Lynn E. Alden

Is Acculturation Unidimensional or Bidimensional? A Head-to-Head Comparison in the Prediction of Personality, Self-Identity, and Adjustment

The unidimensional model of acculturation posits that heritage and mainstream culture identifications have a strong inverse relation, whereas the bidimensional model posits that the 2 identifications are independent. The authors compared these models in 3 samples of ethnic Chinese (ns = 164, 150, and 204), 1 sample of non-Chinese East Asians (n = 70), and one diverse group of acculturating individuals (n = 140). Although the unidimensional measure showed a coherent pattern of external correlates, the bidimensional measure revealed independent dimensions corresponding to heritage and mainstream culture identification. These dimensions displayed patterns of noninverse correlations with personality, self-identity, and psychosocial adjustment. The authors conclude that the bidimensional model is a more valid and useful operationalization of acculturation.

Worry and Rumination: Repetitive Thought as a Concomitant and Predictor of Negative Mood

Worry and depressive rumination have both been described as unproductive, repetitive thought which contributes to anxiety or depression, respectively. It was hypothesized that repetitive thought, rather than its specific forms, is a general concomitant of negative mood. Study 1 was a cross-sectional test of the hypothesis. Repetitive thought was positively correlated with anxiety and depression in students (n = 110). In patients (n = 40), repetitive thought was positively correlated with anxiety and depression, and rumination was also specifically correlated with depression. Study 2 was a prospective test of the hypothesis. In students (n = 90), there were significant cross-sectional relationships between repetitive thought and both anxiety and depression. In addition, repetitive thought at least partially predicted maintenance of anxious symptoms. Phenomena such as goal interruption, failures of emotional processing, and information processing may lead to repetitive thought which increases negative mood states, including both anxiety and depression.

Cognitive processes in social anxiety: the effects of self-focus, rumination and anticipatory processing

We examined three cognitive processes hypothesized to contribute to biases in judgments about and memory for social events: self-focused attention, post-event rumination, and anticipatory processing. Socially anxious (N = 58) and nonanxious (N = 58) subjects participated in a social interaction and then completed measures of self-focused attention and anxiety-related physiological sensations and behavior. The next day, subjects completed measures that assessed frequency of post-event processing and recall of the interaction. The results indicated that selective attention to negative self-related information led to biases in social judgments and recollections and that post-event processing contributed to the recall of negative self-related information. No evidence was found for selective retrieval of negative self-related information prior to a second social interaction. The results reconcile inconsistent previous findings related to memory bias in social anxiety.

Social anxiety disorder: Questions and answers for the DSM-V.

Background: This review evaluates the DSM‐IV criteria of social anxiety disorder (SAD), with a focus on the generalized specifier and alternative specifiers, the considerable overlap between the DSM‐IV diagnostic criteria for SAD and avoidant personality disorder, and developmental issues. Method: A literature review was conducted, using the validators provided by the DSM‐V Spectrum Study Group. This review presents a number of options and preliminary recommendations to be considered for DSM‐V. Results/Conclusions: Little supporting evidence was found for the current specifier, generalized SAD. Rather, the symptoms of individuals with SAD appear to fall along a continuum of severity based on the number of fears. Available evidence suggested the utility of a specifier indicating a “predominantly performance” variety of SAD. A specifier based on “fear of showing anxiety symptoms” (e.g., blushing) was considered. However, a tendency to show anxiety symptoms is a core fear in SAD, similar to acting or appearing in a certain way. More research is needed before considering subtyping SAD based on core fears. SAD was found to be a valid diagnosis in children and adolescents. Selective mutism could be considered in part as a young childs avoidance response to social fears. Pervasive test anxiety may belong not only to SAD, but also to generalized anxiety disorder. The data are equivocal regarding whether to consider avoidant personality disorder simply a severe form of SAD. Secondary data analyses, field trials, and validity tests are needed to investigate the recommendations and options. Depression and Anxiety, 2010.

A Multidimensional Structure for Repetitive Thought: What's on Your Mind, and How, and How Much?

Although repetitive thought (RT) styles such as worry, rumination, and processing correlate positively, they have divergent effects on well-being, suggesting important dimensional variation. In Study 1, multidimensional scaling identified 2 dimensions--positive versus negative content valence and searching versus solving purpose--among students (N=978) who completed standard RT measures. In Study 2, students (N=100) sorted 25 descriptions of RT. Multidimensional scaling identified 4 dimensions, including valence and purpose. Content valence associated with valenced affect; solving associated with less aroused affect and less polarized appraisals of thought topics. In Study 3, valence and purpose of RT descriptions by women in a breast cancer prevention trial (N=62) predicted concurrent affect and psychological and physical well-being.

