Metacognitive processes in social anxiety : a path analysis.

Metacognition;Post-event processing;Social anxiety;Anticipatory processing;Perseverative thought;Path analysis

Ryan Patrick Hosey

University:University of Louisville

Department:Psychological and Brain Sciences

关键词: Metacognition;    Post-event processing;    Social anxiety;    Anticipatory processing;    Perseverative thought;    Path analysis;   

Others  :  https://ir.library.louisville.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1636&context=etd

美国|英语

来源: The Universite of Louisville's Institutional Repository

【 摘 要 】

Social anxiety is prevalent and debilitating. Contemporary models of socialanxiety posit that negative, self-focused thought aids in the maintenance of social anxietysymptoms. Although these models emphasize in-situation cognition, recent findings havelinked two perseverative thought constructs, anticipatory processing (pre-event) and post-eventprocessing (post-event), to social anxiety symptoms. The current study wasdesigned to investigate whether these maladaptive thinking styles are perpetuated by thesuperordinate process of metacognition. In particular, three domains of metacognitionwere included in the current study: metacognitive beliefs, metacognitive monitoring, andmetacognitive (attentional) control. A hypothesized model wherein these threemetacognitive processes maintain social anxiety symptoms via anticipatory and post-eventprocessing was tested using path analysis. Previously established direct andhypothesized indirect relationships within this model were evaluated. One hundred fiftyfour undergraduate students from a large Midwestern university participated in the studyand provided self-report data regarding the mentioned constructs. Results indicate that,overall, this model was a good fit for the data. Contrary to expectations, a number of the previously established direct relationships failed to reach statistical significancewithin the context of the path model. In terms of indirect relationships, only one pathwaywas significant. The indirect pathway between metacognitive beliefs and social anxietysymptoms via anticipatory processing was significant. Overall these findings suggest thatcognitive phenomena associated with social anxiety interact dynamically. Moreover,these findings corroborate Wells' model of psychological distress as it suggests thatmetacognitive beliefs (positive and negative) held about anticipatory processing sustainsit and, in turn, perpetuates symptoms of social anxiety.