Perceived Control and Appraisal of Obsessional Intrusive Thoughts: A Replication and Extension

The present study had two purposes: 1) to examine the relationship between tendency to experience obsessional intrusive thoughts and tendency to worry; 2) to replicate and extend earlier findings (Purdon and Clark, 1993, 1994) on appraisal and thought suppression strategies in the persistence and control of obsessional intrusive thoughts. A sample of 160 college students were administered the Revised Obsessional Intrusions Inventory (ROII), the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the White Bear Suppression Inventory (WBSI). The ROII total score had minimal association with worry, trait thought suppression, or depressive symptoms, thereby supporting the distinctiveness of obsessional intrusive thoughts. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that cognitive appraisal, especially worries that the intrusion might come true in real life, accounted for a significant amount of variance in thought frequency and controllability. Thought suppression strategies accounted for substantially less variance in both frequency and control of intrusive thoughts. The results are discussed in terms of their support for Rachman's (1993) and Salkovskis' (1985, 1989) theories regarding the role of personal responsibility in the persistence of obsession-like intrusive thoughts.

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Personality and Worry: The Role of Intolerance of Uncertainty

Social Behavior and Personality An International Journal ◽

10.2224/sbp.2015.43.10.1607 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 43 (10) ◽

pp. 1607-1616 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Zhihui Yang ◽

Ruiming Wang ◽

Hui Chen ◽

Jiali Ding

Keyword(s):

Intolerance Of Uncertainty ◽

Personality Factors ◽

Eysenck Personality Questionnaire ◽

Personality Questionnaire ◽

Mediation Model ◽

Penn State Worry Questionnaire ◽

Penn State ◽

State Worry ◽

The Relationship

We examined the relationship between personality and worry, and tested a mediation model in which intolerance of uncertainty (IU) mediated this relationship. Participants comprised 1,135 Chinese college undergraduates who completed the Chinese versions of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire, the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale, and the Revised Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Short Scale for Chinese. Results showed that neuroticism, extraversion, and IU were significantly correlated with worry. The paths between personality (neuroticism and extraversion) and worry, and the paths mediated by IU, were significant. Participants' IU mediated the relationship between personality factors of neuroticism and extraversion, and worry. The results indicated that IU can be considered as a partial mediator of the relationship between personality and worry.

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Examining social support and its relation to worry in Malaysia

Journal of Pacific Rim Psychology ◽

10.1017/prp.2019.18 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 13 ◽

Author(s):

Aneesa Binti Ahmad Saifuddin ◽

Cai Lian Tam ◽

Peng Chong Lim ◽

Gregory Bonn

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Sense Of Belonging ◽

Perceived Social Support ◽

Secure Base ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

Penn State Worry Questionnaire ◽

Penn State ◽

Pathological Worry ◽

State Worry

Abstract This study examined the role of social support in managing worry among a sample of Malaysian adults. An online questionnaire was completed by 136 participants (age M = 34, SD = 7.65; 71% female, 29% male). Each wrote open-ended, essay-type descriptions of their experiences with social support in relation to worry, as well as completing measures of pathological worry (Penn State Worry Questionnaire), normal worry (Worry Domains Questionnaire), and perceived social support (Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support). Results indicated that young adults experienced a higher degree of normal worry compared to older adults, but pathological worry was not significantly different between the two groups. No significant differences in worry were found in relation to gender, ethnicity or marital status. Perceived social support was negatively related to levels of both normal and pathological worry. Qualitative analyses pointed towards four important roles for social support: providing a sense of belonging and security, providing emotional relief or catharsis, helping to reappraise situations, and facilitating problem-solving and decision-making. The role of social support as a secure base that facilitates emotion management and helps to ground thinking is discussed.

