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Skoko A, Seewer N, Mund M, Krieger T. Revisiting the cognitive and behavioral aspects of loneliness: Insights from different measurement approaches. PLoS One 2025; 20:e0321931. [PMID: 40294013 PMCID: PMC12036861 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0321931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2025] [Indexed: 04/30/2025] Open
Abstract
Loneliness is increasingly recognized as a critical public health issue that profoundly affects psychological well-being and social functioning. This study evaluates cognitive and behavioral differences associated with different facets of loneliness. We classified 790 German-speaking adults (MAge = 31.86 (12.48), 81% female) as lonely or not lonely based on three dimensions - loneliness frequency, distress, and chronicity - and tested for group differences regarding cognitive and behavioral aspects, as proposed by the cognitive model of loneliness, while controlling for depressive and social anxiety symptoms. The results indicate fair to substantial agreement between the three classification methods. Further, we found significant group differences regarding all components, such as interpretation bias, social avoidance, and self-esteem, with each loneliness classification method. Our findings highlight the multifaceted nature of loneliness and underscore the importance of applying diverse methods to fully capture its complexity. This study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of loneliness and its implications, suggesting that interventions should consider the specific dimensions of loneliness to effectively address its cognitive and behavioral ramifications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrej Skoko
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Noëmi Seewer
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Marcus Mund
- Department of Personality Psychology and Psychological Assessment, University of Klagenfurt, Klagenfurt, Austria
| | - Tobias Krieger
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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Zavlis O, Parsons S, Fox E, Booth C, Songco A, Vincent JP. The effects of life experiences and polygenic risk for depression on the development of positive and negative cognitive biases across adolescence: The CogBIAS hypothesis. Dev Psychopathol 2025; 37:361-370. [PMID: 38247376 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579423001645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
The Cognitive Bias (CogBIAS) hypothesis proposes that cognitive biases develop as a function of environmental influences (which determine the valence of biases) and the genetic susceptibility to those influences (which determines the potency of biases). The current study employed a longitudinal, polygenic-by-environment approach to examine the CogBIAS hypothesis. To this end, measures of life experiences and polygenic scores for depression were used to assess the development of memory and interpretation biases in a three-wave sample of adolescents (12-16 years) (N = 337). Using mixed effects modeling, three patterns were revealed. First, positive life experiences (PLEs) were found to diminish negative and enhance positive forms of memory and social interpretation biases. Second, and against expectation, negative life experiences and depression polygenic scores were not associated with any cognitive outcomes, upon adjusting for psychopathology. Finally, and most importantly, the interaction between high polygenic risk and greater PLEs was associated with a stronger positive interpretation bias for social situations. These results provide the first line of polygenic evidence in support of the CogBIAS hypothesis, but also extend this hypothesis by highlighting positive genetic and nuanced environmental influences on the development of cognitive biases across adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Orestis Zavlis
- Department of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK
| | - Sam Parsons
- Radboud University Medical Centre, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Gelderland, Netherlands
| | - Elaine Fox
- University of Adelaide, School of Psychology, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Charlotte Booth
- University College London, Centre for Longitudinal Studies, London, UK
| | - Annabel Songco
- University of New South Wales, School of Psychology, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - John Paul Vincent
- King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, London, UK
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Zhang M, Zhang C, Jiang Z, Liu Y. A latent profile analysis of social anxiety among Chinese left-behind children and adolescents: Associations with online parent-child communication and online social capital. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2024; 158:107102. [PMID: 39437672 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.107102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 08/05/2024] [Accepted: 10/12/2024] [Indexed: 10/25/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Children and adolescents impacted by their left-behind status are more likely to suffer social anxiety. In this regard, as information and communication technology has developed, the role of online parent-child communication (OPCC) and online social capital (OSC) has become more important. However, few studies, if any, have examined the profiles of Chinese left-behind children and adolescents and their associations with OPCC and OSC. OBJECTIVE First, to identify the profiles of social anxiety among Chinese left-behind children and adolescents by conducting latent profile analysis (LPA). Second, to determine associations between the profiles with OPCC, OSC, and three demographic factors (age, grade, and gender). PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING A sample of 1358 left-behind children and adolescents (mean age: 13.87; range: 8-19) was recruited in southwest China. METHODS LPA was used to analyze the sample for heterogeneity. Multinomial logistical regression analysis was adopted to assess the effectiveness of OPCC and the role of OSC. RESULTS Three subgroups emerged: (1) Low social anxiety (25.7 %), (2) Moderate social anxiety (53.3 %), and (3) High social anxiety (21.0 %). Using multinomial logistical regression, results showed a higher possibility for left-behind children and adolescents with more OPCC and OSC to fall into the high social anxiety group. CONCLUSIONS Findings from the present study appear to contradict existing research, indicating that OPCC and OSC are negatively associated with the likelihood of falling into higher social anxiety, and it is necessary to address the importance of the quality of OPCC and the side effects of OSC in future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingyue Zhang
- Research Center of Mental Health Education, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Chan Zhang
- Research Center of Mental Health Education, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Zhengyu Jiang
- Research Center of Mental Health Education, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Yanling Liu
- Research Center of Mental Health Education, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China.
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Loscalzo Y. Studyholism as a New Potential OCD-Related Disorder: What Evidence Have We Gathered until Now? A Narrative Review. Behav Sci (Basel) 2024; 14:684. [PMID: 39199080 PMCID: PMC11351542 DOI: 10.3390/bs14080684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2024] [Revised: 06/11/2024] [Accepted: 06/27/2024] [Indexed: 09/01/2024] Open
Abstract
In 2017, Loscalzo and Giannini introduced the new potential clinical condition of studyholism (or obsession toward study) and a comprehensive model including its possible antecedents and outcomes. Then, emphasizing the value of avoiding an aprioristic (addiction) framework in analyzing problematic overstudying, they suggested conducting research on this new construct to unveil its internalizing and/or externalizing nature while also avoiding the over-pathologizing of a common behavior such as studying. Seven years after the first publication about studyholism, growing evidence concerning its antecedents suggested that studyholism might be defined as an OCD-related disorder (or, more generally, as an internalizing disorder). Moreover, the research about its outcomes highlighted that it is a problem behavior deserving attention as it is associated with academic, psychological, physical, and social downsides. Therefore, this paper aims to review the scientific literature published concerning studyholism to illuminate if it might be conceptualized as an OCD-related disorder based on its symptomatology, antecedents, and impact on individuals' academic, physical, and psychological functioning. Given that it is a new construct, it is of critical value to systematize the findings gathered until now as it can help scholars interested in students' well-being to have a clear understanding concerning the importance of screening studyholism since childhood, as this will help favor academic success and well-being and reduce the risk for school dropout. Finally, this paper presents an agenda for future research on studyholism, and it highlights the importance of further analyzing problematic overstudying using different theoretical perspectives (such as the behavioral addiction conceptualization) to unveil its real nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yura Loscalzo
- Department of Health Sciences, School of Psychology, University of Florence, 50135 Florence, Italy
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Angelini F, Gini G. Differences in perceived online communication and disclosing e-motions among adolescents and young adults: The role of specific social media features and social anxiety. J Adolesc 2024; 96:512-525. [PMID: 37781933 DOI: 10.1002/jad.12256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Social media are widely used by adolescents and young adults as a mean to maintain interpersonal relationships. Recent studies have found that young individuals with high levels of social anxiety feel more confident in communicating online. However, little is known about the role of perceived social media characteristics that could minimize the distress they experienced in face-to-face interactions. In this study, we rely on the tenets of the Transformation Framework, according to which social media, with its own features, may transform social relationships, including disclosing emotions and communicating with others online, in ways that may differ across individuals with or without specific vulnerability (e.g., social anxiety). Therefore, this cross-sectional study aims at examining the contribution of three specific social media features (i.e., asynchronicity, cue absence, and visualness) in explaining perceived breadth and depth of online communication, both directly and via e-motional processes (i.e., expression and facilitating use of e-motions), across groups of individuals with high versus low levels of social anxiety. METHODS Participants were 1046 Italian adolescents and young adults (61.4% females; Mage = 17.9, SD = 3.23) who completed an anonymous self-report questionnaire between 2021 and 2022. Participants with very high scores on social anxiety (above the 90th percentile; socially anxious), were distinguished from all others (socially nonanxious) and a multigroup analysis (MGA) was run to compare the pattern of associations across the two different groups. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION Results from the MGA showed significant differences between the two groups, partially confirming our hypotheses. Specifically, among socially anxious individuals, perceived cue absence was found to benefit perceived breadth and depth of online communication, and asynchronicity to enhance online emotional processes; conversely, these associations were negative in the group of socially nonanxious. Thus, these findings underly the contribution of social media in explaining youngsters' online experiences and support the potential beneficial role of some social media features for those more socially vulnerable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Angelini
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Gianluca Gini
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
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Prieto-Fidalgo Á, Calvete E. The role of interpretation biases and safety behaviours in social anxiety: an intensive longitudinal study. Behav Cogn Psychother 2024; 52:49-64. [PMID: 37643997 DOI: 10.1017/s1352465823000358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Interpretation bias and safety behaviours (Safe-B) have been proposed as factors perpetuating social anxiety (SA). However, longitudinal research on how they contribute to SA in everyday life is scarce. AIM The aim was to examine whether interpretation bias predicts daily Safe-B and SA. A mediated moderation was hypothesized, where the relationship between daily social stressors and Safe-B would be moderated by interpretation bias, and Safe-B, in turn, would mediate the association between stressors and SA levels. In addition, it was hypothesized that prior levels of SA would predict higher Safe-B use, especially in co-occurrence with stressors. METHOD An intensive longitudinal design was employed, with 138 vocational training students (51% men, mean age 20.15 years). They completed initial measures of SA and interpretation bias and 7-day diaries with measures of social stressors, Safe-B, and SA. They reported SA levels two months later. RESULTS Both stressors and interpretation bias in ambiguous situations predicted Safe-B, which in turn predicted daily SA levels. However, neither interpretation bias nor Safe-B predicted SA levels at the follow-up, and interpretation bias did not moderate the association between stressors and daily SA. In addition, the relationship between stressors and Safe-B was stronger in people with higher initial SA levels. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that Safe-B are a mechanism through which earlier SA levels and interpretation bias contribute to higher SA levels in daily life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ángel Prieto-Fidalgo
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Psychology, University of Deusto, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Esther Calvete
