Final answer:
The adaptive function of worry in GAD is to alert individuals to threats and initiate problem-solving but becomes maladaptive when worry is excessive. The presence of GAD may also be influenced by noradrenergic abnormalities that amplify stress responses. Comorbid conditions can exacerbate GAD symptoms and reinforce anxiety.
Step-by-step explanation:
Adaptive functions of worry in Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) serve as a cognitive mechanism that can potentially alert an individual to threats, prompting problem-solving strategies. However, these functions can become maladaptive when they lead to excessive and uncontrollable worry that characterizes GAD. The theory suggests that worry may initially help by inhibiting vivid imagery and associated somatic arousal, offering a short-term reduction in distress. This negative reinforcement of worry makes it more likely to persist as a coping strategy, despite its long-term unhelpfulness. Additionally, worry may serve as a cognitive avoidance strategy, which paradoxically maintains anxiety in GAD by preventing disconfirmation of feared outcomes and the processing of emotions. Over time, this strengthens the disorder by reinforcing the anxiety "habit" and avoiding adaptive coping.
From a biological perspective, individuals with GAD may have abnormalities in noradrenergic function, which can amplify the body's stress response, making the experience of worry more intense and compelling. This biological sensitivity to stress can strengthen the cycle of worry and anxiety.
Furthermore, the presence of comorbid conditions, such as cardiovascular diseases or respiratory illnesses like asthma, may exacerbate the symptoms of GAD, creating a more complex and challenging clinical picture that reinforcing anxiety-related behaviors.