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Understanding Heterogeneity in the Personality and Interpersonal Functioning of Worriers

Cooper, Graham E
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1538672205334863

Abstract Details

2018, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Psychology.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a chronic and impairing condition. Despite the fact that there are treatments available, research evidence suggests that there is a need to increase the efficacy of those treatments. One potential path is via consideration of heterogeneity in the population of pathological worriers. Recent research has demonstrated that, contrary to the prevailing view pathological worriers show heterogeneity in the level of Autonomic Arousal (AA) symptoms they experience. Whereas such symptoms are blunted in some worriers, they are heightened in others. Several recent tests of a recently proposed model of pathological worry suggest that this heterogeneity is a function of individual differences in level of cognitive control capacity. AA symptoms are blunted when cognitive control capacity is high but heightened when such capacity is low. The present study investigated whether such individual differences in cognitive control can also account for observed heterogeneity among worriers in personality features and social behaviors. Specifically, the present study sought to replicate and extend the findings of two previous studies. In one, it was found that at high levels of worry, high levels of cognitive control predict obsessive-compulsive personality disorder traits (Chriki 2015). In the other, worriers showed heterogeneity in their social behaviors in a confederate social interaction task (Erikson & Newman, 2007). The current study was designed to replicate both previous studies, and to additionally clarify the extent to which the worry by cognitive control interaction could account for the findings by Erikson and Newman. A sample of 163 individuals enrolled in Psychology 1100 at The Ohio State University completed an in-lab confederate social interaction task along with measures assessing worry, cognitive control capacity, OCPD-spectrum traits, and a variety of constructs related to general and interpersonal functioning. Results indicated that cognitive control capacity moderated the association between worry and AA symptoms, as found in previous research from our lab. Furthermore, the findings of individual differences in OCPD-spectrum traits were replicated, as was the finding that such differences are predicted by the interaction between worry and cognitive control. However, with regards to the social interaction task, the majority of the findings reported by Erikson and Newman (2007) were not replicated in the current sample. Similarly, with several noteworthy exceptions, worry and cognitive control capacity failed to interact to predict variation on most of the interpersonal constructs of interest. Although such differences may still exist within the broader population of worriers, the lack of significant results for a number of the tested constructs suggests that the present findings should be interpreted with caution. Implications for further research are discussed.
Michael Vasey, Ph.D. (Advisor)
Ruchika Prakash, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Julian Thayer, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
129 p.
Clinical Psychology; Psychology
Worry, Personality, Interpersonal Functioning, Social Functioning

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Cooper, G. E. (2018). Understanding Heterogeneity in the Personality and Interpersonal Functioning of Worriers [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1538672205334863

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Cooper, Graham. Understanding Heterogeneity in the Personality and Interpersonal Functioning of Worriers. 2018. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1538672205334863.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Cooper, Graham. "Understanding Heterogeneity in the Personality and Interpersonal Functioning of Worriers." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1538672205334863

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.