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

"In worry postponement, participants are instructed to learn to notice naturally occurring episodes of worry. When they notice they are worrying they are instructed to disengage from their worry and postpone it to a designated 30 minute worry period to be carried out at the same time and place daily during the two week intervention. Participants are to use their worry time to worry about problems that have come up during the day and to problem solve where appropriate."

For two weeks participants are instructed to monitor their worry using a smartphone based application. Participants are instructed to make a record each time they have a worry episode by briefly describing the content of their worry. Participants also complete two brief daily questionnaires about the duration of their worry, the intensity of their worry, their ability to disengage from their worry, and the occurrence of nighttime episodes of worry.