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Psychology, University of Deusto, Bilbao, Spain
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Veit L, Jungmann SM, Freitag CM. The Course of Anxiety-Specific Cognitive Bias Following Daycare/Inpatient Treatment in Youths with Social Phobia and School Absenteeism. ZEITSCHRIFT FUR KINDER- UND JUGENDPSYCHIATRIE UND PSYCHOTHERAPIE 2024; 52:1-10. [PMID: 37768010 DOI: 10.1024/1422-4917/a000951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
Social phobia (SP) is a common mental disorder in youth often accompanied by absence from school, which may require daycare or inpatient intervention (DC/IN). Objective: The present explorative study investigates changes in anxiety-specific implicit assumptions and interpretation bias following DC/IN. Methods: The study included 16 youths with SP (M age = 15.8 [SD = 1.24], females: 62.5 %) participating in DC/IN. We assessed the main outcomes using the Implicit Association Test and Affective Misattribution Procedure. Results: A large effect was shown for reducing implicit assumptions of feeling anxious (p = .142; η2p = .171) and for reducing the implicit interpretation bias (p = .137; η2p = .162). No change was indicated by effect size in implicit assumptions of feeling socially rejected (p = .649; η2p = .016). Social phobia symptoms initially correlated with changes in implicit assumptions of feeling anxious (r = .45). Conclusion: Effect sizes indicate that implicit anxiety-specific assumptions and interpretation bias descriptively improved following DC/IN. Thus, DC/IN may lead to meaningful improvements of anxiety-specific cognition in some individuals with high SP symptoms, emphasizing the relevance of cognitive behavioral approaches in the treatment of SP. Several limitations are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Veit
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Stefanie Maria Jungmann
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy and Experimental Psychopathology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany
| | - Christine Margarete Freitag
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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Carpita B, Cremone IM, Nardi B, Amatori G, Bonelli C, Massimetti E, Casagrande D, Pini S, Dell’Osso L. Implications of Social Anxiety Symptoms in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Is There a Predictive Role of Interpersonal Sensitivity and Substance Abuse? Brain Sci 2023; 13:1559. [PMID: 38002519 PMCID: PMC10669824 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13111559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/04/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) has been frequently reported by subjects with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). However, interestingly, the overlap between social anxiety and autistic traits may sometimes impede ASD diagnosis in subjects without intellectual or language impairment. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the presence and correlates of social phobic features among subjects with ASD, with a specific focus on evaluating which social anxiety symptoms may be statistically predictive of an ASD diagnosis. With this purpose, 48 subjects with ASD and 48 gender- and age- matched healthy controls (HCs) were recruited and assessed with the SHY-SV and the AdAS Spectrum questionnaires. Results highlighted higher scores in all SHY-SV Spectrum domains and total scores for the ASD group. Moreover, AdAS Spectrum scores were significantly correlated with all SHY-SV domain and total scores. A logistic regression analysis highlighted the SHY-SV Interpersonal sensitivity and Substance Abuse domains scores as significant positive predictors of an ASD diagnosis. These results confirm the link between ASD and SAD. Because of this association, particular attention should be paid to subjects with high interpersonal sensitivity traits and substance abuse problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Carpita
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Section of Psychiatry, University of Pisa, 67 Via Roma, 56126 Pisa, Italy (B.N.); (G.A.); (S.P.); (L.D.)
| | - Ivan Mirko Cremone
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Section of Psychiatry, University of Pisa, 67 Via Roma, 56126 Pisa, Italy (B.N.); (G.A.); (S.P.); (L.D.)
| | - Benedetta Nardi
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Section of Psychiatry, University of Pisa, 67 Via Roma, 56126 Pisa, Italy (B.N.); (G.A.); (S.P.); (L.D.)
| | - Giulia Amatori
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Section of Psychiatry, University of Pisa, 67 Via Roma, 56126 Pisa, Italy (B.N.); (G.A.); (S.P.); (L.D.)
| | - Chiara Bonelli
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Section of Psychiatry, University of Pisa, 67 Via Roma, 56126 Pisa, Italy (B.N.); (G.A.); (S.P.); (L.D.)
| | - Enrico Massimetti
- North-Western Tuscany Region NHS Local Health Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Head Office, Via Cocchi 7/9, 56121 Pisa, Italy
| | - Danila Casagrande
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Section of Psychiatry, University of Pisa, 67 Via Roma, 56126 Pisa, Italy (B.N.); (G.A.); (S.P.); (L.D.)
| | - Stefano Pini
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Section of Psychiatry, University of Pisa, 67 Via Roma, 56126 Pisa, Italy (B.N.); (G.A.); (S.P.); (L.D.)
| | - Liliana Dell’Osso
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Section of Psychiatry, University of Pisa, 67 Via Roma, 56126 Pisa, Italy (B.N.); (G.A.); (S.P.); (L.D.)
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Bocanegra ES, Chang SW, Rozenman M, Lee SS, Delgadillo D, Chavira DA. Attention Bias and Anxiety: The Moderating Effect of Sociocultural Variables in Rural Latinx Youth. Community Ment Health J 2023; 59:1465-1478. [PMID: 37148436 PMCID: PMC10598104 DOI: 10.1007/s10597-023-01132-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Attention bias confers risk for anxiety development, however, the influence of sociodemographic variables on the relationship between attention bias and anxiety remains unclear. We examined the association between attention bias and anxiety among rural Latinx youth and investigated potential moderators of this relationship. Clinical symptoms, demographic characteristics, and a performance-based measure of attention bias were collected from 66 rural Latinx youth with clinical levels of anxiety (33.3% female; Mage = 11.74; 92.4% Latinx, 7.6% Mixed Latinx). No moderating effects for age or gender were found. Youth below the poverty line displayed an attention bias away from threat in comparison to youth above the poverty line, who displayed an attention bias towards threat. Among youth below the poverty line, this bias away from threat was associated with increased anxiety. Findings highlight the importance of economic adversity in understanding the relationship between attention bias and anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth S Bocanegra
- Department of Psychology, University of California Los Angeles, 502 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
| | - Susanna W Chang
- Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - Steve S Lee
- Department of Psychology, University of California Los Angeles, 502 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Desiree Delgadillo
- Department of Psychology, University of California Los Angeles, 502 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Denise A Chavira
- Department of Psychology, University of California Los Angeles, 502 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
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10
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Castagna PJ, Waters AC, Crowley MJ. Computational Modeling of Self-Referential Processing Reveals Domain General Associations with Adolescent Anxiety Symptoms. Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol 2023; 51:455-468. [PMID: 36580171 DOI: 10.1007/s10802-022-01012-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
What an adolescent thinks about themselves, commonly termed self-referential processing, has significant implications for youth long-term psychological well-being. Self-referential processing plays an important role in anticipatory and reactive processing in social contexts and contributes to symptoms of social anxiety. Previous work examining self-referential processing largely focuses on child and adolescent depression, relying on endorsement and reaction time for positive and negative self-describing adjectives in a self-referential encoding task (SRET). Here, we employ computational methods to interrogate the latent processes underlying choice reaction times to evaluate the fit of several drift-diffusion models of youth SRET performance. A sample of 106 adolescent, aged 12-17 (53% male; Mage = 14.49, SD = 1.70) completed the SRET and self-report measures of anxiety and depression. Our results support the utility of modeling the SRET, where the rate of evidence accumulation (i.e., drift rate) during negative self-referential processing was related to social anxiety above-and-beyond mean task performance. Our regression analyses indicated that youth efficiency in processing of self-referential views was domain general to anxiety, highlighting the importance of assessing both social and physiological anxiety symptoms when predicting SRET performance. The computational modeling results revealed that self-referential views are not uniquely related to depression-related constructs but also facets of anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter J Castagna
- Yale Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
| | - Allison C Waters
- Nash Family Center for Advanced Circuit Therapeutics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Michael J Crowley
- Yale Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
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Dapprich AL, Becker ES, Derks LM, Legenbauer T, Lange WG. Specific interpretation biases as a function of social anxiety and callous-unemotional traits in a community and a clinical adolescent sample. Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health 2023; 17:46. [PMID: 37004075 PMCID: PMC10064950 DOI: 10.1186/s13034-023-00585-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Threatening and hostile interpretation biases are seen as causal and maintaining mechanisms of childhood anxiety and aggression, respectively. However, it is unclear whether these interpretation biases are specific to distinct problems or whether they are general psychopathological phenomena. The specificity versus pervasiveness of interpretation biases could also differ depending on mental health status. Therefore, in the current study, we investigated whether social anxiety and callous-unemotional (CU) traits were uniquely related to threatening and hostile interpretation biases, respectively, in both a community and a clinical sample of adolescents. METHODS A total of 161 adolescents between 10 to 15 years of age participated. The community sample consisted of 88 participants and the clinical sample consisted of 73 inpatients with a variety of psychological disorders. Social anxiety and CU-traits were assessed with self-report questionnaires. The Ambiguous Social Scenario Task was used to measure both threatening and hostile interpretations in response to written vignettes. RESULTS Results showed that social anxiety was uniquely related to more threatening interpretations, while CU-traits were uniquely related to more hostile interpretations. These relationships were replicated for the community sample. For the clinical sample, only the link between social anxiety and threatening interpretations was significant. Explorative analyses showed that adolescents with externalizing disorders scored higher on hostile interpretations than adolescents with internalizing disorders. CONCLUSIONS Overall, these results support the content-specificity of threatening interpretation biases in social anxiety and of hostile interpretation biases in CU-traits. Better understanding the roles of interpretation biases in different psychopathologies might open avenues for tailored prevention and intervention paradigms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna L Dapprich
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, 500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Eni S Becker
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, 500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Laura M Derks
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, 500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- LWL-University Hospital Hamm for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Tanja Legenbauer
- LWL-University Hospital Hamm for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Wolf-Gero Lange
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, 500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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12
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Prieto-Fidalgo Á, Calvete E. Bidirectional relationships between interpretation biases, safety behaviors, and social anxiety. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-023-04461-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/16/2023]
Abstract
AbstractTheoretical models of social anxiety (SA) propose bidirectional relationships between SA, interpretation biases, and safety behaviors (Safe-B). However, longitudinal studies evaluating these bidirectional relationships are scarce. The main objective of this study was to analyze the bidirectional relationships between interpretation biases (from ambiguous situations and ambiguous faces), Safe-B, and SA. A two-time longitudinal study was carried out with the participation of 575 vocational training students (M = 19.49, SD = 2.41). Both the interpretation biases measured through ambiguous situations and ambiguous faces and the Safe-B predicted higher levels of SA in the second time. In turn, a bidirectional relationship was found between SA and Safe-B. However, no bidirectional relationships were found between interpretation biases and Safe-B and between biases and SA. Among others, the limitations of the study include the high attrition rate (30.4%) and the high proportion of male students (62.1%). The findings highlight the role of interpretation bias and Safe-B in SA. In turn, as a new initiative, the study supports the bidirectional relationship between Safe-B and SA. Implications are discussed throughout the manuscript.
