The Mediating Role of Complex Interpersonal Problems and Contrast Avoidance of Worry in Correlation between Neuroticism and the symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 PhD Student of Psychology, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Lorestan University, Khoramabad, Iran.

2 Assistant Professor of Psychology, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Lorestan University, Khoramabad, Iran

Abstract


Introduction: The purpose of this study was to determine the mediating role of Complex Interpersonal Problems and Contrast Avoidance of Worry in the correlation between neuroticism and the symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).
Method: A descriptive -correlation design with structural equation modeling administered, and statistical population consisting 415 individuals with  GAD symptoms were selected through available sampling method. Questionnaires of Neuroticism, Interpersonal Problems, Contrast Avoidance of Worry and Generalized Anxiety were applied for data collecttion. Data were then analyzed  using AMOS and SPSS software through Pearson’s correlation and structural equation modeling.
Results: results showed well goodness of fite to the proposed model.  Significant effects were found for neuroticism on complex interpersonal problems, interpersonal problems showed a direct and significant effect on contrast  avoidance of worry, and contrast avoidance of worry showed a direct and significant effect on generalized anxiety disorder. Contrast avoidance of worry and complex interpersonal problems significantly mediated the association between neuroticism and symptoms of GAD.
Conclusion: Neuroticism,  complex interpersonal problems, and contrast avoidance of worry showed a direct and significant effect on symptoms of GAD. Moreover, Contrast avoidance of worry and complex interpersonal problems played the mediating role between neuroticism and symptoms of GAD.

