Psychophysiological correlates of chronic worry: Cued versus non-cued fear reaction

Worry has been defined as a chain of thoughts and images that promote mental attempts to avoid anticipation of potential threats. From this perspective worry can be conceptualized as a state of anticipatory anxiety or non-cued fear reaction. The present study examines high and low chronic worriers during cued and non-cued defense reaction paradigms and during resting and self-induced worry periods. The non-cued procedure was based on the cardiac defense paradigm, whereas the cued procedure was based on the startle probe paradigm using pleasant, neutral and unpleasant pictures as cues. High worriers, compared to low worriers, showed (a) a greater cardiac defense response in the non-cued fear response paradigm, (b) no differences in eye-blink in the startle probe paradigm, (c) reduced skin conductance reactivity during the startle probe paradigm and (d) reduced Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia, accompanied by increased respiratory rate and decreased expiratory period, during the resting period. These results support the notion of chronic worry as a state of anticipatory anxiety, accompanied by indices of reduced vagal control, that modulates non-cued defense reactions.