Posttraumatic stress disorder in the emergency room: exploration of a cognitive model.

Ehlers and Clark (Behav. Res. Ther., 38 (2000) 319) recently proposed a cognitive model of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In this study, we examined two facets of this model, appraisal and peritraumatic dissociation, in the context of a hospital emergency room. Fifty-one emergency room personnel completed questionnaires measuring posttraumatic stress symptoms, interpretations of traumatic events experienced while working in the emergency room and subsequent intrusive recollections, and peritraumatic dissociation. Twelve percent of participants met formal diagnostic criteria for PTSD, and 20% met PTSD symptom criteria. As predicted, both negative appraisals of the trauma and of intrusive recollections were associated with increased PTSD severity. Although peritraumatic dissociation did not correlate with overall PTSD symptom severity, it was associated with the reexperiencing symptom cluster. Discussion focuses on the factors associated with PTSD in emergency room professionals and implications for intervention.

Perfectionism in an interpersonal context: A self-regulation analysis of dysphoria and social anxiety

This study examined perfectionism and standard-setting within a self-regulation framework and systematically compared the roles of both factors in dysphoria and social anxiety. Four groups of subjects representing all combinations of social anxiety and dysphoria completed measures of self-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism. They then rated three aspects of self-regulation (standard-setting, frequency of self-appraisal, and self-efficacy) in the context of a social task. Socially prescribed perfectionism was associated with frequent self-appraisal during the interaction, but not with standard-setting. Self-oriented perfectionism was associated with establishing goals that exceeded ones perceived social ability and with importance of meeting personal goals. The extent to which either type of perfectionism was associated with dysphoria or social anxiety was dependent on social self-efficacy.

Irrational beliefs and nonassertive behavior

Nonassertive individuals completed a measure of Elliss irrational beliefs. Subjects were then divided into a high-endorsement and a low-endorsement group. Subjects who endorsed the irrational beliefs were observed to be less assertive and described themselves as more uncomfortable when role-playing assertion situations. In addition, the high-endorsement group described themselves as less frequently assertive in real life and as far more uncomfortable when confronted with assertion situations. Discussion focused on the specific irrational beliefs endorsed by nonassertive subjects.

A comparison of social standards and perceived ability in anxious and nonanxious men

This study examined the discrepancy between self-established standards and self-efficacy in social situations. Socially anxious and nonanxious men rated a series of standards for judging the adequacy of their performance in an upcoming social interaction; subjects also rated their social self-efficacy, or perceived ability to handle the interaction. Nonanxious subjects expected their ability to equal or exceed all standards of evaluation. Anxious subjects expected their ability to equal that of the average subject and also believed their performance would match their personal standard. However, anxious subjects believed their social behavior would fall short of what they believed the experimenter expected of them. No support was found for the idea that socially anxious men establish perfectionistic standards. Rather, they believed that others held standards for them that they could not achieve. The results are congruent with cognitive theories of social anxiety.

Safety behaviors and judgmental biases in social anxiety disorder

Two experiments were conducted to examine the link between safety behaviors and social judgments in social anxiety disorder (SAD). Safety behaviors were manipulated in the context of a controlled laboratory-based social interaction, and subsequent effects of the manipulation on the social judgments of socially anxious participants (N = 50, Study 1) and individuals meeting diagnostic criteria for generalized SAD (N = 80, Study 2) were examined. Participants were randomly assigned to either a safety behavior reduction plus exposure condition (SB + EXP) or a graduated exposure (EXP) control condition, and then took part in a conversation with a trained experimental confederate. Results revealed across both studies that participants in the SB + EXP group were less negative and more accurate in judgments of their performance following safety behavior reduction relative to EXP participants. Study 2 also demonstrated that participants in the SB + EXP group displayed lower judgments about the likelihood of negative outcomes in a subsequent social event compared to controls. Moreover, reduction in safety behaviors mediated change in participant self-judgments and future social predictions. The current findings are consistent with cognitive theories of anxiety, and support the causal role of safety behaviors in the persistence of negative social judgments in SAD.