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13
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Krömer L, Jarczok TA, Althen H, Mühlherr AM, Howland V, Jungmann SM, Freitag CM. Implicit assumptions and interpretation bias in youth with severe, chronic social phobia. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2023; 32:501-512. [PMID: 34596762 PMCID: PMC10038968 DOI: 10.1007/s00787-021-01879-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Interpretation bias and dysfunctional social assumptions are proposed to play a pivotal role in the development and maintenance of social phobia (SP), especially in youth. In this study, we aimed to investigate disorder-specific implicit assumptions of rejection and implicit interpretation bias in youth with severe, chronic SP and healthy controls (CG). Twenty-seven youth with SP in inpatient/day-care treatment (M age = 15.6 years, 74% female) and 24 healthy controls (M age = 15.7 years, 54% female) were included. The Implicit Association Test (IAT) and the Affect Misattribution Procedure (AMP) were completed to assess implicit assumptions and interpretation bias related to the processing of social and affective stimuli. No group differences were observed for the IAT controlling for depressive symptoms in the analyses. However, group differences were found regarding interpretation bias (p = .017, η2p = .137). Correlations between implicit scores and explicit questionnaire results were medium to large in the SP group (r =|.28| to |.54|, pall ≤ .05), but lower in the control group (r =|.04| to |.46|, pall ≤ .05). Our results confirm the finding of an interpretation bias in youth SP, especially regarding the implicit processing of faces, whereas implicit dysfunctional social assumptions of being rejected do not seem to be specific for SP. Future research should investigate the causal relationship of assumptions/interpretation bias and SP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Krömer
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, 60528, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
| | - Tomasz A Jarczok
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, 60528, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Heike Althen
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, 60528, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Andreas M Mühlherr
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, 60528, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Vanessa Howland
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, 60528, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Department of Neonatology and Pediatric Intensive Care, University Medicine Greifswald, 17475, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Stefanie M Jungmann
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, 60528, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy and Experimental Psychopathology, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, 55122, Mainz, Germany
| | - Christine M Freitag
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, 60528, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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14
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Minihan S, Kwok C, Schweizer S. Social rejection sensitivity and its role in adolescent emotional disorder symptomatology. Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health 2023; 17:8. [PMID: 36647142 PMCID: PMC9843960 DOI: 10.1186/s13034-022-00555-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/31/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Most emotional disorders first emerge during adolescence, a time characterized by heightened sensitivity to social information, especially social rejection. Social rejection sensitivity (SRS), then, may be a promising intervention target. METHODS To explore this, 357 participants (M (SD) age = 19.40 (4.18), 63% female) completed self-report measures of SRS, its proposed antecedent, perceived parenting style, its proposed behavioral correlate, negative interpretation bias, and its proposed clinical correlate, emotional disorder symptoms. Participants additionally completed a single session of a social interpretation bias modification task, the ambiguous social scenarios task (ASST). RESULTS SRS was associated with perceived parental rejection, while controlling for other types of maladaptive parenting. SRS partially accounted for variance in the relationship between perceived parental rejection and emotional disorder symptomatology, as well as the relationship between negative interpretation bias and emotional disorder symptoms. Learning rates (i.e., change in reaction time across the task) on the ASST differed as a function of age and SRS, such that younger participants with higher SRS showed the slowest rate of learning. Moreover, individual differences in SRS accounted for the magnitude of change in negative interpretation bias before and after the ASST. Individuals with greater SRS showed less change in interpretation bias. CONCLUSIONS SRS appears strongly associated with emotional disorder symptoms in adolescents. Importantly, SRS was associated with the malleability of negative interpretation bias, which may help account for the mixed findings on the effectiveness of interpretation-bias-modification-paradigms in adolescents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Savannah Minihan
- grid.1005.40000 0004 4902 0432Developmental Affective Science Lab, School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Kensington, Australia
| | - Cassandra Kwok
- grid.1005.40000 0004 4902 0432Developmental Affective Science Lab, School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Kensington, Australia
| | - Susanne Schweizer
- Developmental Affective Science Lab, School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Kensington, Australia. .,Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Group, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
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15
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Wagemaker E, Dekkers TJ, Bexkens A, Salemink E, Zadelaar JN, Huizenga HM. Susceptibility to peer influence in adolescents with mild-to-borderline intellectual disability: Investigating links with inhibition, Theory of Mind and negative interpretation bias. JOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL & DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY 2022; 47:376-390. [PMID: 39818563 DOI: 10.3109/13668250.2022.2066511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2025]
Abstract
BACKGROUND This preregistered study compares adolescents with mild-to-borderline intellectual disability (MBID) and typically developing (TD) adolescents on their susceptibility to peer influence. To understand why adolescents with MBID are susceptible to peer influence, links with inhibition, Theory of Mind (ToM) and negative interpretation bias are investigated. METHOD We assessed 163 adolescents (111 MBID, 52 TD 14-19 years; 63% boys) using experimental tasks and self- and/or teacher-reports. RESULTS Adolescents with MBID and TD adolescents did not differ in their susceptibility to peer influence, inhibition, and negative interpretations. On two ToM instruments, adolescents with MBID performed weaker than TD adolescents. In a structural equation model, tested in the MBID group, inhibition, ToM and negative interpretation bias were not related to susceptibility to peer influence. CONCLUSIONS This study revealed new insights by strong methods such as the multimethod approach, a full theoretical model testing relations between all constructs simultaneously, and the large sample.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eline Wagemaker
- Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Research Priority Area Yield, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Tycho J Dekkers
- Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Levvel, Academic Center of Child- and Adolescent Psychiatry and Specialized Youthcare, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Anika Bexkens
- Department of Psychology, Developmental and Educational Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
- GGZ Delfland, Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Elske Salemink
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Jacqueline N Zadelaar
- Department of Educational and Family Studies, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Hilde M Huizenga
- Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Research Priority Area Yield, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Brain and Cognition, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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16
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Subar AR, Humphrey K, Rozenman M. Is interpretation bias for threat content specific to youth anxiety symptoms/diagnoses? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2022; 31:1341-1352. [PMID: 33616762 DOI: 10.1007/s00787-021-01740-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2020] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Anxiety is the most common mental health problem in youth. Numerous studies have identified that youth anxiety is associated with interpretation bias or the attribution of threatening meaning to ambiguity. Interpretation bias has been proposed as a mechanism underlying the development and maintenance of pediatric anxiety. Theoretically, interpretation bias should be content-specific to individual youth anxiety symptom domains. However, extant studies have reported conflicting findings of whether interpretation bias is indeed content specific to youth anxiety symptoms or diagnoses. The present meta-analysis aimed to synthesize the literature and answer the question: is the relationship between interpretation bias and anxiety content specific? Search of PubMed and PsycINFO databases from January 1, 1960 through May 28, 2019 yielded 9967 citations, of which 19 studies with 20 comparisons and 2976 participants met eligibility criteria. Meta-analysis with random effects models was conducted to examine an overall effect (Pearson r) between anxiety domain and content-specific interpretation bias in single sample studies, and an overall effect size difference (Cohen's d) in studies comparing anxious to non-anxious youth. Results support a content specific correlation between interpretation bias and anxiety symptom domain in single sample studies (r = 0.18, p = 0.03). However, it is currently undetermined whether this relationship holds in studies that compare the relationship between content-specific interpretation bias and anxiety in anxious versus non-anxious youth. A variety of methodologic considerations across studies are discussed, with implications for further investigation of interpretation bias and youth anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anni R Subar
- Behavioral Research for Anxiety InterVention Efficiency (BRAVE) Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Denver, 2155 S. Race St., Denver, CO, 80210, USA.
| | - Kaeli Humphrey
- Behavioral Research for Anxiety InterVention Efficiency (BRAVE) Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Denver, 2155 S. Race St., Denver, CO, 80210, USA
| | - Michelle Rozenman
- Behavioral Research for Anxiety InterVention Efficiency (BRAVE) Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Denver, 2155 S. Race St., Denver, CO, 80210, USA
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17
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Yu M, Lv F, Liu Z, Gao D. How negative automatic thoughts trigger Chinese adolescents’ social anxiety: The mediation effect of meta-worry. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-022-03229-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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18
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The Longitudinal Interplay Between Attention Bias and Interpretation Bias in Social Anxiety in Adolescents. COGNITIVE THERAPY AND RESEARCH 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10608-022-10304-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Cognitive biases are found to play a role in the onset and maintenance of social anxiety. However, particularly in adolescence, the link between different biases and their role in predicting social anxiety is far from clear. This study therefore investigated the interplay between attention bias and interpretation bias in relation to social anxiety in adolescence across three years.
