Explaining depression symptoms in patients with social anxiety disorder: Do maladaptive metacognitive beliefs play a role? (original) (raw)
Related papers
Metacognition and Depression, State Anxiety and Trait Anxiety Symptoms
Objective: The objective of this study was analyzing the effect of meta-cognition elements on depression, trait and state anxiety symptoms. Methods: In this Study, the sample consisted of 224 students of University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences that answered three questionnaires including Metacognitive Questionnaire (MCQ-30), Beck Depression inventory (BDI-II) and Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Pearson correlation coefficient and step-by-step regression to analyze were used for data analysis. Results: According to the results, there is a positive and significant correlation between total score of metacognition and four elements of beliefs (positive beliefs, negative beliefs, uncontrollability and low cognitive trust (P<0.01). In addition, summary of results indicated that out of metacognitive elements, only general negative beliefs may predict the variations of depression scores, (P<0.01). Conclusion: Summary of this study demonstrated that metacognitive beliefs are significantly effective on prediction of depression and anxiety. Moreover, out of metacognitive elements, only general negative beliefs, in comparison with other elements, may predict the depression.
Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of education based of the cognitive, metacognitive, and behavioral model on the reduction of meta-worry beliefs in patients with social anxiety disorder (SAD). Methods: The research was a quasi-experimental study with pretest-posttest design and a control group. The statistical population comprised all patients with SAD referring to public and private centers for consulting and psychotherapy in Kermanshah, Iran, in 2016. The study sample were selected using purposeful sampling method. A total of 30 patients were chosen through structured clinical interview for DSM-IV axis I disorders (SCID-1) and administering meta-worry subscale of Well's questionnaire of anxious thoughts (1994). Then, they were randomly divided into two groups of experimental and control. The study instrument was the meta-worry subscale of Well's questionnaire of anxious thoughts (1994). Twelve cognitive, metacognitive, and behavioral treatment sessions (for the developed model) on the basis of relevant theoretical insights were held for the experimental group twice a week while the control group received no intervention. After the treatment, both groups were evaluated with the questionnaire of anxious thoughts. For data analysis, ANCOVA test was administered using SPSS19. Results: The results showed that education based on cognitive, metacognitive, and behavioral model was effective on the reduction of meta-worry belief among patients with SAD in the experimental group (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Considering the effectiveness of the model, it seems that therapists and counselors can use this developed model to reduce meta-worry belief among patients with SAD.
Metacognitive theory of emotional disorders suggests that metacognitive beliefs can play a causal role in the development and maintenance of anxiety symptoms. In this prospective study, we examine the relationships between metacognitive beliefs, perceived stress and anxiety in a non-clinical sample. Participants were 135 undergraduate students who completed a battery of questionnaire at two time points (3-months apart). Results revealed metacognitive beliefs do not predict long-term anxiety independently. However, moderation analyses demonstrated negative beliefs about uncontrollability and danger prospectively moderated the relationship between perceived stress and Time 2 anxiety. Negative metacognitive beliefs also interacted with baseline anxiety to predict the change in anxiety symptoms. The results confirm metacognitions play a causal role in anxiety and have implications for cognitive models and the treatment of anxiety.
PLOS ONE, 2020
Anxiety and depression are common among patients with chronic physical illnesses and have a significant impact on morbidity, quality of life, and health service utilisation. Psychological treatment of anxiety and depression has small to moderate efficacy in this group and is not commonly based on a model of causal mechanisms. A novel approach to understanding and improving mental health outcomes in physical illnesses is needed. One approach may be to explore the role of metacognitive beliefs which are reliably associated with anxiety and depression in individuals with mental health difficulties. The current systematic review aimed to evaluate the contribution of metacognitive beliefs to anxiety and depression across physical illnesses. Systematic searches were conducted on Web of Science, PsychINFO, MEDLINE, Embase, and CINAHL of studies published between 1997 and January 2019. 13 eligible studies were identified that in sum comprised 2851 participants. Metacognitive beliefs were found to have reliable, moderate, positive and significant associations with anxiety and depression symptoms across a range of physical illnesses. There appeared to be commonality and some specificity in the relationships. Negative metacognitive beliefs concerned with uncontrollability and danger of worry were associated with both anxiety and depression across all physical illnesses assessed, whilst more specific associations emerged for individual medical conditions where positive beliefs about worry, cognitive confidence and cognitive self-consciousness were unique correlates. Negative metacognitive beliefs of uncontrollability and danger significantly and positively predicted symptoms of anxiety and depression after controlling for factors including age, gender, disease factors and cognition (illness perceptions and intolerance of uncertainty). The results suggest that the metacognitive model of psychological disorder is applicable to psychological symptoms of anxiety and depression across a range of chronic medical conditions, implying that metacognitive therapy might be helpful in improving outcomes in multiple morbidities that involve poor mental and medical health.
Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 2019
Anxiety and depression symptoms are common in patients with physical health conditions. In the metacognitive model, beliefs about cognition (metacognitions) are a key factor in the development and maintenance of anxiety and depression. The current study evaluated if metacognitions predict anxiety and/or depression symptoms and if differential or common patterns of relationships exist across cardiac and cancer patients. Method: A secondary data analysis with 102 cardiac patients and 105 patients with breast or prostate cancer were included. Participants were drawn from two studies, Wells et al. [1] and Cook et al. [2]. All patients reported at least mild anxiety or depression symptoms. Patients completed the Metacognitions Questionnaire 30 (MCQ-30) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Hierarchical linear regressions evaluated metacognitive predictors of anxiety and depression across the groups. Results: The results of regression analyses controlling for a range of demographics and testing for effect of illness type showed that uncontrollability and danger and positive beliefs were common and independent predictors of anxiety in both groups. There was one positive bi-variate association between metacognitive beliefs (uncontrollability and danger) and depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Findings support the metacognitive model, suggesting that a common set of metacognitive factors contribute to psychological distress, particularly anxiety. Uncontrollability and danger metacognitions and positive beliefs about worry appear to make independent contributions to anxiety irrespective of type of physical illness. While metacognitive beliefs were not reliably associated with depressive symptoms this may be because the current sample exhibited low depression scores.
Correlation among meta-cognitive beliefs and anxiety – depression symptoms
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2010
Metacognition is cognizing the beliefs including views and opinions which persons have about the events such as thoughts, emotions, memories, scenes and their comprehensions. Objectives of this study are to survey the interaction of these Metacognitive beliefs with the symptoms of anxiety and depression between the Allameh Tabatabei University Students. Therefore 260 students of this University were selected by the help of method of multi-methods clause. For measuring Meta-cognitive beliefs the sampled community was given the MCQ-30 questionnaire and for measurement of anxiety and depression two scale of anxiety and depression the test of depression, anxiety and stress(DASS-21) was used. Data were analyzed by the method of Pierson Correlation and forward multivariate Regression. The results indicate that the Meta-cognitive beliefs especially "negative ones is related to the uncontrollability and danger" and "low cognitive confidence" has positive relationship with anxiety and depression (negative emotions). Also the results of regression show that between the Meta-cognitive beliefs, the factor of negative Meta-cognitive beliefs in case of uncontrollability and danger is the best predictor both for depression and anxiety. The approaches of this study support this prediction in which the experience of negative emotions such as anxiety and depression has positive and meaningful relation with the Meta-cognitive dimension experiences and support the S-REF model and this approaches says that the treatment of such symptoms related to the depression and anxiety must use the S-REF theory.
abstract There is a growing awareness that social cognition is a valuable construct for understanding the psycho- social disabilities in depressive illness. Numerous studies have linked affective disorders to impairments in social cognition and specifically the processing of discrete emotional stimuli. Only few studies have investigated the relation between the burden of depressive illness and social cognitive ability. To study these issues, we compared a group of first-episode depressed patients with a group of chronically depressed patients (duration 42 years) on a broad array of higher-order social cognitive measures including the metacognition assessment scale abbreviated. Contrary to prediction, deficits in social cognition were roughly equivalent between the two groups and there was no significant link between symptom severity and social cognitive ability. Having moderate to severe major depressive disorder (MDD) could be sufficient to predict the presence of deficits in social cognitive ability.
Worry and Metacognitions as Predictors of Anxiety Symptoms: A Prospective Study
Frontiers in Psychology
Both worry and metacognitive beliefs have been found to be related to the development of anxiety, but metacognitive theory ) suggest that metacognitive beliefs may play a more prominent role. The aim of the present prospective study was to examine whether worry, metacognitive beliefs or the interaction between worry and metacognitive beliefs, were the best predictor of anxiety over time, utilizing a longitudinal, prospective study design. An undergraduate student sample (N = 190) was assessed on measures of worry (PSWQ), metacognitive beliefs (MCQ-30) and anxiety (BAI) at three points in time over a 7-month period. A mixed-model analysis revealed that both worry and metacognitive beliefs predicted development of anxiety, independently of each other, with no indication of an interaction-effect (PSWQ * MCQ-30). Further, analyses of the MCQ-30 subscales indicated that negative metacognitive beliefs may be particularly important in the development of anxiety. While gender was correlated with worry, gender predicted anxiety beyond the effect of worry. Taken together, the results imply that both worry and metacognitive beliefs play a prominent role for the development of anxiety.
Psychiatry Research
Poor social functioning has been found to be present in those at risk for psychosis. This study aimed to examine metacognitive beliefs as potential predictors of structured activity (measure of social functioning) in those with an At Risk Mental State (ARMS). Regression and correlation analyses were conducted. The sample included 109 young people. Age was found to be positively correlated to structured activity. Metacognitive beliefs concerning uncontrollability and danger of worry were found to negatively predict structured activity. This was after controlling for age, gender, treatment allocation, cognitive schemas, positive symptom severity, social anxiety, and depression. Metacognitive danger items were most important. Age was the only control variable found to be an independent predictor of structured activity in the regression model, despite negative bi-variate relationships with structured activity found across three cognitive schema subscales and social anxiety. This is the first study to find that higher negative metacognitive beliefs about uncontrollability and danger predict lower social functioning in an ARMS sample, and that the perception of thoughts being dangerous was of particular importance. Psychological interventions should consider targeting this metacognitive dimension to increase social functioning. Future longitudinal research is required to strengthen findings in this area.