A Novel Measure of Real-Time Perseverative Thought

2021 ◽  
pp. 216770262110380
Author(s):  
Elizabeth C. Wade ◽  
Rivka T. Cohen ◽  
Paddy Loftus ◽  
Ayelet Meron Ruscio

Perseverative thinking (PT), or repetitive negative thinking, has historically been measured using global self-report scales. New methods of assessment are needed to advance understanding of this inherently temporal process. We developed an intensive longitudinal method for assessing PT. A mixed sample of 77 individuals ranging widely in trait PT, including persons with PT-related disorders (generalized anxiety disorder, major depression) and persons without psychopathology, used a joystick to provide continuous ratings of thought valence and intensity following exposure to scenarios of differing valence. Joystick responses were robustly predicted by trait PT, clinical status, and stimulus valence. Higher trait perseverators exhibited more extreme joystick values overall, greater stability in values following threatening and ambiguous stimuli, weaker stability in values following positive stimuli, and greater inertia in values following ambiguous stimuli. The joystick method is a promising measure with the potential to shed new light on the dynamics and precipitants of perseverative thinking.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caitlin Hitchcock ◽  
Renee Brown ◽  
Vanessa E. Cobham

This paper sought to provide the first validation of a transdiagnostic measure of repetitive negative thinking – the Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire- Child version (PTQ-C) – in young people diagnosed with anxiety and depressive disorders. Participants (N=114) were 11-17 year-olds with complex and comorbid presentations seeking treatment through Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. Confirmatory factor analyses best supported a three-factor model for the PTQ-C, however, hypotheses of both perfect and close fit were rejected. Results demonstrated good internal consistency, convergent validity and divergent validity for the three PTQ-S subscales; core characteristics, perceived unproductiveness and consumed mental capacity of negative repetitive thinking. PTQ-C scores did not account for additional variance in anxiety symptoms once worry was considered, indicating that retention of a content specific measure may be warranted in clinical samples. Findings suggest that PTQ-C subscales not total scores should be used with clinical samples, and emphasise the importance of validating clinically relevant measures which were developed with subclinical populations in samples with diagnosed mental health disorders.


2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 442-453
Author(s):  
Lee Kannis-Dymand ◽  
Emily Hughes ◽  
Kate Mulgrew ◽  
Janet D. Carter ◽  
Steven Love

AbstractBackground:Metacognition and perfectionism are factors found to be associated with both anxiety and depression. A common component that underlies these factors is the influence of perseverance, or the tendency to continue a behaviour or thought even if it is no longer productive.Aims:This study aimed to investigate the relationships between metacognitive beliefs with maladaptive aspects of perfectionism (i.e. perseverance behaviours), and their relation to anxiety and depression.Method:Participants (n = 1033) completed six self-report questionnaires measuring metacognitive beliefs about rumination and worry, perseverance, anxiety and depression. Data were analysed using correlational testing, and structural equation modelling.Results:Results of structural equation modelling revealed that positive metacognitive beliefs about repetitive negative thinking increased the likelihood to perceive the thinking as uncontrollable, and that perseverance behaviours were predicted by all metacognitive beliefs. Furthermore, examination of partial correlations revealed that both negative metacognitive beliefs about repetitive negative thinking and perseverance behaviours predicted anxiety and depression; however, negative metacognitive beliefs were the strongest predictor, in both cases.Conclusions:The results provided support for current metacognitive models, in that the interpretation of cognitive perseveration sequentially influences psychopathology, but also provided insight into the inclusion of perseveration behaviours. Furthermore, the findings may also have value in a clinical setting, as targeting metacognitive beliefs in the presence of perseverance type behaviours may prove beneficial for treatment.


2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel E. Gustavson ◽  
Alta du Pont ◽  
Mark A. Whisman ◽  
Akira Miyake

Recent theoretical advances have emphasized the commonality between rumination and worry, often referred to as repetitive negative thinking. Although not studied extensively, repetitive negative thinking may not only account for a substantial overlap between depression and anxiety symptoms but also encapsulate other constructs including one’s tendency to experience unwanted intrusive thoughts or have low levels of mindfulness. In this study, 643 college students completed self-report questionnaire measures of repetitive negative thinking (the Habit Index of Negative Thinking) and other relevant constructs including rumination, worry, depression and anxiety symptoms, intrusive thoughts, and mindfulness. To analyze the data, we conducted systematic commonality analyses, which algebraically decomposed shared variances among these measures into various unique components. Results in Study 1 indicated that individual differences in repetitive negative thinking were explained largely by the overlap between rumination and worry, but also by some rumination-specific and worry-specific variance. Moreover, the shared variation in rumination and worry explained the frequencies of depression and anxiety symptoms and their overlap. We also found in Study 2 that repetitive negative thinking was positively related to intrusive thoughts and negatively related to mindfulness. These associations were mostly explained by shared variance with rumination and worry, but there was also some mindfulness-specific variance. These results suggest that repetitive negative thinking may indeed lie at the core of the comorbidity between depression and anxiety symptoms, but that it is also a broader construct that encompasses intrusive thoughts and low levels of mindfulness.


2011 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 225-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Ehring ◽  
Ulrike Zetsche ◽  
Kathrin Weidacker ◽  
Karina Wahl ◽  
Sabine Schönfeld ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 201-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seth Tichenor ◽  
J. Scott Yaruss

Purpose Prior research has explored how repetitive negative thinking (RNT) contributes to both the increased persistence and severity of various disorders, such as depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. This study explored the potential role of RNT in the experience of stuttering, with a particular focus on the relationship between RNT, adverse impact, and certain temperament profiles. Method Three hundred thirteen adults who stutter completed a measurement of the frequency/severity of RNT (Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire; Ehring et al., 2011 ), 207 completed a temperament profile (Adult Temperament Questionnaire; Evans & Rothbart, 2007 ), and 205 completed a measurement of adverse stuttering impact (Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering; Yaruss & Quesal, 2016 ). Analyses were conducted within and across instruments to ascertain how RNT, temperament markers, and adverse impact interrelate within individuals. Results Results indicated that RNT significantly predicts Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering impact scores with great effect and that certain temperament markers (specifically, Effortful Control and Negative Affectivity) moderate this relationship for specific sections of the Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering. Conclusion By assessing RNT in people who stutter, clinicians can better understand individual differences in their clients, and this will allow them to make targeted diagnoses and develop more tailored intervention plans.


SLEEP ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. A95-A95
Author(s):  
C Acenowr ◽  
M Coles ◽  
E Stewart

Abstract Introduction Insomnia is associated with increased repetitive negative thinking (RNT) and poor attentional control. There is increasing interest in the relevance of these processes for psychopathology. For example, Cox, Cole, Kramer and Olatunji (2018) proposed that focusing and shifting in attentional control may help explain the link between sleep disturbance and RNT. In support, attentional focus was found to be significant in the relationship between insomnia and RNT. As this study looked at disorder-specific measures of RNT and only insomnia, the current study aimed to replicate and extend the findings by also examining circadian sleep disruption and transdiagnostic RNT. Methods The current study included 127 participants. Sleep disruption was assessed by the SLEEP-50 (Spoormaker, Verbeek, van den Bout & Klip, 2005). This measure provides several subscale scores, including disruption in circadian rhythms and insomnia. The Attentional Control Scale (Derryberry & Reed, 2002) is a measure of attentional focus and shifting which was also utilized. Lastly, the Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire (Ehring et al., 2011) is a widely used transdiagnostic measure of RNT. Results Pearson’s Correlations indicated that both insomnia and circadian disruptions were significantly associated with RNT (insomnia, r=.27; circadian, r=.24). Mirroring the results of Cox, Cole, Kramer and Olatunji, attentional focus was significant (insomnia, r=-.29; circadian, r=-.28), whereas attentional shift was not (insomnia, r=.02; circadian, r=.06). Conclusion The connection between sleep disruption and factors that contribute to psychopathology needs to be better understood. This study differentiates types of attention and their relation to insomnia and circadian sleep disruption, and RNT. If attentional focus can link sleep disruption and RNT, clinicians can move one step closer to understanding the development of risk factors that may jeopardize an individual. Support n/a


2012 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 102-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Ehring ◽  
Filip Raes ◽  
Kathrin Weidacker ◽  
Paul M. G. Emmelkamp

Repetitive negative thinking (RNT) has been shown to be involved in the maintenance of a variety of emotional problems. In addition, earlier research found that different forms of RNT such as worry and rumination show very similar characteristics. It was therefore suggested that RNT is best conceptualized as a transdiagnostic process. The Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire (PTQ) was developed as a content-independent measure of RNT to allow research into this process from a transdiagnostic perspective. In a recent study, good psychometric properties were established for the original German and English versions of the measure. The current study describes the crossvalidation of the PTQ in two Dutch-speaking samples, one from the Netherlands and one from Belgium (total N = 1,845). The factor structure of the original PTQ with one higher-order factor and three lower-order factors was replicated for the Dutch-language version of the measure (PTQ-NL) using confirmatory factor analyses. In addition, the PTQ-NL showed good internal consistency and satisfactory stability. The validity of the measure was supported by substantial correlations with existing measures of RNT as well as with symptom levels of depression and anxiety.


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