Methods
816 adolescents in grade 7 to 9 participated at three yearly waves (52.8% boys, Mage grade7 = 12.60). Social anxiety was measured with a self-report questionnaire. Attention bias was measured with a visual search task with emotional faces. Textual vignettes assessed interpretation bias.
Results
Cross-lagged models showed that negative interpretation bias at grade 7 predicted an increase in social anxiety at grade 8. This effect was not found from grade 8 to 9. Attention bias did not predict social anxiety. Attention bias and interpretation bias were not longitudinally related to each other, nor did they interact with each other in predicting social anxiety.
Conclusions
Thus, no evidence was found for the Combined Cognitive Bias Hypothesis in social anxiety in adolescents. Instead, our results suggest that interpretation bias rather than attention bias contributes to the increase of social anxiety over time.
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Loscalzo Y, Giannini M. Studyholism and Study Engagement in Adolescence: The Role of Social Anxiety and Interpretation Bias as Antecedents. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19095261. [PMID: 35564654 PMCID: PMC9103961 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19095261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Revised: 04/15/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Studyholism (or obsession toward study) is a new potential clinical condition that, in contrast with Study Engagement, is associated with negative outcomes. However, previous studies showed that both Studyholism and Study Engagement predict social impairment due to study. Therefore, we analyzed the role of social anxiety and interpretation bias as predictors of Studyholism and Study Engagement in 541 adolescents (Mage = 16.30 ± 1.59; 66% girls). We performed a path analysis model, MANOVAs, and Mann–Whitney tests. Among the main findings, social anxiety is a positive predictor of both Studyholism and Study Engagement. Hence, this provides further support to the conceptualization of Studyholism as an OCD-related disorder (or as an internalizing disorder) and suggests the need of screening socially anxious adolescents for the presence of Studyholism and engaged students for the presence of high social anxiety. Moreover, Studyholism is predicted by a negative interpretation style in non-social situations, while a positive interpretation style predicts Study Engagement in social and non-social situations. Hence, Studyholism and social anxiety are two different diagnoses, even if social anxiety might fuel Studyholism. Moreover, interventions to reduce Studyholism should decrease the tendency to interpret non-social situations negatively or neutrally.
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20
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Henricks LA, Lange WG, Luijten M, Becker ES. A New Social Picture Task to Assess Interpretation Bias related to social fears in adolescents. Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol 2022; 50:1067-1080. [PMID: 35435540 PMCID: PMC9013980 DOI: 10.1007/s10802-022-00915-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
This pre-registered study focused on developing a new social picture task to assess interpretation bias related to social fears in adolescents. Using such a pictorial task may increase ecological validity and readily trigger emotional processes compared to more traditional verbal tasks that are often used. In the picture task, ambiguous social pictures were presented, followed by a positive and negative interpretation. In this study, we examined how the new task relates to an already existing interpretation bias task and how the new pictorial task relates to social fears in adolescents. The sample consisted of 329 adolescents aged 12 to 18 years. Interpretation bias was assessed with the newly developed pictorial task and with more traditional verbal vignettes. Social fears were measured with self-report questionnaires. The results suggest that the pictorial task was able to assess interpretation bias comparable to the verbal vignettes, suggesting appropriate convergent validity. Interpretation bias assessed with the picture task was linked to higher levels of fear of negative evaluation, the core symptom of social anxiety, but not to social anxiety symptoms in general. The verbal task was linked to both social fears and thus still seems the preferred method to investigate interpretation bias related to social fears in adolescents. However, we do believe that with further improvement of the pictorial task, it could be a useful addition to the research field.
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21
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Cognitive mechanisms predicting resilient functioning in adolescence: Evidence from the CogBIAS longitudinal study. Dev Psychopathol 2022; 34:345-353. [DOI: 10.1017/s0954579420000668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
AbstractResilience is a dynamic process depicted by better than expected levels of functioning in response to significant adversity. This can be assessed statistically, by taking the residuals from a model of psychological functioning regressed onto negative life events. We report the first study to investigate multiple cognitive factors in relation to this depiction of resilient functioning. Life events, internalizing symptoms, and a range of cognitive risk and protective factors were assessed in a large sample of adolescents (N = 504) across three waves spaced 12–18 months apart. Adolescents who displayed fewer symptoms than expected, relative to negative life events, were considered more resilient. Adolescents who displayed more symptoms than expected, relative to negative life events, were considered less resilient. All cognitive factors were associated with resilient functioning to differing degrees. These included memory bias, interpretation bias, worry, rumination, self-esteem, and self-reported trait resilience. Regression models showed that memory bias was a key factor explaining unique variance in prospective resilient functioning. In a subsequent cross-lagged panel model, memory bias and resilient functioning were reinforcing mechanisms across time points, supporting cognitive models of emotional resilience. This study adds to the literature, by highlighting key cognitive mechanisms as potential intervention targets
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22
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Rodgers NH, Lau JYF, Zebrowski PM. Examining the Effects of Stuttering and Social Anxiety on Interpretations of Ambiguous Social Scenarios Among Adolescents. JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION DISORDERS 2022; 95:106179. [PMID: 34902801 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcomdis.2021.106179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The proclivity to construe ambiguous information in a negative way is known as interpretation bias, which has been implicated in the onset and/or maintenance of social anxiety. The purpose of this study was to examine group and individual differences in interpretation bias among young people who stutter and their typically fluent peers during the adolescent years when social fears and worries tend to escalate. METHODS A total of 99 adolescents (13 to 19 years old) participated, including 48 adolescents who stutter (67% male) and 51 typically fluent controls (68% male). They completed a computerized vignette-based interpretation bias task in which they first read 14 short ambiguous social scenarios (half including a verbal interaction, half including a non-verbal interaction). They were then presented with four possible interpretations of each scenario including two negative interpretations (one target, one foil) and two positive interpretations (one target, one foil). Participants used a 4-point Likert scale to rate how similar in meaning each interpretation was to the original scenario. Participants also completed self-report measures of social and general anxiety, and provided a speech sample for stuttering analysis. RESULTS There was no effect of stuttering on interpretations; the adolescents who stutter rated interpretations across both verbal and non-verbal scenarios comparably to the controls, and stuttering severity did not affect interpretation ratings. However, across groups, there was a significant effect of social anxiety such that higher social anxiety was associated with more negative interpretations, and lower social anxiety was associated with more positive interpretations. DISCUSSION This study provides preliminary evidence that social anxiety may affect how adolescents interpret ambiguous social cues in verbal and non-verbal scenarios more than stuttering, although more research into how people who stutter process social information is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naomi H Rodgers
- Department of Special Education and Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Nebraska-Lincoln United States.
| | - Jennifer Y F Lau
- Youth Resilience Research Unit, Queen Mary University of London England
| | - Patricia M Zebrowski
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Iowa United States
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23
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Brundage SB, Winters KL, Armendariz K, Sabat R, Beilby JM. Comparing evaluations of social situations for adults who do and do not stutter. JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION DISORDERS 2022; 95:106161. [PMID: 34872018 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcomdis.2021.106161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Revised: 10/02/2021] [Accepted: 10/30/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Numerous research studies indicate that stuttering is associated with increased risk for social anxiety disorder (SAD). Interpretation bias is one of four cognitive biases thought to maintain symptoms associated with SAD. Interpretation bias occurs when one evaluates social situations as more negative than they actually are. The purpose of this study was to investigate if adults who do and do not stutter interpret positive, ambiguous, mildly negative, and profoundly negative social situations similarly, or-if like individuals with SAD-adults who stutter exhibit negative interpretation biases. METHOD Forty-eight adults who stutter and 42 age-and gender-matched adults who do not stutter participated. Participants completed the Fear of Negative Evaluation (FNE) and were assigned to one of four groups: adults who stutter with high FNE (AWS-High), adults who stutter with low FNE (AWS-Low), adults who do not stutter with high FNE (AWNS-High), and adults who do not stutter with low FNE (AWNS-Low). All participants completed the trait scale of the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the Interpretation and Judgmental Questionnaire (IJQ). The IJQ contains descriptions of four types of social situations: positive, mildly negative, profoundly negative, and ambiguous. Within each situation type there are five different scenarios, for a total of 20 scenarios across the four situation types. Participants provided written responses to these 20 social scenarios. Qualitative analyses were used to understand how members of each group interpreted the different social scenarios. RESULTS Thematic analysis revealed that each group responded in similar ways to each of the social scenarios, regardless of the type of situation. Adults who do and do not stutter with low and high FNE agreed on many themes related to the 20 social scenarios, and they agreed across all four types of social situations. Somewhat surprisingly, the theme "stuttering" was mentioned infrequently by the adults who stutter. CONCLUSIONS Results suggested that adults who do and do not stutter with low and high FNE interpret social situations similarly, and that no group demonstrated a negative interpretation bias consistent with what is observed in adults with SAD. The interpretations provided by each group were appropriate to the specific scenarios being evaluated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shelley B Brundage
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, George Washington University, 2115G Street NW, Suite 226, Washington DC 20052, 202-994-5008, United States.
