1-year follow-up. Higher BI was the only predictor of youth- and parent-reported anxiety symptoms. BI and social anxiety disorder seem to be unique predictors of CBT outcomes among youth with anxiety disorders. CBT adaptations may be indicated for youth with high BI and social anxiety disorder.

Identifying internalizing transdiagnostic profiles through motivational and cognitive control systems: Relations with symptoms, functionality, and quality of life.

BACKGROUND: The diversity of patients' symptomatology among people seeking treatment on community-based mental health services poses significant challenges to traditional models of care. Recent approaches favor identifying transdiagnostic factors that allow a better understanding of patient heterogeneity and designing more effective and quality interventions. This study examines the heterogeneity of patients with internalizing symptoms based on profiles identified with cognitive and motivational control variables. Differences between these profiles on dimensional measures of psychopathology and quality of life are examined. METHODS: 263 patients were selected by non-probabilistic sampling procedures on mental health services in the province of Huelva (Spain). A latent class analysis on the standardized scale scores of The Behavioral Inhibition/Behavioral Activation System Scales and the Effortful Control Scale of the Adult Temperament Questionnaire Short-Form was conducted. Profiles were compared on the scores of the Inventory of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms-II, the WHO Disability Assessment Schedule II, and the Health Assessment Questionnaire SF-36. RESULTS: The four latent profile solution is the one that showed the best fit indicators and substantive interpretability, with a kappa of 0.94 in the cross-validation procedure with 75% of the sample. No sex differences were found between the profiles (χ32 5.17, p = .160). Profiles #1 and #3, both characterized by an imbalance between low activation and high inhibition, had lower well-being, lower functionality, and quality of life. When comparing profile #2 (featuring the highest inhibitory control) lower scores on most internalizing scales are observed, specially claustrophobia, social anxiety, panic mania. Profile #4 (low control, high activation, and high inhibition) showed greater scores on both mania and euphoria and lower scores on emotional role. CONCLUSIONS: We identified four distinctive profiles that had overly increased behavioral inhibition (as expected in internalizing disorders) and differed in the degree of imbalance between inhibition and activation systems, and between motivational systems and top-down cognitive control. The profile characterized by high activation and reduced cognitive (inhibitory) control was the one showing greater mood-related symptoms and lower levels of quality of life. These profiles could be generated by treatment providers to guide clinical management in an evidence-based manner.

Brain volumes, behavioral inhibition, and anxiety disorders in children: results from the adolescent brain cognitive development study.

BACKGROUND: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have identified brain changes associated with anxiety disorders (ADs), but the results remain mixed, particularly at a younger age. One key predictor of ADs is behavioral inhibition (BI), a childhood tendency for high avoidance of novel stimuli. This study aimed to evaluate the relationships between candidate brain regions, BI, and ADs among children using baseline data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. METHODS: We analyzed global and regional brain volumes of 9,353 children (9-10 years old) in relation to BI and current ADs, using linear mixed models accounting for family clustering and important demographic and socioeconomic covariates. We further investigated whether and how past anxiety was related to brain volumes. RESULTS: Among included participants, 249 (2.66%) had a current AD. Larger total white matter (Beta = -0.152; 95% CI [-0.281, -0.023]), thalamus (Beta = -0.168; 95% CI [-0.291, -0.044]), and smaller hippocampus volumes (Beta = 0.094; 95% CI [-0.008, 0.196]) were associated with lower BI scores. Amygdala volume was not related to BI. Larger total cortical (OR = 0.751; 95% CI [0.580;0.970]), amygdala (OR = 0.798; 95%CI [0.666;0.956]), and precentral gyrus (OR = 0.802; 95% CI [0.661;0.973]) volumes were associated with lower odds of currently having ADs. Children with past ADs had smaller total white matter and amygdala volumes. CONCLUSIONS: The results show associations between brain volumes and both BI and ADs at an early age. Importantly, results suggest that ADs and BI have different neurobiological correlates and that earlier occurrences of ADs may influence brain structures related to BI and ADs, motivating research that can better delineate the similarities and divergence in the neurobiological underpinnings and building blocks of BI and ADs across their development in early life.

