Cognitive group therapy and exercise in the treatment of anxiety and stress.

131 Pages·2017·6.36 MB·English

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Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014
1-1-1995
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Derek J. McEntee
University of Massachusetts Amherst
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McEntee, Derek J., "Cognitive group therapy and exercise in the treatment of anxiety and stress." (1995).
Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014. 3254.
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FiVE COLLEGE
EXPOSITORY
COGNITIVE GROUP THERAPY AND
EXERCISE
IN THE TREATMENT OF ANXIETY AND
STRESS
A
Dissertation Presented
by
DEREK McENTEE
J.
Submitted to the Graduate School ofthe
University ofMassachusetts Amherst in partial fulfillment
ofthe requirements forthe degree of
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
May 1995
Department ofPsychology
©Copyright by Derek Jones McEntcc 1995
All Rights Reserved
COGNITIVE GROUP THERAPY AND EXERCISE
IN THE TREATMENT OF ANXIETY AND STRESS
A
Dissertation Presented
by
DEREK McENTEE
J.
Approved as to style and content by:
Richard P. Halgin, Ch
Susan K. Whitbourne, Member
Ronnie Jaribff-Bulman, Member
Robert James, Member
Charles^ Clifton, Department Chair
Department ofPsychology
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
As always, 1 must first thank Richard Halgin, my dissertation chairperson and
advisor, who provided the tireless hours ofguidance, dedication and advice that made this
undertaking successful. Thanks as well to my committee members, Robert James, Ronnie
Janoff-Bulman and Susan Whitboumc fortheirtime and helpful suggestions throughout
this process.
I wish to extend a special thanks to Sean Deardorff, my research assistant who was
indispensable for helping to oversee exercise groups, collect data, conduct library research,
and score anxiety measures. I also would like to acknowledge Richard Ginsburg, whose
further assistance with data collection and scoring was greatly appreciated.
Finally, 1 must thank my family fortheir encouragement during the past yearof
conducting this investigation, and overthe course of my graduate training in general.
Most importantly, I once again thank my wife, whose continued support and faith in me
made the completion ofthis projectpossible.
IV
ABSTRACT
COGNITIVE GROUP THERAPY AND EXERCISE
IN THE TREATMENT OF ANXIETY AND STRESS
MAY
1995
DEREK J. McENTEE, B. S., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST
M.S., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST
Ph.D., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST
Directed by: Professor Richard P. Halgin
The purpose ofthis study was to examine the effects ofcognitive group therapy,
aerobic exercise, ortheir combination, on anxiety and stress in college students. Sixty
subjects were recruited from a large undergraduate abnormal psychology class. Fifty-three
volunteered to participate in the study, and were divided into three experimental groups
using matched random assignment. Treatment took place over a six-week period, and
groups were labelled as follows; (#1) Cognitive group therapy only, (#2) Aerobic exercise
only, and (#3) Cognitive group therapy combined with aerobic exercise. There was also a
no-treatment control group (#4) of 17 subjects, consisting ofstudents enrolled in a different
course option unrelated to the study. All groups were administered the State-Trait Anxiety
Inventory (STAI), the SCL-90-R, and measures ofperceived fitness and anxiety before and
immediately following the study. The STAI and the perceived measures were also
administered after a two-month follow-up. The following hypotheses were presented. (1)
Is participation in either aerobic exercise, cognitive group therapy, or the combination of
both treatments more effective in reducing anxiety than involvement in a no-treatment
control group? (2) Are exercise and cognitive group therapy equally as effective in
v
reducing anxiety? (3) Is a combination oftreatments more effective in reducing anxiety
than one treatment? (4) Can anxiety reduction be maintained overtime? Results indicated
that all interventions were equally effective in reducing anxiety, both combined or
individually, as compared to no intervention. Combining cognitive group therapy and
exercise was not significantly more effective than either individual treatment. Furthermore,
although a trend was present, most effects were not maintained aftertwo months. The lack
oflonger-term effects may have been due to insufficient sample size and power, orthe
possibility thatthese interventions were effective in changing transient states but not
established traits. Subjects reported that components from both treatments were effective
in attenuating anxiety, and identified a numberofpossible mechanisms responsible for
these changes. Further research examining the effects ofcombining exercise with other
therapeutic treatments is warranted.
vi
7
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ABSTRACT
v
LIST OF TABLES
LIST OF FIGURES
x
jj
Chapter
INTRODUCTION
1.
1
Anxiety 2
Definition and Prevalence 2
Anxiety vs. Stress 3
State Anxiety vs. Trait Anxiety 4
Theoretical Conceptualizations ofAnxiety 5
Psychodynamic/Psychoanalytic Theory 6
Learning Theory 6
Cognitive Theory 8
Exercise and Psychological Functioning 11
Literature Reviews 12
Criticisms and Possible Negative Effects 13
Prevention ofPsychological Disorder 14
Well-being and Mood 14
Personality Traits 15
Treatment ofPsychological Disorder 15
Effecton Depression 15
16
Effect on Anxiety
Exercise and Psychotherapy 1
vii
Comparing Exercise and Therapy
17
Combining Exercise and Therapy
IX
The Therapeutic Discussion ofExercise 19
Exercise as a Therapy Component
19
Limitations and Future Directions 21
Proposed Explanations forthe Psychological Benefits ofExercise 22
Major Biological Mechanisms 22
Thermogenic Model 22
Amine Hypothesis 23
Endorphin Hypothesis 23
Major Psychological Mechanisms 23
Mastery Hypothesis 23
Distraction Hypothesis 24
Social Interaction Hypothesis 24
Summary ofMechanisms 25
METHOD
2. 26
Introduction 26
Subjects 26
Ethical Considerations 26
Selection 26
Requirements and Screening 27
28
Instruments
State-Trait Anxiety Inventory 29
Development and Applications 29
Description and Administration 30
Reliability and Validity 31
32
SCL-90-R
32
Development and Applications
33
Description and Administration
Reliability and Validity 3^
viii