| | - Katherine L Winters
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, George Washington University, 2115G Street NW, Suite 226, Washington DC 20052, 202-994-5008, United States; Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, 2405A Whitis Ave, Stop A1100, Austin, TX, 78712, United States
| | - Karla Armendariz
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, George Washington University, 2115G Street NW, Suite 226, Washington DC 20052, 202-994-5008, United States
| | - Ruchi Sabat
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, George Washington University, 2115G Street NW, Suite 226, Washington DC 20052, 202-994-5008, United States; KIPP NorCal Public Schools, 1000 Broadway #460, Oakland, CA, 94607, United States
| | - Janet M Beilby
- Curtin School of Allied Health, Curtin University, Kent Street, Bentley, Perth, 6102, Western Australia
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24
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Gibb A, Wilson JM, Ford C, Shook NJ. Does mindfulness reduce negative interpretation bias? Cogn Emot 2021; 36:284-299. [PMID: 34854352 DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2021.2008322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Negative interpretation bias, or the tendency to interpret ambiguous life events in a negative manner rather than positive or neutral, is a precursor to depression and anxiety. Evidence suggests that mindfulness reduces depression and anxiety, as well as a number of different negative cognitive biases. However, little is known about the association between mindfulness and negative interpretation bias specifically. Across two cross-sectional studies, we investigated this relation. In Study 1 (N = 135), greater trait mindfulness was correlated with less negative interpretation bias. In Study 2 (N = 173), we experimentally tested whether a brief mindfulness induction, compared to a mind-wandering task, decreased negative interpretation bias. Although there was not a direct effect of condition (mindfulness vs. mind-wandering) on negative interpretation bias, there was a significant indirect effect through negative mood. That is, participants in the mind-wandering condition reported greater negative mood following the induction compared to participants in the mindfulness condition, which was associated with more negative interpretation bias. The results suggest mindfulness is associated with less negative interpretation bias and may reduce negative interpretation bias by decreasing negative mood.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Cameron Ford
- West Virginia University.,NOVA Behavioural Healthcare Corporation
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25
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Ambrose K, Simpson K, Adams D. The relationship between social and academic outcomes and anxiety for children and adolescents on the autism spectrum: A systematic review. Clin Psychol Rev 2021; 90:102086. [PMID: 34598053 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2021.102086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2020] [Revised: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Anxiety is the most common co-occurring condition in children on the autism spectrum but the potential impacts of anxiety on social and academic outcomes of children on the autism spectrum have not been systematically examined. In this review, 50 studies were identified that explore the relationship between anxiety and scores on social or academic measures in children on the autism spectrum. Social competence was frequently measured, and the findings of these studies were mixed. While other social constructs have received little attention, associations were found between anxiety and victimisation, and anxiety and social relationships. Only three studies focused on the impact of anxiety on scores on academic measures, highlighting the need for further research in this area. Anxiety was most frequently measured using subscales from broader behavioural instruments, which may not capture the range of anxiety symptoms of children on the autism spectrum. Future studies that include multi-informant methodologies and proportional representation of females and children with intellectual disability will further knowledge of the impact of anxiety in children on the spectrum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn Ambrose
- Autism Centre of Excellence, Griffith University, Messines Ridge Road, Mt Gravatt, Brisbane, QLD 4122, Australia; The Co-operative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), PO Box 6068, St Lucia, QLD 4067, Australia.
| | - Kate Simpson
- Autism Centre of Excellence, Griffith University, Messines Ridge Road, Mt Gravatt, Brisbane, QLD 4122, Australia; Griffith Institute for Educational Research, Griffith University, Messines Ridge Road, Mt Gravatt, Brisbane, QLD 4122, Australia; The Co-operative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), PO Box 6068, St Lucia, QLD 4067, Australia
| | - Dawn Adams
- Autism Centre of Excellence, Griffith University, Messines Ridge Road, Mt Gravatt, Brisbane, QLD 4122, Australia; Griffith Institute for Educational Research, Griffith University, Messines Ridge Road, Mt Gravatt, Brisbane, QLD 4122, Australia; The Co-operative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), PO Box 6068, St Lucia, QLD 4067, Australia
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Schmidt NB, Vereenooghe L. Targeting hostile attributions in inclusive schools through online cognitive bias modification: A randomised experiment. Behav Res Ther 2021; 146:103949. [PMID: 34583306 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2021.103949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2020] [Revised: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The tendency to make hostile attributions in ambiguous social situations has been associated with aggression and may be targeted through cognitive bias modification for interpretations (CBM-I). Despite their high prevalence of aggression and internalising problems, children and young people with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) or special educational needs (SEN) are markedly absent from CBM-I studies. This pilot study investigates whether online CBM-I can reduce hostile attributions and reactive aggression in inclusive school pupils. In Study 1, 71 pupils (mean age = 12.2, SD = 1.5; 25.4% presented with NDD or SEN) were randomly allocated to complete three sessions of either CBM-I (n = 37) or active control training (n = 34). CBM-I involved interpreting ambiguous scenarios or faces in a non-hostile manner, whereas the control training involved attention and memory exercises without resolving ambiguity. Between-group comparison showed CBM-I to reduce both hostile attributions and reactive aggression. In Study 2, follow-up focus groups with 23 pupils demonstrated the acceptability of training content and delivery. Together, these findings show online CBM-I to be acceptable and effective at reducing both hostile attributions and reactive aggression in an inclusive setting. The possibility of intervention effects on behavioural outcomes and potential confounding variables require further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora B Schmidt
- Faculty of Psychology and Sports Science, Bielefeld University, Germany.
| | - Leen Vereenooghe
- Faculty of Psychology and Sports Science, Bielefeld University, Germany
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Parsons S, Songco A, Booth C, Fox E. Emotional information-processing correlates of positive mental health in adolescence: a network analysis approach. Cogn Emot 2021; 35:956-969. [PMID: 33882777 PMCID: PMC8372302 DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2021.1915752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Revised: 03/31/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
The combined cognitive bias hypothesis proposes that emotional information-processing biases may conjointly influence mental health. Yet, little is known about the interrelationships amongst cognitive biases, particularly in adolescence. We used data from the CogBIAS longitudinal study (Booth et al., 2017), including 450 adolescents who completed measures of interpretation bias, memory bias, and a validated measure of general mental health in a typically developing population. We used a moderated network modelling approach to examine positive mental health-related moderation of the cognitive bias network. We found that mental health was directly associated with positive and negative memory biases, and positive interpretation biases, but not negative interpretation biases. Further, we observed some mental health-related moderation of the network structure. Network connectivity decreased with higher positive mental health scores. Network approaches allow us to model complex relationships amongst cognitive biases and develop novel hypotheses for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sam Parsons
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, U.K.
| | - Annabel Songco
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, U.K.
| | - Charlotte Booth
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, U.K.
| | - Elaine Fox
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, U.K.
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Pradhan P, Sharpe L, Butow P, Russell H. The role of interpretation biases and symptom burden in fear of cancer recurrence/progression among ovarian cancer survivors. Psychooncology 2021; 30:1948-1956. [PMID: 34106498 DOI: 10.1002/pon.5748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2021] [Revised: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Models of fear of cancer recurrence or progression (FCR/P) suggest that the way in which people interpret ambiguous physical symptoms is an important contributor to the development and maintenance of FCR/P, but research has not investigated this claim. The aim of this study is to fill that gap. METHODS This was a cross-sectional study. Sixty-two women with ovarian cancer reported completed measures of FCR/P, an interpretation bias task and a symptom checklist. The healthy control group (n = 96) completed the interpretation bias task. RESULTS Women with ovarian cancer were more likely to interpret ambiguous words as health-related compared to healthy women (p < 0.001; Cohen's d = 1.28). In women with cancer, FCR/P was associated with overall symptom burden (r = 0.25; p = 0.04) and interpretation bias score (r = 0.41; p = 0.001), but interpretation bias and symptom burden were not related (r = 0.22; p = 0.09). Interpretation bias did not moderate the relationship between symptoms and FCR/P. CONCLUSIONS We found that women with ovarian cancer interpreted ambiguous words as health related more often compared to women without cancer, and this bias was greater for women with higher FCR/P. Symptom burden was also associated with FCR/P. However, interpretation bias did not moderate the relationship between physical symptoms and FCR/P. Hence, the central tenet of the Cancer Threat Interpretation model was not supported in women with ovarian cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Poorva Pradhan
- Faculty of Science, School of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Louise Sharpe
- Faculty of Science, School of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Phyllis Butow
- Faculty of Science, School of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Hayley Russell
- Ovarian Cancer Australia, Queen Victoria Women's Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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Kaloeti DVS, Manalu R, Kristiana IF, Bidzan M. The Role of Social Media Use in Peer Bullying Victimization and Onset of Anxiety Among Indonesian Elementary School Children. Front Psychol 2021; 12:635725. [PMID: 33995192 PMCID: PMC8113408 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.635725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 03/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives: This study explored a multidimensional model of the relationships between social media use, gender, peer bullying victimization experiences, and the onset of anxiety symptoms among children. We hypothesized that greater experience of bullying would be associated with greater onset of anxiety. We also expected that gender and social media use (specifically Instagram and YouTube) would be linked with anxiety among elementary school children. To test this hypothesis, a structural equation modeling approach was used. Methods: A total of 456 elementary children aged 11–13 years from nine schools were recruited for this research. We used two psychological measures: The Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) and the Personal Experience Checklist (PECK) as well as a sociodemographic questionnaire (general demographic information and social media-related information). Results: The social media usage survey found that all participants (100%) used social media. Instagram (52.42%) and YouTube (47.58%) were the platforms most used by the participants. The Structural Equation Model results suggest that bullying victimization and gender predicted the onset of anxiety in elementary school children. The model explained 32.1% of the variance of the outcome with very adequate fit indicators based on most indices, χ2 = 173.56, df = 52, p < 0.001; CFI = 0.92; TLI = 0.94; RMSEA = 0.07 (90% CI: 0.06–0.08). Instagram use was correlated positively with generalized anxiety disorder. Gender was negatively correlated with Instagram use and positively correlated with YouTube use. Girls were found to use Instagram more and boys were found to use YouTube more. It was also found that girls had higher scores onSCARED dimensions, except for school avoidance. Girls were more prone to onset of anxiety than boys, except for school avoidance, which was not related to gender. Boys were found to experience significantly more physical bullying than girls. On the other hand, girls were found to experience more panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder, and social anxiety than boys. Conclusion: This study found that bullying victimization significantly influences the onset of anxiety in children. Particular attention should be paid to cyberbullying in this context. This study also found a link between gender and anxiety—girls had a greater tendency to experience the onset of various types of anxiety, including panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder, and social anxiety. Gender was also correlated with the form of bullying victimization. The findings of this study suggest that boys were more likely to experience physical bullying than girls. Interestingly, we found that Instagram use was significantly correlated with developing separation anxiety. In particular, children demonstrated school avoidance when experiencing cyberbullying. Limitations and future directions are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rouli Manalu
- Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Diponegoro University, Semarang, Indonesia
| | | | - Mariola Bidzan
- Institute of Psychology, University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
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Premo JE, Mannella KA, Duval ER, Liu Y, Morrison CL, Moser JS, Muzik M, Rosenblum KL, Fitzgerald KD. Startle to neutral, not negative stimuli: A neurophysiological correlate of behavioral inhibition in young children. Dev Psychobiol 2021; 63:1322-1329. [PMID: 33782955 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2020] [Revised: 01/27/2021] [Accepted: 03/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
A putative biomarker of anxiety risk, the startle response is typically enhanced by negative compared to neutral emotion modulation in adults, but remains understudied in children. To determine the extent to which neutral, negative, and positively valenced emotional conditions modulate startle response in early life, a child-friendly film paradigm was used to vary emotion across these conditions during startle induction in sixty-four 4- to 7-year-old children. Association of emotion-modulated startle with parent-reported anxiety symptom severity and child behavioral inhibition, a risk factor for anxiety problems, were assessed. Analyses revealed no difference in startle magnitude during negative compared to neutral film clips. By contrast, startle during both negative and neutral conditions was greater than startle during the positive condition. Larger startle magnitude during the neutral condition associated with higher levels of child behavioral inhibition (BI). These results are consistent with possible immaturity of startle response in young children, and suggest that startle amplitude in more emotionally ambiguous, neutral conditions could serve as an early biomarker for anxiety risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie E Premo
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | | | - Elizabeth R Duval
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Yanni Liu
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Claire L Morrison
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Jason S Moser
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Maria Muzik
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | | | - Kate D Fitzgerald
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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Yu M, Westenberg PM, Wang Y, Wang J, Miers AC. Psychometric properties of the adolescents’ interpretation and belief questionnaire (AIBQ) for measuring interpretation Bias in Chinese adolescents. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-021-01346-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Golombek K, Lidle L, Tuschen-Caffier B, Schmitz J, Vierrath V. The role of emotion regulation in socially anxious children and adolescents: a systematic review. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2020; 29:1479-1501. [PMID: 31201527 DOI: 10.1007/s00787-019-01359-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2019] [Accepted: 05/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
While numerous studies suggest that emotion dysregulation is important in maintaining social anxiety among adults, the role of emotion regulation in children and adolescents with social anxiety is not yet well understood. In this systematic review, we use the process model of emotion regulation as a framework for understanding emotion regulation in children and adolescents with social anxiety. We performed a systematic literature search in the electronic data bases Medline and PsycINFO. Additional studies were identified by hand search. We identified 683 studies, screened their titles and abstracts, viewed 142 studies, and included 55 of these. Study results indicate that children and adolescents with social anxiety disorder or high social anxiety show emotion dysregulation across all five domains of emotion regulation, such as enhanced social avoidance, more safety behaviors, repetitive negative thinking, biased attention and interpretation of social information, and reduced emotional expression. While enhanced social avoidance seems to be specific to childhood social anxiety, other maladaptive emotion regulation strategies, such as repetitive negative thinking, seem to occur transdiagnostically across different childhood anxiety disorders. Implications for current theory, interventions and future research are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin Golombek
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Institute of Psychology, University of Freiburg, Engelbergerstr 41, Freiburg, 79106, Germany
| | - Leonie Lidle
- Department of Psychology, Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany.,Leipzig Research Center for Early Child Development, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Brunna Tuschen-Caffier
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Institute of Psychology, University of Freiburg, Engelbergerstr 41, Freiburg, 79106, Germany
| | - Julian Schmitz
- Department of Psychology, Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany.,Leipzig Research Center for Early Child Development, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Verena Vierrath
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Institute of Psychology, University of Freiburg, Engelbergerstr 41, Freiburg, 79106, Germany.
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Songco A, Booth C, Spiegler O, Parsons S, Fox E. Anxiety and Depressive Symptom Trajectories in Adolescence and the Co-Occurring Development of Cognitive Biases: Evidence from the CogBIAS Longitudinal Study. JOURNAL OF ABNORMAL CHILD PSYCHOLOGY 2020; 48:1617-1633. [PMID: 32926283 PMCID: PMC7554006 DOI: 10.1007/s10802-020-00694-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The development of negative cognitive biases, together with symptoms of anxiety and depression, has yet to be investigated longitudinally. Using a three-wave design, the present study examined developmental trajectories of anxiety and depressive symptoms and the co-occurrence of cognitive biases, in a large normative sample of adolescents (N = 504). Data was drawn from the CogBIAS Longitudinal Study (CogBIAS-L-S), which assessed a wide range of psychological variables, including cognitive biases and self-reported anxiety and depressive symptoms, when adolescents were approximately 13, 14.5, and 16 years of age. The results showed that overall levels of anxiety were low and stable, while levels of depression were low but increased slightly at each wave. Growth mixture modeling identified four distinct developmental classes with regard to anxiety and depressive symptoms. Multiple group analysis further showed that class membership was related to the development of cognitive biases. The majority of the sample (75%) was characterised by ‘Low symptoms’ of anxiety and depression and showed low interpretation and memory biases for negative stimuli at each wave. A second class (11%) displayed ‘Decreasing anxiety symptoms’ and showed decreasing interpretation bias, but increasing memory bias. A third class (8%) displayed ‘Comorbid increasing symptoms’ and showed increasing interpretation and memory biases. While the fourth class (6%) displayed ‘Comorbid decreasing symptoms’ and showed decreasing interpretation and memory biases. This longitudinal study sheds light on healthy and psychopathological emotional development in adolescence and highlights cognitive mechanisms that may be useful targets for prevention and early interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annabel Songco
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, New Radcliffe House, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Oxford, OX26GG, UK.
| | - Charlotte Booth
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, New Radcliffe House, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Oxford, OX26GG, UK
| | - Olivia Spiegler
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, New Radcliffe House, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Oxford, OX26GG, UK
| | - Sam Parsons
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, New Radcliffe House, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Oxford, OX26GG, UK
| | - Elaine Fox
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, New Radcliffe House, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Oxford, OX26GG, UK
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Bianchi D, Lonigro A, Baiocco R, Baumgartner E, Laghi F. Social Anxiety and Peer Communication Quality During Adolescence: The Interaction of Social Avoidance, Empathic Concern and Perspective Taking. CHILD & YOUTH CARE FORUM 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10566-020-09562-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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Interpretation Bias in Online and Offline Social Environments and Associations with Social Anxiety, Peer Victimization, and Avoidance Behavior. COGNITIVE THERAPY AND RESEARCH 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10608-020-10097-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Background
In face-to-face (offline) social situations a tendency, or bias, to negatively interpret ambiguous situations is consistently related to social anxiety. Although social interactions increasingly occur over the Internet (online), our understanding of cognitive processes in online social situations and how they relate to social anxiety, social experiences, and behavior, is limited.
Methods
In a sample of 324 young people (18–25 years), the current study addressed this gap in two ways: by simultaneously investigating online and offline interpretation bias in relation to social anxiety; and examining the extent to which online interpretation bias predicts peer victimization and avoidance.
Results
In line with hypotheses, online and offline interpretation bias each correlated positively with social anxiety; the offline interpretation bias-social anxiety association was stronger. Regression analyses revealed unique associations between online interpretation bias and online peer victimization and avoidance, after controlling for social anxiety and offline interpretation bias.
Discussion
Findings suggest that cognitive behavioral interventions for social anxiety could be optimized through eliciting and testing negative social beliefs related to online social settings.
Conclusions
The current study’s results indicate the importance of studying online interpretation bias to further understand social anxiety in online social environments.
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Not intended, still embarrassed: Social anxiety is related to increased levels of embarrassment in response to unintentional social norm violations. Eur Psychiatry 2020; 52:15-21. [DOI: 10.1016/j.eurpsy.2018.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2017] [Revised: 02/16/2018] [Accepted: 03/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractBackground:Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is associated with altered social norm (SN) processing: SAD-patients rate stories on SN violations as more inappropriate and more embarrassing than healthy participants, with the most prominent effect for stories on unintentional SN violations (i.e. committing a blunder). Until now it’s unknown how levels of social anxiety (SA) are related to ratings of SN violations in the general population, in which SA-symptoms are present at a continuum. More insight in this relationship could improve our understanding of the symptom profile of SAD. Therefore, we investigated the relation between ratings of SN violations and SA-levels in the general population.Methods:Adults and adolescents (n = 87) performed the revised Social Norm Processing Task (SNPT-R) and completed self-report questionnaires on social anxiety. Repeated-measures ANCOVAs were used to investigate the effect of SA on the ratings of inappropriateness and embarrassment.Results:As hypothesized, participants with higher SA-levels rated SN violations as more inappropriate and more embarrassing. Whereas participants with low-to-intermediate SA-levels rated unintentional SN violations as less embarrassing than intentional SN violations, participants with high SA-levels (z-score SA ≥ 1.6) rated unintentional SN violations as equally embarrassing as intentional SN violations.Conclusion:These findings indicate that increased embarrassment for unintentional SN violations is an important characteristic of social anxiety. These high levels of embarrassment are likely related to the debilitating concern of socially-anxious people that their skills and behavior do not meet expectations of others, and to their fear of blundering. This concern might be an important target for future therapeutic interventions.
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Validating a mobile eye tracking measure of integrated attention bias and interpretation bias in youth. COGNITIVE THERAPY AND RESEARCH 2019; 44:668-677. [PMID: 33518843 DOI: 10.1007/s10608-019-10071-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Introduction This study sought to validate a real-world speech task designed to assess attention and interpretation bias in an integrated and ecologically valid manner. Methods Thirty adolescent girls gave a speech in front of an emotionally ambiguous judge and a positive judge while wearing mobile eye tracking glasses to assess how long they looked at each judge (i.e., attention bias). They also reported their interpretations of the ambiguous judge and distress associated with the task (i.e., interpretation bias). Results These task-based measures correlated with self-report of interpretation bias and mother-report of attentional control, demonstrating convergent validity. They did not correlate with frustration or high intensity pleasure, indicating discriminant validity. Task-based measures of interpretation bias also showed predictive and incremental validity in relation to child distress during the speech. Discussion This proof-of-concept study demonstrates the initial validity of a novel task designed to assess attention and interpretation bias as they manifest in real-world social interactions.