A brief bout of moderate intensity physical activity improves preadolescent children's behavioral inhibition but does not change their energy intake.

Children in rural communities consume more energy-dense foods relative to their urban peers. Identifying effective interventions for improving energy intake patterns are needed to address these geographic disparities. The primary aim of this study was to harness the benefits of physical activity on children's executive functioning to see if these improvements lead to acute changes in eating behaviors. In a randomized crossover design, 91 preadolescent (8-10y; M age = 9.48 ± 0.85; 50.5% female; 85.7% White, 9.9% Multiracial, 9.9% Hispanic) children (86% rural) completed a 20-minute physical activity condition (moderate intensity walking) and time-matched sedentary condition (reading and/or coloring) ~ 14 days apart. Immediately following each condition, participants completed a behavioral inhibition task and then eating behaviors (total energy intake, relative energy intake, snack intake) were measured during a multi-array buffet test meal. After adjusting for period and order effects, body fat (measured via DXA), and depressive symptoms, participants experienced significant small improvements in their behavioral inhibition following the physical activity versus sedentary condition (p = 0.04, Hedge's g = 0.198). Eating behaviors did not vary by condition, nor did improvements in behavioral inhibition function as a mediator (ps > 0.09). Thus, in preadolescent children, small improvements in behavioral inhibition from physical activity do not produce acute improvements in energy intake. Additional research is needed to clarify whether the duration and/or intensity of physical activity sessions would produce different results in this age group, and whether intervention approaches and corresponding mechanisms of change vary by individual factors, like age and degree of food cue responsivity.

Interactions among stress, behavioral inhibition, and delta-beta coupling predict adolescent anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought about unprecedented changes and uncertainty to the daily lives of youth. The range of adjustment in light of a near-universal experience of COVID restrictions highlights the importance of identifying factors that may render some individuals more susceptible to heightened levels of anxiety during stressful life events than others. Two risk factors to consider are temperamental behavioral inhibition (BI) and difficulties in emotion regulation (ER). As such, the current paper focused on BI examined prior to COVID, because of its developmental link to anxiety and ER, as difficulties may be associated with differences in anxiety. We examined a neurocognitive marker of ER processes, delta-beta coupling (DBC). The current paper had two goals: (1) to examine BI in relation to COVID-related worry and social anxiety experienced during the pandemic, and (2) to explore the role of individual differences in early DBC in the relationship between BI and anxiety outcomes 6 months apart during COVID-19 (n = 86; T1 Mage  = 15.95, SD = 1.73; T6 Mage  = 16.43, SD = 1.73). We found support for the moderating role of DBC in the relationship between BI levels and social anxiety disorder (SAD) symptom severity during the pandemic. Here, high BI was predictive of increased SAD symptom levels in adolescents with stronger DBC.

EEG biomarkers of behavioral inhibition in patients with depression who committed violent offenses: a Go/NoGo ERP study.

Understanding the neurobiological correlates of behavioral inhibition in patients with depression who committed violent offenses could contribute to the prediction and prevention of violence. The present study recruited 29 depressed patients with violent offenses (VD group), 27 depressed patients without violent behavior (NVD group), and 28 healthy controls (HC group) to complete a visual Go/NoGo task, during which their responses and electroencephalography were simultaneously recorded using an event-related potentiometer. The results showed that the VD group made more commission errors and responded more slowly relative to the NVD and HC groups. The P3 amplitude of the VD group was reduced in the frontal and central brain regions compared to the HC group and increased in the parietal regions compared to the NVD group. In comparison to Go stimuli, NoGo stimuli induced longer P3 latencies in frontal regions in both the VD and NVD groups; however, this difference was not statistically significant in the HC group. These results provide electrophysical evidence of behavioral inhibition deficits in patients with depression, especially in those with violent behaviors. The reduced P3 amplitude in the frontal-central regions, increased P3 amplitude in the parietal regions, and increased NoGo P3 latency may be potential electrophysiological features that can predict violent behavior in patients with depression.

Behavioral and neurophysiological effects of buspirone in healthy and depression-like state juvenile salmon.

