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Trait anxiety and attenuated negative affect differentiation: a vulnerability factor to consider?
Lindsey M Matt1, David M Fresco1, Karin G Coifman1
1a Department of Psychological Sciences , Kent State University , Kent , OH , USA.
Anxiety, Stress, and Coping
|March 11, 2016
Summary
Individuals with higher trait anxiety (HTA) struggle to differentiate negative emotions. This difficulty in affect differentiation may be a transdiagnostic factor in emotional disorders.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Affective Science
Background:
- Affect differentiation, or using distinct terms for emotional experiences, is linked to emotion regulation and stress adaptation.
- Limited research exists on the link between affect differentiation and dispositional factors in psychopathology.
- Trait anxiety (TA) involves cognitive biases relevant to processing emotional experiences, suggesting a potential link with differentiation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the association between affect differentiation (of negative and positive experiences) and trait anxiety (TA).
- To investigate if individuals with higher trait anxiety (HTA) exhibit difficulties in differentiating emotional experiences.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study involving lab-based repeated assessments of affect.
- Two hundred twenty-two adults participated in an emotion reactivity task.
- Hypothesis: HTA individuals would show greater difficulty in affect differentiation.
Main Results:
- HTA individuals demonstrated lower negative affect (NA) differentiation, even after controlling for depression.
- Higher negative emotion intensity was linked to lower differentiation.
- The effect of HTA on differentiation was independent of negative emotion intensity.
Conclusions:
- Individuals with HTA experience significant challenges in differentiating negative emotions.
- This difficulty persists irrespective of negative emotion intensity and depression.
- Poor affect differentiation may be a transdiagnostic factor in emotional disorders and a consideration in affective disease models.
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