Effects of Relaxation Training on the Anxiety Level of Culturally Disadvantaged Adolescents

Effects of Relaxation Training on the Anxiety Level of Culturally Disadvantaged Adolescents
Author: Verlynn E. Williams
Publisher:
Total Pages: 158
Release: 2005
Genre: Anxiety disorders
ISBN: 9781109903263

This study specifically examined the efficacy of relaxation training in significantly reducing the indices of psychological, behavioral, and physiological distress as they relate to anxiety. Also investigated were differential effects of relaxation as a function of both age and gender. Primary outcome variables were aggression, anxiety, impulsivity, hyperactivity, anxiety-related worry, short-term memory, attention span, and physiological indicators of stress. Forty highly anxious adolescents, ages 12--16, were randomly assigned to either the experimental or control condition. Experimental subjects received fifteen 30-minute sessions of relaxation training over an eight week period. The control group did not receive treatment but did participate in pre-test and post-test evaluation. Data analysis at the .05 level or better revealed statistically significant differences between these groups in all primary areas with effect sizes being generally large. However, these findings did not support the influence of the variables age and gender on predicting treatment response. The results of this investigation demonstrated the utility of relaxation training in treating anxiety disorder in youths and the concomitants generally associated with it, irrespective of either age or gender.

Anxiety in Childhood and Adolescence

Anxiety in Childhood and Adolescence
Author: Frank Carter
Publisher:
Total Pages: 130
Release: 2017-09-06
Genre: Anxiety in adolescence
ISBN: 9781138932616

Many counter-productive behaviours in children may be anxiety-related and in this book, originally published in 1988, the authors proposed that a disabling level of tension and stress experienced by many children frequently goes unrecognised. This often leads to failure to analyse psychological and educational problems and inappropriate ways of dealing with them. This book was aimed at all professional staff working with children, particularly educational and clinical psychologists and teachers. The book is however written in a jargon-free manner and should have wide appeal. The authors show how tension reduction therapy can help children overcome many problems which may manifest themselves as disturbed behaviour, poor sleep patterns, anorexia, school phobia, or poor relationship-making skills. As an extreme example it is shown how significant gains can be made by cerebral palsied children using these approaches. The book, however, is not just a manual of relaxation training; it advocates a less stress-inducing approach generally to working with children, and gives many case studies.