A proportion of farmed salmon in seawater show a behaviorally inhibited, growth stunted profile known as a depression-like state (DLS). These DLS fish are characterized by chronically elevated serotonergic signaling and blood plasma cortisol levels and the inability to react further to acute stress, which is suggestive of chronic stress. In this study, we characterize the neuroendocrine profile of growth stunted freshwater parr and confirm that they show a DLS-like neuroendocrine profile with a blunted cortisol response and no serotonergic increase in response to acute stress. Furthermore, we attempted to reverse this DLS-like profile through pharmacological manipulation of the serotonin (5-HT) system with buspirone, an anxiolytic medication that acts as a serotonin receptor agonist (i.e., decreases serotonergic signaling). We found that while buspirone decreases anxiolytic-type behavior in healthy fish, no quantifiable behavioral change was found in DLS-like fish. However, there was a physiological effect of diminished basal serotonergic signaling. This suggests that at the physiological level, buspirone appears to reverse the neuroendocrine DLS profile. With a deeper understanding of what causes DLS profiles and growth stunting in juvenile fish, steps can be taken in terms of husbandry to prevent repeated stressors and the formation of the DLS profile, potentially reducing losses in aquaculture due to chronic stress.

The Role of Executive Function at 6 Years in the Association between Behavioral Inhibition at 5 Years and Anxiety at 7 Years.

EF skills play a central role in the etiology and maintenance of anxiety, but it is unclear whether they act as moderators or mediators in the relation between early behavioral inhibition (BI) and later anxiety. The current study tested two models by examining whether two executive functions (EF) skills (cognitive flexibility and working memory) assessed at age 6 acted as moderators or mediators in the relation between BI at 5 years and anxiety symptoms at 7 years. The sample consisted of 422 children from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development. We tested the moderation model, main and interaction effects using hierarchical multiple regression analyses and the mediation model with the product of coefficients test. Results showed that higher BI at 5 years predicted high anxiety at 7 years only at low levels of cognitive flexibility or working memory at 6 years. This suggests that high levels of cognitive flexibility or working memory at 6 years may act as protective factors. In contrast, neither cognitive flexibility nor working memory at age 6 acted as mediators in the association between BI at 5 years and anxiety at 7 years. Results support the hypothesis that goal-driven cognitive control processes act as moderators and promote adaptive functioning by dampening the effect of early BI on later anxiety.

The Importance of Low-frequency Alpha (8-10 Hz) Waves and Default Mode Network in Behavioral Inhibition.

Objective: : Alpha wave of electroencephalography (EEG) is known to be related to behavioral inhibition. Both the alpha wave and default mode network (DMN) are predominantly activated during resting-state. To study the mechanisms of the trait inhibition, this research investigating the relations among alpha wave, DMN and behavioral inhibition in resting-state. Methods: : We explored the relationship among behavioral inhibition, resting-state alpha power, and DMN. Resting-state EEG, behavioral inhibition/behavioral activation scale (BIS/BAS), Barratt impulsivity scale, and no-go accuracy were assessed in 104 healthy individuals. Three groups (i.e., participants with low/middle/high band power) were formed based on the relative power of each total-alpha, low-alpha (LA), and high-alpha band. Source-reconstructed EEG and functional network measures of 25 DMN regions were calculated. Results: : Significant differences and correlations were found based on LA band power alone. The high LA group had significantly greater BIS, clustering coefficient, efficiency, and strength, and significantly lower path length than low/middle LA group. BIS score showed a significant correlation with functional network measures of DMN. Conclusion: : Our study revealed that LA power is related to behavioral inhibition and functional network measures of DMN of LA band appear to represent significant inhibitory function.

Motivated with joy or anxiety: Does approach-avoidance goal framing elicit differential reward-network activation in the brain?

