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Abstract
The frequently reported absence of significant correlations between patient rating
scales and physiological measures has led to the belief that patients cannot reliably
perceive physiological changes that are experienced under conditions of stress. To
determine whether or not this conclusion is justified for patients with clinical anxiety,
self-reports and psychophysiological recordings were examined and compared in 20 patients
suffering from generalized anxiety disorder. No systematic correlations were found
between patient ratings and physiological measures of somatic symptomatology during
periods of rest or psychological stress (Stroop Test). However, parallel directional
changes in the two sets of measures were observed upon exposure to stress, indicating
that patients could accurately report the direction, but not the degree, of changes
in physical symptoms of anxiety. These results suggest that patient reports of physical
symptoms such as sweating and rapid heart rate can be useful in clinical evaluation
and research settings that do not require quantitative assessment of physiological
activity.
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Article info
Publication history
Received in revised form:
September 24,
1985
Received:
July 12,
1985
Footnotes
☆Supported in part by NIMH Grant MH35435-02 and by a grant from the Upjohn Co., Kalamazoo, MI.
Identification
Copyright
© 1986 Published by Elsevier Inc.