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Haberkamp A, Schmidt F, Biafora M, Schmidt T. Interpreting and responding to ambiguous natural images in spider phobia. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry 2019; 65:101495. [PMID: 31398572 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2019.101495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2018] [Revised: 06/17/2019] [Accepted: 06/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The fast detection of and response to threatening stimuli is an important task of the human visual and motor systems, and is especially challenging when stimuli are ambiguous. This study investigates the perception, evaluation and fast response to ambiguous natural spider stimuli in spider-fearful and non-anxious participants. METHODS Stimuli were created by gradually morphing natural images of spiders and non-spiders (a crab, a starfish, a bunch of keys, and a flower). In Study 1, participants rated the images on perceptual and emotional dimensions and responded to them in a response priming task to measure rapid information processing. In Study 2, results were validated and extended in a different paradigm by using a go/no-go task. RESULTS As expected, spider-fearful participants showed an interpretative bias for ambiguous stimuli (i.e., perceived them as more similar to spiders) and rated spider(-like) stimuli as more unpleasant, arousing, and disgusting. In Study 1, spider stimuli were preferentially processed in spider-fearful participants as observed in faster responses to spider targets-however, responses were not different to comparison participants for ambiguous stimuli. Study 2 suggests that this finding can be explained by differences in stimulus duration. LIMITATIONS No participants with positive attitudes towards spiders or a second fearful comparison group were included. CONCLUSIONS We suggest that these findings can be explained by the nature of the applied tasks that tap into early phases of visual processing, thereby relying on feedforward-mediated low-spatial-frequency information extracted via the fast, subcortical path to the amygdala.
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Booth C, Songco A, Parsons S, Heathcote LC, Fox E. The CogBIAS longitudinal study of adolescence: cohort profile and stability and change in measures across three waves. BMC Psychol 2019; 7:73. [PMID: 31730492 PMCID: PMC6858768 DOI: 10.1186/s40359-019-0342-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2019] [Accepted: 10/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Adolescence is a time of considerable social, cognitive, and physiological development. It reflects a period of heightened risk for the onset of mental health problems, as well as heightened opportunity for flourishing and resilience. The CogBIAS Longitudinal Study (CogBIAS-L-S) aims to investigate psychological development during adolescence. Methods We present the cohort profile of the sample (N = 504) across three waves of data collection, when participants were approximately 13, 14.5, and 16 years of age. Further, we present descriptive statistics for all of the psychological variables assessed including (a) the self-report mood measures, (b) the other self-report measures, and (c) the behavioural measures. Differential and normative stability were investigated for each variable, in order to assess (i) measurement reliability (internal consistency), (ii) the stability of individual differences (intra-class correlations), and (iii) whether any adolescent-typical developmental changes occurred (multilevel growth curve models). Results Measurement reliability was good for the self-report measures (> .70), but lower for the behavioural measures (between .00 and .78). Differential stability was substantial, as individual differences were largely maintained across waves. Although, stability was lower for the behavioural measures. Some adolescent-typical normative changes were observed, reflected by (i) worsening mood, (ii) increasing impulsivity, and (iii) improvements in executive functions. Conclusions The stability of individual differences was substantial across most variables, supporting classical test theory. Some normative changes were observed that reflected adolescent-typical development. Although, normative changes were relatively small compared to the stability of individual differences. The development of stable psychological characteristics during this period highlights a potential intervention window in early adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Booth
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Anna Watts Building Radcliffe Observatory Quarte, Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 6GG, UK.
| | - Annabel Songco
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Anna Watts Building Radcliffe Observatory Quarte, Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 6GG, UK
| | - Sam Parsons
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Anna Watts Building Radcliffe Observatory Quarte, Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 6GG, UK
| | - Lauren Charlotte Heathcote
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, 1070 Arastradero Road, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA
| | - Elaine Fox
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Anna Watts Building Radcliffe Observatory Quarte, Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 6GG, UK
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Effortful control, interpretation biases, and child anxiety symptom severity in a sample of children with anxiety disorders. J Anxiety Disord 2019; 67:102136. [PMID: 31494512 PMCID: PMC6750729 DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2019.102136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2019] [Revised: 08/20/2019] [Accepted: 08/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Effortful control-the ability to inhibit impulsive reactions in favor of more adaptive responses-is negatively related to child anxiety severity. One potential explanation is that greater effortful control may "slow down" automatic, threat-laden interpretations, thereby lowering children's anxiety. The present investigation tested this hypothesis by examining associations between effortful control (and its subcomponents) and anxiety symptom severity, mediated by interpretation biases, in a diverse sample of clinically anxious youth. METHOD Participants (N = 105; Mage = 10.09 years, SD = 1.22; 56.7% female; 49% ethnic minority) completed a diagnostic interview; self-report measures of temperament, anxiety, and interpretation biases; a performance-based measure of interpretation biases; and a parent-child interaction task for which an index of behavioral anxiety was computed. RESULTS Significant indirect effects were found for effortful control, attentional control, and inhibitory control on child self-reported anxiety severity by way of self-reported (but not behaviorally-indexed) interpretation biases. Models predicting behaviorally-indexed child anxiety severity were not significant. DISCUSSION Greater effortful control may result in enhanced attentional capacities that allow children to assess automatic cognitions more objectively, potentially lowering their anxiety. Future work should evaluate whether targeting malleable temperamental constructs, such as effortful control, leads to clinically meaningful reductions in interpretation biases and child anxiety symptoms.
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Mobach L, Rinck M, Becker ES, Hudson JL, Klein AM. Content-Specific Interpretation Bias in Children with Varying Levels of Anxiety: The Role of Gender and Age. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 2019; 50:803-814. [PMID: 30879167 PMCID: PMC6737177 DOI: 10.1007/s10578-019-00883-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
The current study examined whether children varying in their levels of social anxiety, separation anxiety and spider fear exhibit a negative interpretation bias specific for their fears. Furthermore, age and gender were assessed as moderators of this relation. Children (N = 603) of the age of 7-12 years were asked to solve ambiguous scenarios reflecting social threat, separation threat or spider threat. Children's levels of anxiety were assessed with self-report questionnaires. Results indicated that children scoring higher on self-reported social anxiety, separation anxiety or spider fear, displayed a negative interpretation bias for the threat-scenarios pertaining to their specific anxiety or fear, even after controlling for comorbidity with other anxiety subtypes. Contrary to our hypotheses, we did not find moderating effects of age or gender. These results indicate that even in a community sample, content-specificity of negative interpretation biases is present.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lynn Mobach
- Department of Psychology, Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Montessorilaan, 6525 HR, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Emotional Health, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.
| | - Mike Rinck
- Department of Psychology, Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Montessorilaan, 6525 HR, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Eni S Becker
- Department of Psychology, Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Montessorilaan, 6525 HR, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Jennifer L Hudson
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Emotional Health, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Anke M Klein
- Department of Psychology, Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Montessorilaan, 6525 HR, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Developmental Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Kaufman TML, Kretschmer T, Huitsing G, Veenstra R. Why Does a Universal Anti-Bullying Program Not Help All Children? Explaining Persistent Victimization During an Intervention. PREVENTION SCIENCE : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR PREVENTION RESEARCH 2019; 19:822-832. [PMID: 29707731 DOI: 10.1007/s11121-018-0906-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Although anti-bullying interventions are often effective, some children continue to be victimized. To increase knowledge of potential factors that might impede children's benefiting from an anti-bullying intervention, we examined potential reasons for individual differences in victimization trajectories during a group-based anti-bullying intervention. Data stem from a five-wave survey among 9122 children (7-12 years old; grades 2-5) who participated in the KiVa anti-bullying intervention (n = 6142) or were in control schools (n = 2980 children). Three trajectories were found in the intervention sample, representing children who experienced stable high, decreasing, or stable low/no victimization. A two-trajectory model of high and low trajectories represented the control sample best. Multinomial regressions on the intervention sample showed that children who experienced particularly high levels of peer rejection, internalizing problems, and lower quality parent-child relationships decreased less in victimization; thus these characteristics appeared to contribute to persistent victimization. The results call for tailored strategies in interventions aiming to reduce victimization for more children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tessa M L Kaufman
- Department of Sociology and Interuniversity Center for Social Science Theory and Methodology (ICS), University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.
