Short-Term Efficacy and Mechanisms of Change of a Worry Postponement Intervention for Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Worry postponement is a commonly recommended treatment component in cognitive behavioral therapy for Generalized Anxiety Disorder in which people are asked to postpone naturally occurring instances of worry to a designated 30 minute "worry period" later in the day. Despite being commonly recommended, there is little known about the efficacy and mechanisms of worry postponement. The purpose of this study is to determine the efficacy and mechanisms of change of a two-week worry postponement intervention in people with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Ninety subjects with generalized anxiety disorder will be randomly assigned to two weeks of daily worry postponement, two weeks of worry monitoring, or an assessment only control condition. Changes in worry or associated features will be examined at post intervention and at a 2-week follow up.