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A Meta-Analysis of Conditioned Fear Generalization in Anxiety-Related Disorders

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Title: A Meta-Analysis of Conditioned Fear Generalization in Anxiety-Related Disorders
Authors: Samuel Emerson Cooper, Evi-Anne van Dis, Muriel Hagenaars, Angelos-Miltiadis Krypotos, Charles Nemeroff, Shmuel Lissek, Iris Engelhard, Joseph E. Dunsmoor
Contributors: Experimental psychopathology, Leerstoel Engelhard
Source: Neuropsychopharmacology. 47:1652-1661
Publisher Information: Center for Open Science, 2022.
Publication Year: 2022
Subject Terms: Conditioning, Classical/physiology, Conditioning, Classical, Anxiety/psychology, Generalization, Anxiety, Generalization, Psychological, MECHANISMS, Fear/physiology, 03 medical and health sciences, 0302 clinical medicine, SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being, Taverne, Humans, Generalization, Psychological/physiology, Pharmacology & Pharmacy, 11 Medical and Health Sciences, Pharmacology, Psychiatry, Science & Technology, Neurosciences, PSYCHOPATHOLOGY, Anxiety Disorders/psychology, OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER, Fear, EXPOSURE THERAPY, Anxiety Disorders, OVERGENERALIZATION, 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, MODEL, Psychiatry and Mental health, EXTINCTION, 5202 Biological psychology, Psychological/physiology, 3209 Neurosciences, Classical/physiology, Neurosciences & Neurology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Conditioning
Description: Objective: Generalization of conditioned fear is adaptive in some situations but maladaptive when fear excessively generalizes to innocuous stimuli with incidental resemblance to a genuine threat cue. Recently, empirical interest in fear generalization as a transdiagnostic explanatory mechanism underlying anxiety-related disorders has accelerated. As there are now several studies of fear generalization across multiple types of anxiety-related disorders, the authors conducted a meta-analysis of studies reporting behavioral measures (subjective ratings and psychophysiological indices) of fear generalization in anxiety-related disorder vs. comparison groups.Method: We conducted systematic searches of electronic databases (conducted from January-October 2020) for fear generalization studies involving anxiety-related disorder groups or subclinical analogue groups. A total of 300 records were full-text screened and two unpublished datasets were obtained, yielding 16 studies reporting behavioral fear generalization. Random-effects meta-analytic models and meta-regressions were applied to the behavioral data.Results: Fear generalization was significantly heightened in anxiety-related disorder participants (N=439) relative to comparison participants (N=428). We did not identify any significant clinical, sample, or methodological moderators. Conclusion: Heightened fear generalization is quantitatively supported as distinguishing anxiety-related disorder groups from comparison groups. Evidence suggests this effect is transdiagnostic, relatively robust to experimental or sample parameters, and that generalization paradigms are a well-supported framework for neurobehavioral investigations of learning and emotion in anxiety-related disorders. We discuss these findings in the context of prior meta-analyses and future directions and challenges for the field.
Document Type: Article
File Description: application/pdf
ISSN: 1740-634X
0893-133X
DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/q6zfh
DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01332-2
Access URL: https://psyarxiv.com/q6zfh/download
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35501429
https://dspace.library.uu.nl/handle/1874/421988
Rights: CC BY
Springer TDM
taverne
Accession Number: edsair.doi.dedup.....7fe50bab02e6512c66dc51a9d5ec814f
Database: OpenAIRE
Description
Abstract:Objective: Generalization of conditioned fear is adaptive in some situations but maladaptive when fear excessively generalizes to innocuous stimuli with incidental resemblance to a genuine threat cue. Recently, empirical interest in fear generalization as a transdiagnostic explanatory mechanism underlying anxiety-related disorders has accelerated. As there are now several studies of fear generalization across multiple types of anxiety-related disorders, the authors conducted a meta-analysis of studies reporting behavioral measures (subjective ratings and psychophysiological indices) of fear generalization in anxiety-related disorder vs. comparison groups.Method: We conducted systematic searches of electronic databases (conducted from January-October 2020) for fear generalization studies involving anxiety-related disorder groups or subclinical analogue groups. A total of 300 records were full-text screened and two unpublished datasets were obtained, yielding 16 studies reporting behavioral fear generalization. Random-effects meta-analytic models and meta-regressions were applied to the behavioral data.Results: Fear generalization was significantly heightened in anxiety-related disorder participants (N=439) relative to comparison participants (N=428). We did not identify any significant clinical, sample, or methodological moderators. Conclusion: Heightened fear generalization is quantitatively supported as distinguishing anxiety-related disorder groups from comparison groups. Evidence suggests this effect is transdiagnostic, relatively robust to experimental or sample parameters, and that generalization paradigms are a well-supported framework for neurobehavioral investigations of learning and emotion in anxiety-related disorders. We discuss these findings in the context of prior meta-analyses and future directions and challenges for the field.
ISSN:1740634X
0893133X
DOI:10.31234/osf.io/q6zfh