| | - Tina Kretschmer
- Department of Pedagogy and Educational Science, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Gijs Huitsing
- Department of Sociology and Interuniversity Center for Social Science Theory and Methodology (ICS), University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - René Veenstra
- Department of Sociology and Interuniversity Center for Social Science Theory and Methodology (ICS), University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
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Ballespí S, Vives J, Sharp C, Tobar A, Barrantes-Vidal N. Hypermentalizing in Social Anxiety: Evidence for a Context-Dependent Relationship. Front Psychol 2019; 10:1501. [PMID: 31354562 PMCID: PMC6629962 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2019] [Accepted: 06/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Social anxiety (SA) means fear of scrutiny and of others’ negative evaluation, thus indicating that hypermentalizing (HMZ) (i.e., the over-attribution of intentions and thoughts to others) might be the most common error of social cognition in SA. However, evidence for this is weak. One explanation is that HMZ is not stable in SA, but rather context-dependent. The first aim of the current study was testing this hypothesis. The second aim was analyzing whether the association between SA and HMZ is moderated by a negative self-image. One-hundred and thirteen young adults (85.8% females; M = 21.1 years old; SD = 2.7) were assessed on measures of SA, HMZ, and self-image. Given the over-representation of females, conclusions may not be safely extrapolated to males. Results revealed that HMZ is associated with SA only in the self-referential social situation [B = 2.68 (95% CI: 0.72–4.65), p = 0.007]. This supports that HMZ is not global in SA (i.e., a stable cognitive style), but rather is active only in some contexts. Implications for the conceptualization and treatment of SA are discussed. Contrary to predictions, neither self-esteem, nor positive or negative self-schema moderated the association between SA and self-referential HMZ. This contradicts findings in the field of paranoid delusion and requires replication, including measures of implicit self-esteem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergi Ballespí
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jaume Vives
- Department of Psychobiology and Methodology of Health Sciences, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carla Sharp
- Department of Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Andrea Tobar
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Neus Barrantes-Vidal
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Mental Health, Fundació Sanitària Sant Pere Claver, Barcelona, Spain.,Centre for Biomedical Research Network on Mental Health (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
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Blöte AW, Miers AC, Van den Bos E, Westenberg PM. Negative social self-cognitions: How shyness may lead to social anxiety. JOURNAL OF APPLIED DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.appdev.2019.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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45
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Sedgewick F, Leppanen J, Goh F, Hayward H, Happé F, Tchanturia K. Similarities and Differences in Theory of Mind Responses of Patients With Anorexia Nervosa With and Without Autistic Features. Front Psychiatry 2019; 10:318. [PMID: 31139102 PMCID: PMC6518020 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2019] [Accepted: 04/24/2019] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Theory of Mind (ToM) is the ability to understand and represent mental states of others, a skill that plays a key role in how we interact with people around us. Difficulties with ToM have been posited as an underlying mechanism for autism and implicated in difficulties faced by those with anorexia nervosa (AN). This study examined, both quantitatively and qualitatively, the responses of women between the ages of 14 and 25 years on the Frith-Happé Triangle Animations, a well-validated test of ToM. Participants were split into healthy controls (HCs), AN patients (AN), and AN patients with high levels of autistic features (AN+ASF). We found no significant quantitative differences between groups in performance on the task. Qualitatively, there were differences between groups such that AN patients, especially those in the AN+ASF group, were more focused on describing the videos than creating narratives, were more negative in their interpretations, and were much more anxious about their performance. These qualitative differences have clinical implications, including that not all AN patients with autistic features should be assumed to have difficulties with ToM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felicity Sedgewick
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Psychological Medicine, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
- School of Education, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Jenni Leppanen
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Psychological Medicine, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Faith Goh
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Psychological Medicine, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Hannah Hayward
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Francesca Happé
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry (SGDP) Centre, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Kate Tchanturia
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Psychological Medicine, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
- South London and Maudsley NHS Trust EDU, London, United Kingdom
- Psychology Department, Illia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia
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Yu M, Westenberg PM, Li W, Wang J, Miers AC. Cultural evidence for interpretation bias as a feature of social anxiety in Chinese adolescents. ANXIETY STRESS AND COPING 2019; 32:376-386. [PMID: 30924366 DOI: 10.1080/10615806.2019.1598556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Interpretation bias (IB), defined as the tendency to interpret ambiguous social situations in a threatening manner, has increasingly been studied in children and adolescents. Compared to Western samples, the relation between IB and social anxiety in Chinese youth has received little attention. The present study was to mainly examine the relationship between IB and social anxiety among Chinese adolescents. Design: Cross-sectional design was utilized. Methods: IB, measured by the Adolescents' Interpretation Bias Questionnaire (AIBQ), and social anxiety were surveyed among a group of high socially anxious Chinese adolescents (n = 25) and a control group (n = 29). Participants were asked to rate the likelihood of interpretations coming to mind in social/non-social situations and to choose the most believable interpretation. Results: The high social anxiety group had more negative interpretations and beliefs in social situations, and the interpretation bias was particular to social anxiety versus depression. Additionally, the cognitive content-specificity hypothesis was supported; the high anxious group showed interpretation bias in social situations, but didn't have more negative interpretations of non-social situations, after controlling for depression. Conclusions: The present study yielded comparable findings as found in Western samples regarding the relation between IB and social anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Yu
- a Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education, Faculty of Psychology , Beijing Normal University , Beijing , P.R. People's Republic of China.,b Institute of Psychology, Developmental and Educational Psychology Unit , Leiden University , Leiden , Netherlands
| | - P Michiel Westenberg
- b Institute of Psychology, Developmental and Educational Psychology Unit , Leiden University , Leiden , Netherlands
| | - Wei Li
- c College of Educational Science and Technology , Northwest Minzu University , Lanzhou , P.R. People's Republic of China
| | - Jianping Wang
- a Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education, Faculty of Psychology , Beijing Normal University , Beijing , P.R. People's Republic of China
| | - Anne C Miers
- b Institute of Psychology, Developmental and Educational Psychology Unit , Leiden University , Leiden , Netherlands
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Stuijfzand S, Creswell C, Field AP, Pearcey S, Dodd H. Research Review: Is anxiety associated with negative interpretations of ambiguity in children and adolescents? A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2018; 59:1127-1142. [PMID: 29052865 PMCID: PMC6849625 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.12822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The tendency to interpret ambiguity as threat (negative interpretation) has been implicated in cognitive models of anxiety. A significant body of research has examined the association between anxiety and negative interpretation, and reviews suggest there is a robust positive association in adults. However, evidence with children and adolescents has been inconsistent. This study aimed to provide a systematic quantitative assessment of the association between anxiety and negative interpretation in children and adolescents. METHOD Following systematic searches and screening for eligibility, 345 effects sizes from 77 studies were meta-analysed. RESULTS Overall a medium positive association was found between anxiety and negative interpretation in children and adolescents ( d ^ = .62). Two variables significantly moderated this effect. Specifically, the association increased in strength with increasing age and when the content of ambiguous scenarios matched the anxiety subtype under investigation. CONCLUSIONS Results extend findings from adult literature by demonstrating an association in children and adolescents with evidence for content specificity in the association. Age effects imply a role for development. Results raise considerations for when and for whom clinical treatments for anxiety focusing on interpretation bias are appropriate. The vast majority of studies included in the review have used correlational designs and there are a limited number of studies with young children. The results should be considered with these limitations in mind.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzannah Stuijfzand
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language SciencesUniversity of ReadingReadingUK
| | - Cathy Creswell
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language SciencesUniversity of ReadingReadingUK
| | | | - Samantha Pearcey
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language SciencesUniversity of ReadingReadingUK
| | - Helen Dodd
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language SciencesUniversity of ReadingReadingUK
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Haller SPW, Mills KL, Hartwright CE, David AS, Cohen Kadosh K. When change is the only constant: The promise of longitudinal neuroimaging in understanding social anxiety disorder. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2018; 33:73-82. [PMID: 29960860 PMCID: PMC6969264 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2018.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2017] [Revised: 05/21/2018] [Accepted: 05/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Longitudinal studies offer a unique window into developmental change. Yet, most of what we know about the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders is based on cross-sectional work. Here, we highlight the importance of adopting a longitudinal approach in order to make progress towards identifying the neurobiological mechanisms of social anxiety disorder (SAD). Using examples, we illustrate how longitudinal data can uniquely inform SAD etiology and timing of interventions. The brain's inherently adaptive quality requires that we model risk correlates of disorders as dynamic in their expression. Developmental theories regarding timing of environmental events, cascading effects and (mal)adaptations of the developing brain will be crucial components of comprehensive, integrative models of SAD. We close by discussing analytical considerations when working with longitudinal, developmental data.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Charlotte E Hartwright
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, UK; Aston Brain Center, Aston University, UK
| | - Anthony S David
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK
| | - Kathrin Cohen Kadosh
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, UK; School of Psychology, University of Surrey, UK.
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Loscalzo Y, Giannini M, Miers AC. Social anxiety and interpretation bias: examining clinical and subclinical components in adolescents. Child Adolesc Ment Health 2018; 23:169-176. [PMID: 32677297 DOI: 10.1111/camh.12221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND This study aimed to examine whether different components of interpretation bias are clinical or dimensional features of adolescent social anxiety. The study analyzed the components of this bias at a subclinical level of Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) and compared these with a clinical sample of adolescents with SAD. METHOD Adolescents in the age range 13-17 years participated. A group with SAD (n = 30) was compared with a group with subclinical SAD (n = 60), and a non-socially anxious group (n = 95). RESULTS Negative interpretation bias for social situations was found to be a dimensional aspect of social anxiety. In contrast, belief in negative interpretations of social situations appears to be a clinical feature. Contrary to expectations, endorsement of positive interpretations did not differ between the three groups. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that a screening instrument based on negative interpretations of social situations could be useful to detect adolescents at-risk of developing SAD. In a clinical setting, the belief in negative interpretations and the presence of the bias in nonsocial situations should also be considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yura Loscalzo
- Department of Health Sciences, School of Psychology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Marco Giannini
- Department of Health Sciences, School of Psychology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Anne C Miers
- Leiden University, Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Institute of Psychology, Unit Developmental and Educational Psychology, The Netherlands
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Leigh E, Clark DM. Understanding Social Anxiety Disorder in Adolescents and Improving Treatment Outcomes: Applying the Cognitive Model of Clark and Wells (1995). Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev 2018; 21:388-414. [PMID: 29654442 PMCID: PMC6447508 DOI: 10.1007/s10567-018-0258-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Social anxiety disorder is a condition characterised by a marked and persistent fear of being humiliated or scrutinised by others. Age-of-onset data point to adolescence as a developmentally sensitive period for the emergence of the condition, at a time when the peer group becomes increasingly important. Social anxiety in adolescence is associated with considerable impairment that persists through to adulthood. There are clear potential benefits to delivering effective interventions during adolescence. However, there is limited evidence on the specific efficacy of available therapies. This is in contrast to adults, for whom we have interventions with very specific treatment effects. One such treatment is individual cognitive therapy. Cognitive therapy is based on the cognitive model of social anxiety proposed by Clark and Wells (in: Heimberg, Leibowitz, Hope, Scheiber (eds) Social phobia: diagnosis, assessment and treatment, The Guilford Press, New York, 1995). The present review examines the potential application of this adult cognitive model to the understanding of adolescent social anxiety and considers additional adolescent-specific factors that need to be accommodated. It is suggested that a developmentally sensitive adoption of the cognitive model of social anxiety disorder (Clark and Wells 1995) for adolescents may lead to better treatment outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor Leigh
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- Oxford Centre for Anxiety Disorders and Trauma, The Old Rectory, Paradise Square, Oxford, OX1 1TW, UK.
| | - David M Clark
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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