The longitudinal relationship between well-being comparisons and anxiety symptoms in the context of uncontrollability of worries and external locus of control: a two-wave study.
Anxiety Stress Coping
; 37(5): 602-614, 2024 Sep.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38248916
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Anxiety is a prevalent mental health condition. Comparisons of one's own well-being to different aversive standards may contribute to the development and maintenance of anxiety symptoms.OBJECTIVES:
Our primary goal was to investigate whether aversive well-being comparisons predict anxiety symptoms and vice versa. Additionally, we aimed at examining exploratorily whether well-being comparisons are reciprocally related to metacognitive beliefs about worrying and external control beliefs.METHODS:
In this two-wave longitudinal survey design, 922 participants completed measures of anxiety, metacognitions about the uncontrollability of worries, external locus of control, and the Comparison Standards Scale for Well-being (CSS-W) at two timepoints, three-months apart. The CSS-W assesses the frequency, perceived discrepancy, and affective impact of social, temporal, counterfactual, and criteria-based comparisons.RESULTS:
When autoregressive effects were adjusted for, aversive comparison frequency, comparison affective impact, and uncontrollability of worries at the first timepoint predicted subsequent anxiety symptoms. Furthermore, well-being comparison frequency and discrepancy at the second timepoint were predicted by baseline anxiety symptoms. External locus of control predicted comparison frequency and discrepancy.CONCLUSIONS:
Well-being comparisons contribute distinct variance to anxiety symptoms and vice versa, pointing to a vicious cirlcle of symptom escalation. These findings have significant implications for future research.Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Ansiedad
/
Control Interno-Externo
Tipo de estudio:
Diagnostic_studies
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Prognostic_studies
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Risk_factors_studies
Límite:
Adolescent
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Adult
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Female
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Humans
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Male
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Middle aged
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Anxiety Stress Coping
Asunto de la revista:
CIENCIAS DO COMPORTAMENTO
/
PSICOLOGIA
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article