Attentional and affective mechanisms in worry and rumination

Negative repetitive thinking, such as worry and rumination, is considered a common risk factor for anxiety and depression. Compared to traditional research that has focused almost exclusively on the content and amount of worrying, Berenbaum (2010) proposed an initiation–termination (IT) two-phase model of worrying in which the initiation and termination phases of worry are differentiated. Extending the IT model to rumination, we aimed to explore cognitive and affective mechanisms involved in different phases of worry and rumination. We first examined the relationship between worry and rumination, focusing on testing the potential utility of the bi-factor model as an alternative to traditional “common” vs. “distinctive” approaches. Next, we examined the utility of new tools (i.e., laboratory tasks, ecological momentary assessment) developed to assess the initiation and termination phases of worry and rumination. Lastly, we investigated which attentional and executive processes, if any, are involved in the initiation and termination of worry and rumination, while considering the potential influence of negative temperament. We found that the structural relationship between worry and rumination is best represented by a bi-factor model, which suggests that worry and rumination share certain common aspects (negative repetitive thinking), but that there are still unique aspects to each. In addition, we found that 1) worry and rumination are linked with different types of attentional bias (e.g., threat/danger, loss/failure), and 2) the initiation and termination phases are differentially associated with executive functions when taking negative temperament into account. This research highlights the potential value of paying attention to both common and unique aspects of worry and rumination and distinguishing different phases of worry and rumination when investigating the attentional and affective mechanisms involved.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2018

Author dc:creator

• Hur, Juyoen

Contributors dc:contributor

• Berenbaum, Howard
• Heller, Wendy
• Miller, Gregory A.
• Beck, Diane
• Culpepper, Steven

• Worry
• Rumination
• Attention
• Temperament

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2016 Juyoen Hur

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/99142

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/99142