Browsing by Author "McAusland, Laina"

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    Biofeedback to Treat Anxiety in Young People at Clinical High Risk for Developing Psychosis
    (2016-01-18) McAusland, Laina; Addington, Jean; Raedler, Thomas; Wilkes, Chris
    Anxiety is a common presenting concern for individuals at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis and one treatment that may be effective for anxiety is heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback. The aim of this study was to test the efficacy of HRV biofeedback in reducing anxiety and distress in those at CHR. Twenty participants who met minimum scores for anxiety and distress completed four weeks of a HRV biofeedback intervention and received pre and post intervention assessments. There was a significant decrease in presentation of dysphoric mood and impaired ability to tolerate normal stressors. There was no change on self-report measures of anxiety and distress. Feedback and adherence were generally good. HRV biofeedback may be a feasible treatment option for individuals at CHR who have concerns with impaired stress tolerance and dysphoric mood. Future studies with a randomized controlled trial design will be necessary to further determine efficacy.
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    The genetic architecture of youth anxiety: a study protocol
    (2024-02-23) McAusland, Laina; Burton, Christie L.; Bagnell, Alexa; Boylan, Khrista; Hatchard, Taylor; Lingley-Pottie, Patricia; Al Maruf, Abdullah; McGrath, Patrick; Newton, Amanda S.; Rowa, Karen; Schachar, Russell J.; Shaheen, S-M; Stewart, Sam; Arnold, Paul D.; Crosbie, Jennifer; Mattheisen, Manuel; Soreni, Noam; Stewart, S. E.; Meier, Sandra
    Abstract Background Anxiety disorders are the most common psychiatric problems among Canadian youth and typically have an onset in childhood or adolescence. They are characterized by high rates of relapse and chronicity, often resulting in substantial impairment across the lifespan. Genetic factors play an important role in the vulnerability toward anxiety disorders. However, genetic contribution to anxiety in youth is not well understood and can change across developmental stages. Large-scale genetic studies of youth are needed with detailed assessments of symptoms of anxiety disorders and their major comorbidities to inform early intervention or preventative strategies and suggest novel targets for therapeutics and personalization of care. Methods The Genetic Architecture of Youth Anxiety (GAYA) study is a Pan-Canadian effort of clinical and genetic experts with specific recruitment sites in Calgary, Halifax, Hamilton, Toronto, and Vancouver. Youth aged 10ā€“19 (nā€‰=ā€‰13,000) will be recruited from both clinical and community settings and will provide saliva samples, complete online questionnaires on demographics, symptoms of mental health concerns, and behavioural inhibition, and complete neurocognitive tasks. A subset of youth will be offered access to a self-managed Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy resource. Analyses will focus on the identification of novel genetic risk loci for anxiety disorders in youth and assess how much of the genetic risk for anxiety disorders is unique or shared across the life span. Discussion Results will substantially inform early intervention or preventative strategies and suggest novel targets for therapeutics and personalization of care. Given that the GAYA study will be the biggest genomic study of anxiety disorders in youth in Canada, this project will further foster collaborations nationally and across the world.