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Aging and Anxiety: Intrusive Thoughts as a Barrier to Healthy Aging Bethany Teachman, Ph.D., School of Psychology Joshua Magee, M.A., School of Psychology Jefferson Area Board for Aging Intrusive thoughts are unpleasant but familiar visitors to the minds of most adults. From nagging worries about one’s health to jarring thoughts about a partner being in a car accident, these thoughts encompass a broad range of life concerns. This collaborative study examines age differences in intrusive thoughts and consequent distress. Studying intrusive thoughts in older adults is important because intrusive thoughts are central to a range of problems, including anxiety, depression, and insomnia, not to mention impairment in everyday functions, such as problem solving and decision-making. As a result, preventing and alleviating anxiety due to intrusive thoughts in older adults is especially critical for promoting healthy and independent living. Preliminary evidence points to the meanings individuals give to their intrusive thoughts as influencing whether individuals have minimal, fleeting effects of intrusive thoughts, or develop disabling problems (Rachman, 1997). For example, an individual who interprets an intrusive thought as being indicative of cognitive decline (“Maybe having this thought means I’m losing my mind!”) is more likely to experience disabling problems with anxiety than a person who simply dismisses the thought as meaningless. The current study examines younger and older adults’ interpretations of intrusive thoughts, to see whether older adults may be vulnerable to different, age-relevant maladaptive meanings, such as interpreting an intrusive thought as a sign of cognitive decline. Additionally, the study involves anxiety/intrusive thought workshops that provide dissemination of psychoeducation about anxiety and intrusive thoughts to older adults, while simultaneously collecting qualitative information about the experience of intrusive thoughts in older adults. This research will be a first step toward establishing and disseminating older-adult inclusive theories, assessments and treatments for difficulties with anxiety and intrusive thoughts.