Defensive mobilization in specific phobia: fear specificity, negative affectivity, and diagnostic prominence.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Understanding of exaggerated responsivity in specific phobia-its physiology and neural mediators-has advanced considerably. However, despite strong phenotypic evidence that prominence of specific phobia relative to co-occurring conditions (i.e., principal versus nonprincipal disorder) is associated with dramatic differences in subjective distress, there is yet no consideration of such comorbidity issues on objective defensive reactivity.

Methods

A community sample of specific phobia (n = 74 principal; n = 86 nonprincipal) and control (n = 76) participants imagined threatening and neutral events while acoustic startle probes were presented and eyeblinks (orbicularis occuli) recorded. Changes in heart rate, skin conductance level, and facial expressivity were also m

SUBMITTER: McTeague LM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3369023 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature