scholarly journals Counterfactual thinking and repetitive thought in social anxiety

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Monforton
Keyword(s):  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Learned Helplessness ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Counterfactual Thinking ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Specific Content ◽  
Repetitive Thought ◽  
Self Blame ◽  
Group 2 ◽  
The Relationship

Research suggests that those experiencing Social Anxiety (SA) symptoms are more likely to engage in repetitive thought (RT), including upward counterfactual thinking (U-CFT). Findings indicate that these cognitive patterns may lead to deleterious thoughts and emotions, particularly when U-CFT focuses on non-repeatable, uncontrollable situations and negative self-appraisals. The present dissertation consisted of two complementary studies. Study 1 attempted to 1) validate new measures of state and trait U-CFT, 2) examine the relationship between U-CFT and established measures of RT and mood, and 3) explore the relationship between SA symptoms and counterfactual thinking within a student population. Results indicated that the U-CFT-S (trait measure of U-CFT) and the Counterfactual Likelihood scales (state measure of U-CFT) evidenced sound psychometrics in terms of internal consistency, factor structure, and relationships with related questionnaires. Factor analyses revealed that the Maladaptive U-CFT-S scale clustered with negative mood, rumination, and learned helplessness, while the Adaptive U-CFT subscale clustered with measures of positive mood and self-efficacy. Finally, symptoms of SA correlated positively with state and trait U-CFT generation. Study 2 1) compared patterns of U-CFT and emotions such as guilt and self-blame between a diagnosed Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) group and a Healthy Control (HC) group 2) determined if disorder-specific content impacts U-CFT generation, and 3) piloted a brief, CBT-based, video intervention targeting maladaptive U-CFT. Results indicated that the SAD group evidenced higher amounts of U-CFT in response to the socially-based scenarios than the HC group and in response to social than non-social scenarios. The SAD group evidenced higher levels of unhelpful emotions (e.g., guilt) both pre- and post-CFT generation than HC participants. Finally, the CBT intervention was generally unsuccessful at reducing maladaptive U-CFT, but was more likely to be effective among SAD than HC participants. Implications of this dissertation include: 1) the benefit of including state- and trait-based measures of U-CFT in future research, 2) the importance of conceptualizing U-CFT as a multifaceted construct, 3) addressing that those with SAD are engaging in maladaptive U-CFT and experiencing consequent guilt and self-blame, and 4) the direction of creating more comprehensive, brief interventions aimed at targeting maladaptive U-CFT.

scholarly journals Counterfactual thinking and repetitive thought in social anxiety

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Monforton
Keyword(s):  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Learned Helplessness ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Counterfactual Thinking ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Specific Content ◽  
Repetitive Thought ◽  
Self Blame ◽  
Group 2 ◽  
The Relationship

Research suggests that those experiencing Social Anxiety (SA) symptoms are more likely to engage in repetitive thought (RT), including upward counterfactual thinking (U-CFT). Findings indicate that these cognitive patterns may lead to deleterious thoughts and emotions, particularly when U-CFT focuses on non-repeatable, uncontrollable situations and negative self-appraisals. The present dissertation consisted of two complementary studies. Study 1 attempted to 1) validate new measures of state and trait U-CFT, 2) examine the relationship between U-CFT and established measures of RT and mood, and 3) explore the relationship between SA symptoms and counterfactual thinking within a student population. Results indicated that the U-CFT-S (trait measure of U-CFT) and the Counterfactual Likelihood scales (state measure of U-CFT) evidenced sound psychometrics in terms of internal consistency, factor structure, and relationships with related questionnaires. Factor analyses revealed that the Maladaptive U-CFT-S scale clustered with negative mood, rumination, and learned helplessness, while the Adaptive U-CFT subscale clustered with measures of positive mood and self-efficacy. Finally, symptoms of SA correlated positively with state and trait U-CFT generation. Study 2 1) compared patterns of U-CFT and emotions such as guilt and self-blame between a diagnosed Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) group and a Healthy Control (HC) group 2) determined if disorder-specific content impacts U-CFT generation, and 3) piloted a brief, CBT-based, video intervention targeting maladaptive U-CFT. Results indicated that the SAD group evidenced higher amounts of U-CFT in response to the socially-based scenarios than the HC group and in response to social than non-social scenarios. The SAD group evidenced higher levels of unhelpful emotions (e.g., guilt) both pre- and post-CFT generation than HC participants. Finally, the CBT intervention was generally unsuccessful at reducing maladaptive U-CFT, but was more likely to be effective among SAD than HC participants. Implications of this dissertation include: 1) the benefit of including state- and trait-based measures of U-CFT in future research, 2) the importance of conceptualizing U-CFT as a multifaceted construct, 3) addressing that those with SAD are engaging in maladaptive U-CFT and experiencing consequent guilt and self-blame, and 4) the direction of creating more comprehensive, brief interventions aimed at targeting maladaptive U-CFT.

scholarly journals Mediators and Moderators of the Association Between Stalking Victimization and Psychological Distress

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (9-10) ◽  
pp. 1843-1865 ◽  
Author(s):  
Connor R. Fais ◽  
Catherine J. Lutz-Zois ◽  
Jackson A. Goodnight
Keyword(s):  
Attributional Style ◽  
Learned Helplessness ◽  
Sex Role ◽  
Role Identity ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Male Victims ◽  
Self Blame ◽  
Sex Role Identity ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Stalking Victimization

The current study aims to understand mediators and moderators of the relationship between stalking victimization and depression. Based on the reformulated learned helplessness theory, which emphasizes the role of internal, global, and stable attributions for negative events in the development of depression, we predicted that the association between stalking victimization and depression would be mediated by attributions for the stalking and characterological self-blame. We predicted that the association between stalking victimization and helplessness attributions or characterological self-blame, in turn, would be moderated by gender, sex-role identity, and length of stalking. Specifically, we hypothesized that female victims, victims possessing a feminine sex-role identity, and victims experiencing longer stalking episodes would be more likely to experience depression in comparison with male victims, victims possessing a masculine sex-role identity, and victims experiencing shorter stalking episodes. The results indicated that global attributions for the cause of stalking significantly mediated the relationship between stalking victimization and depression. The results for stable attributions, internal attributions, and characterological self-blame were nonsignificant. Furthermore, gender, sex-role identity, and length of stalking did not moderate the association between stalking and attributional style or characterological self-blame. The implications of these findings and directions for future research are discussed.

Posttraumatic Growth as a Mediator of Self-Blame and Happiness in the Context of Interpersonal Violence

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 1088-1101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Moschella ◽  
Sidney Turner ◽  
Victoria L. Banyard
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Growth ◽  
Interpersonal Violence ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Recovery Process ◽  
The United States ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Self Blame ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Sexual assault (SA) and intimate partner violence (IPV) occur at alarming rates in the United States. Prior research indicates that victims of traumatic events frequently experience both positive and negative changes as part of their recovery process. The present study aimed to further existing research by examining the relationship between self-blame, posttraumatic growth (PTG), and happiness when controlling for posttraumatic stress and time since victimization. The current study analyzed 357 women who had experienced at least one incident of SA or IPV. We found that PTG partially mediated the relationship between self-blame and happiness, suggesting that PTG only somewhat explains the impact of self-blame on victim happiness. Implications of these findings and directions for future research are discussed.

scholarly journals Social Anxiety, Loneliness, and the Moderating Role of Emotion Regulation

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (9) ◽  
pp. 751-773 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily B. O'Day ◽  
Amanda S. Morrison ◽  
Phillippe R. Goldin ◽  
James J. Gross ◽  
Richard G. Heimberg
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Positive Relationship ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Expressive Suppression ◽  
Cognitive Behavioral Group Therapy ◽  
The Relationship

Background: Loneliness is a universal experience that is particularly relevant to social anxiety. However, research has not examined loneliness among treatment-seeking individuals with social anxiety disorder (SAD) or assessed whether mal-adaptive or adaptive emotion regulation strategies moderate the relationship between social anxiety and loneliness. Methods: We examined the baseline scores of individuals with SAD (n = 121) who sought treatment as part of a waitlist-controlled trial of cognitive behavioral group therapy versus mindfulness-based stress reduction. Healthy controls (n = 38) were also examined. Results: Individuals with SAD exhibited greater social anxiety (SA), greater loneliness, more frequent expressive suppression (ES), and less frequent cognitive reappraisal (CR) than controls. Hierarchical multiple regressions indicated that emotion regulation variables moderated the relationship between social anxiety and loneliness. At lower CR and higher ES, there was a positive relationship between social anxiety and loneliness. At higher CR and lower ES, there was unexpectedly a stronger positive relationship between social anxiety and loneliness. Higher SA was associated with higher loneliness regardless of emotion regulation strategy, whereas lower SA was associated with more moderate and lower levels of loneliness dependent on level of ER strategy. Discussion: Implications for understanding the prevalence and burden of loneliness among individuals with SAD, the role of emotion regulation in the relationship between social anxiety and loneliness, and directions for future research are discussed.

Investigating the Influence of Social Media Consumption on Punitive Attitudes Among a Sample of U.S. University Students

2018 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 309-333 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Intravia
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Fear Of Crime ◽  
Television News ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Media Consumption ◽  
Punitive Attitudes ◽  
Specific Content ◽  
Key Characteristics ◽  
The Relationship

Prior research suggests that media consumption influences attitudes toward punitiveness. Traditionally, prior efforts have generally examined television news and crime-related programming. However, less is known whether more contemporary forms of media consumption, such as social media, are related to punitive attitudes. Using a multisite sample of more than 900 mostly young adults, the current study examines (a) the relationship between four types of social media consumption (overall, general news, crime-specific content, and punishment-specific content) on penal attitudes and (b) whether these relationships vary based on key characteristics. Results reveal that individuals who consume punishment-specific content on social media are significantly more likely to have stronger attitudes regarding the use of punishment and this relationship varies by fear of crime. Findings and directions for future research are discussed.

scholarly journals Decentering as a Common Link among Mindfulness, Cognitive Reappraisal, and Social Anxiety

2012 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 317-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Hayes-Skelton ◽  
Jessica Graham
Keyword(s):  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Cognitive Reappraisal ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Common Mechanism ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Mind ◽  
The Relationship

Background: The tendency to employ both cognitive reappraisal and mindfulness are associated with reduced trait social anxiety; however, it is unclear whether reappraisal and mindfulness are associated with social anxiety through the same mechanisms. It has been proposed that decentering, or the process of seeing thoughts or feelings as objective events in the mind rather than personally identifying with them, may be a key mechanism underlying both cognitive reappraisal and mindfulness. Aims: To examine the relationships between reappraisal, mindfulness, decentering, and social anxiety. Method: This study utilized structural equation modeling to examine the relationships among cognitive reappraisal, mindfulness, decentering, and social anxiety in a large cross-sectional study. Results: Results indicate that the relationship between mindfulness and social anxiety is partially accounted for by decentering, whereas the relationship between cognitive reappraisal and social anxiety is more fully accounted for by decentering. Conclusions: These results imply that decentering may be a common mechanism underlying both cognitive reappraisal and mindfulness, although mindfulness may also affect social anxiety through additional mechanisms. However, given the cross-sectional nature of these findings, results should be considered preliminary, with future research being needed to further elucidate these relationships.

scholarly journals Social Anxiety and Theory of Mind: A Comparison of Self-Report and Objective Measures

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arianna Kassi Paricos
Keyword(s):  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Theory Of Mind ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Reactivity Index ◽  
Objective Measures ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Scale Scores ◽  
The Relationship

This study aims to explore the relationship between social anxiety and Theory of Mind (ToM) ability. Findings are evaluated in the context of theoretical models (Clark & Wells, 1995; Heimberg et al., 2010), to aid improvement of the understanding of social anxiety disorder (SAD). Two hypotheses are proposed: (1) social anxiety will negatively associate with self-report and objective measures of ToM ability; (2) objective and self-report measures of ToM will be positively associated. Literature assessing the relationship between social anxiety and ToM has not produced consistent results and has exclusively focused on ToM decoding and reasoning ability. This study is the first to explore the relationship between social anxiety, cognitive and affective ToM ability, and self-reported ToM ability. A correlational study was conducted (36 participants), comparing Social Interaction Anxiety Scale scores (SIAS; Mattick & Clarke, 1998) for social anxiety levels; Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) perspective-taking subscale scores for self-reported ToM ability (Davis, 1980); error rate (in millimeters) on the Paper and Pencil Sandbox Task (Coburn, Bernstein, & Begeer, 2015) for cognitive ToM ability; and reaction times on the Yoni Task (Shamay-Tsoory & Aharon-Peretz, 2007) for cognitive and affective ToM ability. Contrary to expectations, no significant relationships were found between any of the measures. The results prompt re-thinking regarding the mechanisms of SAD and offer insight into the complexity of the relationship between social anxiety and ToM ability. However, the implications can only be inferred within the context of the study limitations, these are discussed alongside recommendations for future research.

Does Mind Wandering Mediate the Association Between Mindfulness and Negative Mood? A Preliminary Study

2017 ◽  
Vol 120 (1) ◽  
pp. 118-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuzheng Wang ◽  
Wei Xu ◽  
Capella Zhuang ◽  
Xinghua Liu
Keyword(s):  
Negative Mood ◽  
Mind Wandering ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Trait Mindfulness ◽  
Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
Future Research Directions ◽  
Preliminary Study ◽  
The Relationship

The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between trait mindfulness and mood and to examine whether the relationship is mediated by mind wandering. Eighty-two individuals ( M age = 24.27 years, SD = 5.64, 18 men, 22%) completed a series of measures including the Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, the Profile of Mood States Questionnaire, and Meditation Breath Attention Exercise. Results showed that the level of mindfulness was significantly correlated with positive and negative mood, and the association between mindfulness and negative mood was mediated by mind wandering. This study indicated the important role of mind wandering in the relation between mindfulness and negative mood. Limitations and future research directions are discussed.

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