Psychological research on human motivation repeatedly observed that approach goals (i.e., goals to attain success) increase task enjoyment and intrinsic motivation more strongly than avoidance goals (i.e., goals to avoid failure). The present study sought to address how the reward network in the brain-including the striatum and ventromedial prefrontal cortex-is involved when individuals engage in the same task with a focus on approach or avoidance goals. Participants reported stronger positive emotions when they focused on approach goals, but stronger anxiety and disappointment when they focused on avoidance goals. The fMRI analyses revealed that the reward network in the brain showed similar levels of activity to cues predictive of approach and avoidance goals. In contrast, the two goal states were associated with different patterns of activity in the visual cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum during success and failure outcomes. Representation similarity analysis further revealed shared and different representations within the striatum and vmPFC between the approach and avoidance goal states, suggesting both the similarity and uniqueness of the mechanisms behind the two goal states. In addition, the distinct patterns of activation in the striatum were associated with distinct subjective experiences participants reported between the approach and the avoidance conditions. These results suggest the importance of examining the pattern of striatal activity in understanding the mechanisms behind different motivational states in humans.

Relations of behavioral inhibition and activation system sensitivities with vaccination outcomes: Investigating the mediating role of vaccine hesitancy in older adults.

The study of behavioral inhibition system (BIS) and behavioral activation system (BAS) sensitivities has produced a multitude of models and frameworks to better understand decision-making and behavior. We extend this research to the study of a vaccination by exploring the relation of BIS and BAS sensitivities with vaccination willingness, receipt, and word-of-mouth. We also assess whether dimensions of vaccine hesitancy mediate these relations, testing whether they are viable explanatory mechanisms. By conducting a multi-wave survey study, our results support that BIS sensitivity does not meaningfully relate to vaccine hesitancy or vaccination outcomes. On the other hand, BAS sensitivity related to detrimental vaccination outcomes, and these effects were mediated by vaccine hesitancy dimensions associated with perceptions that vaccines cause health risks and are not needed for healthy individuals. Based on extant BIS and BAS theory, these results suggest that certain people may see refraining from vaccination as a nonpunishment.

Social versus non-social behavioral inhibition: Differential prediction from early childhood of long-term psychosocial outcomes.

Behavioral inhibition (BI) is a temperamental style characterized by cautious and fearful behaviors in novel situations. The present multi-method, longitudinal study examined whether young children's observed and parent-reported BI in social versus non-social contexts predicts different long-term psychosocial outcomes. Participants (N = 279) were drawn from a longitudinal study of socioemotional development. BI in social contexts ("social BI") was measured via children's observed wariness toward unfamiliar adults and peers at 24 and 36 months and parents' reports of children's social fear/shyness at 24, 36, and 48 months. BI in non-social contexts ("non-social BI") was measured via children's observed fearful responses to masks and novel toys, and parents' reports of children's distress to non-social novelty at 9 months and non-social fear at 48 months. At 15 years, anxiety was assessed via adolescent- and parent-reports, and global internalizing and externalizing problems were assessed via parent-reports. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that a two-factor model fit the BI data significantly better than a single-factor model, providing evidence for the dissociation of BI in social versus non-social contexts. Social BI was uniquely associated with adolescent social anxiety, whereas non-social BI was specifically associated with adolescent separation anxiety. Neither social BI nor non-social BI predicted global internalizing and externalizing problems, providing evidence for the specific relations between BI and anxiety problems. Together, these results suggest that young children's inhibited responses in social versus non-social situations predict different subtypes of anxiety problems in adolescence, highlighting the multifaceted nature of BI and the divergent trajectories of different anxiety problems.

