Take a step back: Examining regulatory strategies in the face of future threats

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Etzel, L. (2020). Take a step back: Examining regulatory strategies in the face of future threats. Unc Charlotte Electronic Theses And Dissertations.
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Abstract

Repetitive negative thinking (RNT) is a maladaptive coping mechanism associated with numerous clinical disorders, and may represent an attempt to avoid unpleasant internal experiences (e.g., anxiety). Worry, a type of RNT associated with uncertain future events, commonly occurs in mood disorders as well as with other sub-clinical concerns. As a result, worry may exacerbate existing health conditions, worsening burden on economic and healthcare systems. Drawing from transdiagnostic and acceptance-based frameworks, the present work represents a novel comparison of brief, cost-effective writing interventions for state worry, event-specific worry, and state anxiety in two non-clinical samples. Undergraduate students (N = 138; Study 1) and adults recruited via MTurk (N = 145; Study 2) were randomized to one of three writing conditions: self-immersion, self-distancing, or self-compassion and asked to write about a self-identified future threat. Across both studies, participants in the self-compassion condition reported significantly less event-specific worry and lower state anxiety than in the remaining two conditions, suggesting that self-compassion may facilitate shifts in relationships to unpleasant experiences and affective reactions to future uncertainty. In Study 1, participants in the self-compassion condition reported significantly lower state worry compared to individuals in the self-immersion condition. Collectively, both studies advance prior research by highlighting the promising role of self-compassion in helping improve tolerance of difficult emotions in a novel self-referential context.

Details
Author

Etzel, Lena

Title

Take a step back: Examining regulatory strategies in the face of future threats

Physical Description

1 online resource (87 pages) : PDF

Date

2020

Degree Granting Institution

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Abstract

Repetitive negative thinking (RNT) is a maladaptive coping mechanism associated with numerous clinical disorders, and may represent an attempt to avoid unpleasant internal experiences (e.g., anxiety). Worry, a type of RNT associated with uncertain future events, commonly occurs in mood disorders as well as with other sub-clinical concerns. As a result, worry may exacerbate existing health conditions, worsening burden on economic and healthcare systems. Drawing from transdiagnostic and acceptance-based frameworks, the present work represents a novel comparison of brief, cost-effective writing interventions for state worry, event-specific worry, and state anxiety in two non-clinical samples. Undergraduate students (N = 138; Study 1) and adults recruited via MTurk (N = 145; Study 2) were randomized to one of three writing conditions: self-immersion, self-distancing, or self-compassion and asked to write about a self-identified future threat. Across both studies, participants in the self-compassion condition reported significantly less event-specific worry and lower state anxiety than in the remaining two conditions, suggesting that self-compassion may facilitate shifts in relationships to unpleasant experiences and affective reactions to future uncertainty. In Study 1, participants in the self-compassion condition reported significantly lower state worry compared to individuals in the self-immersion condition. Collectively, both studies advance prior research by highlighting the promising role of self-compassion in helping improve tolerance of difficult emotions in a novel self-referential context.

Genre

masters theses

Subjects--Topics

Psychology

Degree

M.A.

Subject Area

Psychology

Advisor(s)

Levens, Sara
Webb, Jennifer

Committee Members

Bochantin, Jaime

Degree Note

Thesis (M.A.)--University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2020.

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Rights Holder Information

Copyright is held by the author unless otherwise indicated.

Identifier

Etzel_uncc_0694N_12380

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.13093/etd:2151