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Normative data for the Dutch version of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire

Netherlands journal of psychology ◽

10.1007/bf03080129 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 65 (2) ◽

pp. 69-75 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Colin van der Heiden ◽

Peter Muris ◽

Arjan E. R. Bos ◽

Henk van der Molen ◽

Martijn Oostra

Keyword(s):

Normative Data ◽

Dutch Version ◽

Penn State Worry Questionnaire ◽

Penn State ◽

State Worry

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Penn State Worry Questionnaire in emotional disorders: validation and normative data for Portuguese population

British Journal of Guidance and Counselling ◽

10.1080/03069885.2021.1897969 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

João Tiago Oliveira ◽

Divo Faustino ◽

Fátima Freitas ◽

Miguel M. Gonçalves ◽

Eugénia Ribeiro ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Emotional Disorders ◽

Normative Data ◽

Portuguese Population ◽

Penn State Worry Questionnaire ◽

Penn State ◽

State Worry

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Worry and perceived risk of contagion during the COVID-19 quarantine in the Jalisco population: Preliminary Study

Salud Mental ◽

10.17711/sm.0185-3325.2020.035 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 43 (6) ◽

pp. 253-261

Author(s):

Jesua Iván Guzmán-González ◽

Franco Giordano Sánchez-García ◽

Saúl Ramírez-de los Santos ◽

Francisco Gutiérrez-Rodríguez ◽

David Palomino-Esparza ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Perceived Risk ◽

Preventive Measures ◽

Indirect Measure ◽

Health Crisis ◽

Penn State Worry Questionnaire ◽

Study Results ◽

Penn State ◽

The Face ◽

State Worry

Introduction. Preventive measures taken during periods of health crisis, specifically in pandemics, have consistently been associated with detrimental effects on mental health. Isolation and loneliness are indirect effects of these preventive measures. Given these premises, monitoring the behavior of the population in the face of these eventualities becomes important. Worry as an indirect measure of anxiety and stress enables one to recognize subjects who are vulnerable to phenomena of high uncertainty, since measures taken to avoid excessive contagion can have high costs for this population. This phenomenon has been consistently observed in other pandemics such as H1/N1 influenza. Objective. To determine the prevalence of worry and perceived risk of contagion in the Guadalajara population during the COVID-19 quarantine and to identify differentiating effects. Method. A total of 255 people from western Mexico (Guadalajara, Jalisco) voluntarily participated by answering the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) adapted to Mexican population. The average age of the respondents, aged between 18 and 70 years, was 31.71 (± 5.19). A total of 170 women and 85 men participated in the study. Results. 40.12% of the population scored high levels of worry, making them vulnerable to mental health conditions. Subjects favored the prevention of a contagion regardless of whether they were self-isolated. The only variable that had a differential effect was sex (p < .05), and there were no differences in educational attainment, occupational demandingness, and isolation between the groups. Discussion and conclusion. A preventive attitude was observed among the participants, and so it is important to implement strategies that will prevent mental health costs in those who express excessive worry to avoid saturating mental health services.

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The Impacts of Propensity to Worry and Fear of COVID-19 on Mental Health of University Students

International Journal of Psychology and Educational Studies ◽

10.52380/ijpes.2021.8.4.591 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. 57-66

Author(s):

Hacer BELEN

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

University Students ◽

Emotional Stability ◽

Anxiety Symptoms ◽

Health Issues ◽

Penn State Worry Questionnaire ◽

Penn State ◽

State Worry ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship

Epidemics and pandemics are difficult periods for the affected community, specifically in the proliferation of mental health issues. In such adverse times, factors of psychological vulnerability such as propensity to worry and low emotional stability might have a detrimental effect on the mental health of the individuals. To investigate the impact of such factors on mental health, this study examined the impacts of propensity to worry and fear of COVID-19 on anxiety depending on the individuals’ levels of emotional stability. As a means of such investigation, this study was conducted based on quantitative data, and the research sample was selected using a convenient sampling method. Participants included 304 university students (71.6% were women and 28.4% were men; MAge = 22.37 ± 3.04) and responded to the Penn State Worry Questionnaire, Fear of COVID-19 Scale, Symptom Checklist-90 Revised, and 10-Item Personality Inventory. The moderated mediation analysis using PROCESS macro (Model 14) was performed to examine the study hypotheses. Results revealed that propensity to worry was associated with anxiety symptoms. Fear of COVID-19 mediated this link and emotional stability moderated the relationship between propensity to worry and anxiety. The findings showed that trait worry, trait emotional stability, and fear of COVID-19 are determinants of anxiety symptoms, suggesting that such factors are important in understanding these issues.

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