CORRELATION AMONG EXPERIENTIAL AVOIDANCE, ANXIETY SENSITIVITY AND BEHAVIORAL INHIBITION SYSTEM IN GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER AND PANIC DISORDER PATIENTS.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to analyze the concepts of experiential avoidance, anxiety sensitivity and behavioral inhibition system through healthy volunteers and patients diagnosed with anxiety disorder. It was planned to analyze and evaluate the correlation among the levels of experiential avoidance, anxiety sensitivity and behavioral inhibition system in various anxiety groups. METHOD: Within the scope of this study, clinical interviews were carried out with patients who sought treatment at the Psychiatry Department of the Hospital of Balikesir University Medical Faculty. The study included 50 Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) patients and 50 Panic Disorder (PD) patients who fulfilled the study criteria and accepted to participate in the study. A voluntary control group of 50 individuals with similar age and gender with the patients was formed. The participants were evaluated through the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II), Behavioral Inhibition System/Behavioral Approach System Scale (BIS/BAS Scale), and Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3 (ASI-3). RESULTS: In this study, the anxiety sensitivity, behavioral inhibition system sensitivity and experiential avoidance levels were all found to be higher in both the GAD and PD patients than the controls. On the other hand, the scale scores did not significantly differ between the GAD patients and PD patients. Positive correlations were determined among anxiety sensitivity, experiential avoidance and behavioral inhibition system. Our data provided findings supporting that the development of anxiety disorders entails increased anxiety sensitivity, behavioral inhibition system sensitivity and experiential avoidance levels. DISCUSSION: The literature has shown, through separate studies, a correlation among experiential avoidance, anxiety sensitivity and behavioral inhibition system as well as a correlation between these concepts and anxiety disorders, and this study handled them altogether to reveal their correlation with anxiety in a clinical environment.

Dysfunctional Metacognitive Beliefs, Experiential Avoidance,and Behavioral Inhibition System in Depressive Disorder.

Background: Dysfunctional metacognitive beliefs form the basis of the formation and maintenance of psychopathologies. In our study, we planned to examine the common aspects of the concepts of dysfunctional metacognition, experiential avoidance, and behavioral inhibition system in depressed patients compared to healthy individuals and their effects on each other. Methods: Fifty-five depressed patients and as a control group 54 healthy volunteers participated in the study. Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Metacognitions Questionnaire 30, Acceptance and Action Questionnaire II, and Behavioral Inhibition and Behavioral Activation Scale were used in the study. Results: Median (minimum-maximum) Acceptance and Action Questionnaire II score was 9 (7-35) points in the control group and 30 (9-46) points in the depressed patient group (P < .001). A statistically significant difference between the groups was observed only in the Behavioral Activation Scale-reward responsiveness subscale, with 20 (14-30) points in the control group and 23 (13-36) points in the patient group. A statistically significant difference was observed between the groups in all Metacognitions Questionnaire 30 subscale scores (P < .001). A statistically significant positive correlation was found between depression scores and experiential avoidance (r = 0.751; P < .001), reward responsiveness (r = 0.329; P < .001) and metacognition subscale scores. In addition, a positive correlation was found between experiential avoidance and metacognition subscale scores (P < .001). Conclusion: The data we obtained support the fact that as the severity of depression increases, the patients more strongly stick to dysfunctional metacognitive beliefs, exert more frequently experiential avoidance and less often impulsive behaviors. Considering these clinical features may contribute favorably to the individualized psychotherapy process.

Hispanic/Latinx ethnic differences in the relationships between behavioral inhibition, anxiety, and substance use in youth from the ABCD cohort.

Introduction: Elevated levels of behavioral inhibition (BI) may connote risk for both anxiety and substance use disorders. BI has consistently been shown to be associated with increased levels of anxiety, while the association between BI and substance use has been mixed. It is possible that the relationship between BI and substance use varies by individual difference factors. Hispanic/Latinx (H/L) youth in particular may have stronger relationships between BI, anxiety, and substance use. Methods: The present study therefore evaluated (1) the prospective relationships between BI [assessed via self-reported behavioral inhibition system (BIS) scale scores], anxiety, and substance use in youth (n = 11,876) across baseline, 1-, and 2-year follow-ups of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study (ages 9-12) and (2) whether these relationships differed by H/L ethnicity while covarying for average behavioral approach system scores, race, sex, age, highest parental income, highest parental education, and past-year substance use (for analyses involving substance use outcomes). Results: Baseline levels of BIS scores predicted increased anxiety symptoms at both 1- and 2-year follow-ups and did not differ by H/L ethnicity. Baseline levels of BIS scores also prospectively predicted increased likelihood of substance use at 2-year follow-up, but only for H/L youth and not at 1-year follow-up. Discussion: High scores on the BIS scale contribute risk to anxiety across ethnicities and may uniquely contribute to risk for substance use in H/L youth.