Joseph R. Bardeen

Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is a risk factor for posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) following trauma, and attentional biases for uncertainty stimuli (ABU) may be as well. Evidence suggests that better attentional control protects individuals who are vulnerable to several forms of psychopathology from developing such pathology. However, to our knowledge, the potential buffering effect of attentional control in relations between IU, ABU, and PTSS has yet to be examined. In the present study, 125 trauma-exposed undergraduate participants completed a battery of self-report measures and an eye-tracking visual-search task to assess ABU. The sample was primarily White (88.80%) and female (83.2%) with an average age of 19.70 years (SD = 2.60). A series of hierarchical regressions demonstrated that elevated IU and difficulties disengaging from uncertainty stimuli were associated with higher PTSS, but only among participants with lower scores on a measure of attentional control. For participants with relatively better attentional control, the associations between IU, ABU, and PTSS were non-significant. The non-clinical nature and relative homogeny of the current sample may limit generalizability of results, which warrant replication. Attentional control may protect trauma-exposed individuals from the negative effects of IU and ABU on PTSS.

Anxiety sensitivity (AS) has been identified as a contributing factor to the development and maintenance of anxiety. Individuals with high AS are sensitive to bodily cues and anxiety-related thoughts and often misinterpret these stimuli as catastrophic or dangerous. Similarly, negative and positive metacognitive beliefs (i.e., beliefs about thinking) are believed to increase internal threat monitoring and the use of maladaptive coping strategies, which may increase the impact of AS on anxiety. As such, the purpose of the present study was to examine the moderating role of metacognitive beliefs on the relationship between anxiety sensitivity and anxiety. Adult participants (N = 417), recruited through an online crowdsourcing website, completed a battery of measures assessing the constructs of interest. Results from multiple linear regression indicated that the relationship between AS and anxiety became significantly stronger as negative and positive metacognitive beliefs increased, thus suggesting that negative and positive metacognitive beliefs may exacerbate the effect of AS on anxiety. The development of risk profiles that incorporate AS and negative and positive metacognitive beliefs may be beneficial for early identification of individuals at high risk for the development of anxiety.

Experiential avoidance (EA), an unwillingness to stay in contact with unwanted inner experiences (e.g., emotions, thoughts, and bodily sensations), has been implicated in the development and maintenance of anxiety. Individuals with high levels of EA are more likely to employ maladaptive coping strategies (i.e., avoidance behaviors), which exacerbates emotional distress and anxious arousal. As smartphone ownership has become increasingly common in recent years, problematic smartphone use (PSU) has been suggested to serve as a “safety behavior” in situations in which individuals believe that they might experience emotional discomfort. That is, individuals experiencing emotional distress and/or anxious arousal may overengage in the use of technology to relieve emotional distress. As such, the purpose of this study was to examine PSU as a moderator of the relationship between EA and anxiety. Adult participants (N = 294) recruited through Amazon's Mechanical Turk (MTurk), an online labor market, completed an online battery of self-reported measures. Results indicated that the relationship between EA and anxiety became significantly stronger as PSU increased, thereby suggesting that PSU may exacerbate the effect of EA on anxiety. These findings are a first step toward the development of risk profiles that incorporate EA and PSU. Such risk profiles may be beneficial for early identification and intervention for individuals at high risk for the development of anxiety.