Keywords

References

منابع
1. Meyer A, Nelson B, Perlman G, Klein DN, Kotov R. A neural biomarker, the error‐related negativity, predicts the first onset of generalized anxiety disorder in a large sample of adolescent females. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 2018 Nov; 59(11): 1162-70.
2. Alden LE, Wiggins JS, Pincus AL. Construction of circumplex scales for the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems. Journal of personality assessment. 1990; 55(3-4): 521-36.
3. Association AP. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5®): American Psychiatric Pub; 2013.
4. Hall J, Kellett S, Berrios R, Bains MK, Scott S. Efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy for generalized anxiety disorder in older adults: systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 2016; 24(11): 1063-73.
5. Newman MG, Llera SJ. A novel theory of experiential avoidance in generalized anxiety disorder: A review and synthesis of research supporting a contrast avoidance model of worry. Clinical psychology review. 2011; 31(3): 371-82.
6. Llera SJ, Newman MG. Development and validation of two measures of emotional contrast avoidance: The contrast avoidance questionnaires. Journal of Anxiety Disorders. 2017; 49: 114-27.
7. Crouch TA, Lewis JA, Erickson TM, Newman MG. Prospective investigation of the contrast avoidance model of generalized anxiety and worry. Behavior therapy. 2017; 48(4): 544-56.
8. Kim H, Newman M, editors. Emotional contrast avoidance in generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder: A comparison between the perseveration processes of worry and rumination. 50th Annual Meeting of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, New York, NY; 2016.
9. Schmalz JE, Murrell AR. Measuring experiential avoidance in adults: The Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire. International Journal of Behavioral Consultation and Therapy. 2010; 6(3): 198.
10. Newman MG, Llera SJ, Erickson TM, Przeworski A. Basic science and clinical application of the Contrast Avoidance model in generalized anxiety disorder. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration. 2014; 24(3): 155.
11. Hettema JM, Neale MC, Myers JM, Prescott CA, Kendler KS. A population-based twin study of the relationship between neuroticism and internalizing disorders. American journal of Psychiatry. 2006 May; 163(5): 857-64.
12. Judge TA, Bono JE, Ilies R, Gerhardt MW. Personality and leadership: a qualitative and quantitative review. Journal of applied psychology. 2002; 87(4): 765.
13. Bourgeois ML, Brown TA. Perceived emotion control moderates the relationship between neuroticism and generalized anxiety disorder. Cognitive therapy and research. 2015; 39(4): 531-41.
14. Subica AM, Allen JG, Frueh BC, Elhai JD, Fowler JC. Disentangling depression and anxiety in relation to neuroticism, extraversion, suicide, and self‐harm among adult psychiatric inpatients with serious mental illness. British Journal of Clinical Psychology. 2016; 55(4): 349-70.
15. Greenfield MF, Gunthert KC, Forand NR. Sex Differences in the Effect of Neuroticism on Interpersonal Interaction Quality. Individual Differences Research. 2014; 12(2).
16. Williams TF, Simms LJ. Personality disorder models and their coverage of interpersonal problems. Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment. 2016; 7(1):15.
17. Thompson RJ, Kuppens P, Mata J, Jaeggi SM, Buschkuehl M, Jonides J, et al. Emotional clarity as a function of neuroticism and major depressive disorder. Emotion. 2015; 15(5): 615.
18. Mohammadkhani P, Abasi I, Pourshahbaz A, Mohammadi A, Fatehi M. The Role of Neuroticism and Experiential Avoidance in Predicting Anxiety and Depression Symptoms: Mediating Effect of Emotion Regulation. Iranian journal of psychiatry and behavioral sciences. 2016; 10(3).
19. Newman MG, Erickson TM. Generalized anxiety disorder. 2010.
20. Newman MG, Castonguay LG, Borkovec TD, Fisher AJ, Nordberg SS. An open trial of integrative therapy for generalized anxiety disorder. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training. 2008; 45(2): 135.
21. Huh HJ, Kim S-Y, Yu JJ, Chae J-H. Childhood trauma and adult interpersonal relationship problems in patients with depression and anxiety disorders. Annals of general psychiatry. 2014; 13(1): 26.
22. Aftab R. Mediating role of interpersonal problems in the relationship between experiential avoidance with depression and anxiety. 2017.
23. Kline RB. Principles and practice of structural equation modeling: Guilford publications. 2015.
24. Newman MG, Zuellig AR, Kachin KE, Constantino MJ, Przeworski A, Erickson T, et al. Preliminary reliability and validity of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire-IV: A revised self-report diagnostic measure of generalized anxiety disorder. Behavior Therapy. 2002; 33(2): 215-33.
25. Bita F a, Nader M. Psychometric Properties of Fourth Edition of Diagnostic Questionnaire for Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Psychological Methods and Models Quarterly. 2017; 8(Psychometric): 104-87.
26. Costa Jr PT, McCrae RR. Personality disorders and the five-factor model of personality. Journal of personality disorders. 1990;4(4):362-71.
27. Ferguson E. Personality and coping traits: A joint factor analysis. British journal of health psychology. 2001 Nov; 6(4): 311-25.
28. Sodano SM, Tracey TJ. A brief Inventory of Interpersonal Problems–Circumplex using nonparametric item response theory: Introducing the IIP–C–IRT. Journal of Personality Assessment. 2011; 93(1): 62-75.
29. Fath N, Azadfallah P, RASOOLZADEH TK, Rahimi C. Validity and reliability of the inventory of interpersonal problems (IIP-32). 2013.
30. Setayeshi Am, Heshmati R, Dehghan S. Structural Equation Modeling Of Determinative Interpersonal Problems: The Role Of Attachment Styles And Interpersonal Cognitive Distortions In Students. 2017.
31. Brown TA, Chorpita BF, Barlow DH. Structural relationships among dimensions of the DSM-IV anxiety and mood disorders and dimensionsof negative affect, positive affect, and autonomic arousal. Journal of abnormal psychology. 1998; 107(2): 179.
32. Hale WW, Klimstra TA, Meeus WH. Is the generalized anxiety disorder symptom of worry just another form of neuroticism? A 5-year longitudinal study of adolescents from the general population. Journal of clinical Psychiatry. 2010; 71(7): 942-8.
33. Mackintosh M-A, Gatz M, Wetherell JL, Pedersen NL. A twin study of lifetime generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in older adults: genetic and environmental influences shared by neuroticism and GAD. Twin research and human genetics. 2006; 9(1): 30-7.
34. Borkovec T, Ray WJ, Stober J. Worry: A cognitive phenomenon intimately linked to affective, physiological, and interpersonal behavioral processes. CognitiveTherapy and Research. 1998; 22(6): 561-76.
34. Salzer S, Pincus AL, Hoyer J, Kreische R, Leichsenring F, Leibing E. Interpersonal subtypes within generalized anxiety disorder. Journal of Personality Assessment. 2008; 90(3): 292-9.
36. Borkovec T, Newman MG, Pincus AL, Lytle R. A component analysis of cognitive-behavioral therapy for generalized anxiety disorder and the role of interpersonal problems. Journal of consulting and clinical psychology. 2002; 70(2): 288.
37. Erickson TM, Newman MG. Interpersonal and emotional processes in generalized anxiety disorder analogues during social interaction tasks. Behavior Therapy. 2007; 38(4): 364-77.
38. Uhmann S, Beesdo-Baum K, Becker ES, Hoyer J. Specificity of interpersonal problems in generalized anxiety disorder versus other anxiety disorders and depression. The Journal of nervous and mental disease. 2010; 198(11): 846-51.
39. Daley SE, Hammen C, Davila J, Burge D. Axis II symptomatology, depression, and life stress during the transition from adolescence to adulthood. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 1998; 66(4): 595.
40. Llera SJ, Newman MG. Rethinking the role of worry in generalized anxiety disorder: Evidence supporting a model of emotional contrast avoidance. Behavior Therapy. 2014; 45(3): 283-99.
41. Aldao A, Mennin DS. Paradoxical cardiovascular effects of implementing adaptive emotion regulation strategies in generalized anxiety disorder. Behaviour research and therapy. 2012; 50(2): 122-30.
42. Hoehn-Saric R, Hazlett RL, McLeod DR. Generalized anxiety disorder with early and late onset of anxiety symptoms. Comprehensive Psychiatry. 1993; 34(5): 291-8.
43. Salzer S, Pincus AL, Winkelbach C, Leichsenring F, Leibing E. Interpersonal subtypes and change of interpersonal problems in the treatment of patients with generalized anxiety disorder: A pilot study. Psychotherapy. 2011; 48(3): 304.

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 27 December 2019
  • Revise Date: 04 February 2020
  • Accept Date: 14 May 2020

Share

How to cite

Statistics