Why worry? Understanding what keeps worry going

Summary

​​The purpose of the study is to help us understand what makes worry persistent in some people and explore different ways to help reduce worry. Previous studies have found that behavioural training to help regulate emotions, which involves teaching people new skills to cope with difficult emotions, can help reduce anxiety or other negative emotions, and we want to see if this training can help reduce worry.  

​​The study takes place online and people who take part will be compensated for their time. The online session will involve completing some questionnaires about anxiety, worry, and mood and several different tasks. The tasks include: identifying current worry topics and thinking about them for a few minutes, reading, thinking, and answering questions about everyday life scenarios, and at two points in the session engaging in a brief breathing exercise during which you’ll be asked to rate your thoughts at various points. ​ 

​The study is recruiting people aged 18+ who reside in the UK and struggle with worry, and therefore we will invite participants from the Genetic Links to Anxiety and Depression (GLAD) Study, part of the NIHR BioResource, to take part in this research. Results from the study will inform treatments for worry and generalised anxiety disorder, and thus aims to improve treatments and outcomes for future patients.