Grant: Master's Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), a condition characterized by pathological worry and anxiety, is pervasive in the Canadian population. It is estimated that between 4 and 7 % of the population will suffer from GAD in their lifetime. As awareness increases through research on the development and maintenance of anxiety disorders, the detrimental effects of pathological worry and anxiety have become more apparent. The economic burden of pathological worry is considerable, due in part to overuse of health care resources by individuals with GAD. In addition, there are indirect costs due to decreased work productivity and lost wages. Individuals engage in worry with the intent that it will assist them in trying to solve an anticipated problem that has an uncertain, but possibly negative outcome. However, when worry is chronic and excessive, rather than assisting with problem solving, worry results in procrastination and avoidance of problems that are perceived by the individual as threatening. This avoidance behaviour distracts the individual and results in the maintenance of worry and anxiety. In the proposed research, I will test the impact of a brief intervention designed to help individuals with chronic worry to think about their problems more concretely. The intervention is expected to have an immediate positive impact on worry and anxiety and improve problem-solving quality. The findings of this investigation have the potential to enhance existing psychological treatments for GAD and in turn help reduce the social and personal costs of this disorder.