TY - JOUR
T1 - The Effects of Worry in Daily Life
T2 - An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study Supporting the Tenets of the Contrast Avoidance Model
AU - Newman, Michelle G.
AU - Jacobson, Nicholas C.
AU - Zainal, Nur Hani
AU - Shin, Ki Eun
AU - Szkodny, Lauren E.
AU - Sliwinski, Martin J.
N1 - Funding Information:
These data were previously presented at the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (2015) and the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (2016). This study was partially funded by grants from the Pennsylvania State University Social Science Research Institute and National Science Foundation Grant 1110970.
Funding Information:
This study was partially funded by grants from the Pennsylvania State University Social Science Research Institute and National Science Foundation Grant 1110970.
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2019.
PY - 2019/7/1
Y1 - 2019/7/1
N2 - The contrast avoidance model (CAM) suggests that worry increases and sustains negative emotion to prevent a negative emotional contrast (sharp upward shift in negative emotion) and increase the probability of a positive contrast (shift toward positive emotion). In Study 1, we experimentally validated momentary assessment items (N = 25). In Study 2, participants with generalized anxiety disorder (N = 31) and controls (N = 37) were prompted once per hour regarding their worry, thought valence, and arousal 10 times a day for 8 days. Higher worry duration, negative thought valence, and uncontrollable train of thoughts predicted feeling more keyed up concurrently and sustained anxious activation 1 hr later. More worry, feeling keyed up, and uncontrollable train of thoughts predicted lower likelihood of a negative emotional contrast in thought valence and higher likelihood of a positive emotional contrast in thought valence 1 hr later. Findings support the prospective ecological validity of CAM. Our findings suggest that naturalistic worry reduces the likelihood of a sharp increase in negative affect and does so by increasing and sustaining anxious activation.
AB - The contrast avoidance model (CAM) suggests that worry increases and sustains negative emotion to prevent a negative emotional contrast (sharp upward shift in negative emotion) and increase the probability of a positive contrast (shift toward positive emotion). In Study 1, we experimentally validated momentary assessment items (N = 25). In Study 2, participants with generalized anxiety disorder (N = 31) and controls (N = 37) were prompted once per hour regarding their worry, thought valence, and arousal 10 times a day for 8 days. Higher worry duration, negative thought valence, and uncontrollable train of thoughts predicted feeling more keyed up concurrently and sustained anxious activation 1 hr later. More worry, feeling keyed up, and uncontrollable train of thoughts predicted lower likelihood of a negative emotional contrast in thought valence and higher likelihood of a positive emotional contrast in thought valence 1 hr later. Findings support the prospective ecological validity of CAM. Our findings suggest that naturalistic worry reduces the likelihood of a sharp increase in negative affect and does so by increasing and sustaining anxious activation.
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U2 - 10.1177/2167702619827019
DO - 10.1177/2167702619827019
M3 - Article
C2 - 31372313
AN - SCOPUS:85062572243
VL - 7
SP - 794
EP - 810
JO - Clinical Psychological Science
JF - Clinical Psychological Science
SN - 2167-7026
IS - 4
ER -