Grant: Doctoral Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships

Over the course of their lifetime, 5.7 percent of Canadians will suffer from Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), a condition characterized by excessive worry and anxiety. GAD has a chronic and debilitating course and is associated with significant economic costs (e.g., overuse of the health care system), social and occupational impairments (e.g., strained relationships and lost work productivity), and serious health concerns (e.g., fatigue and cardiac conditions). Moreover, up to 40% of individuals with GAD do not experience a reduction in worry or anxiety following existing treatment interventions. Thus, it is necessary to investigate ways to improve the treatment of this chronic disorder. Research indicates that people with GAD tend to think about their problems in an abstract and fuzzy way. This type of thinking hinders problem solving, impairs information processing, and interferes with people's ability to effectively handle uncertain situations. Previous findings indicate that cognitive training in concrete thinking resulted in improved problem solving. The proposed studies will extend this line of research by examining the effects of repeated cognitive training sessions on GAD symptoms and related cognitive biases. Cognitive training interventions have the potential to enhance existing psychological treatments for Canadians who suffer from GAD and in turn, reduce the social and personal costs of this disorder.