Cognitive processes predict worry and anxiety under different stressful situations

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Psychopathology

Background:

• Worry is linked to attentional control, attention bias, and interpretation bias.
• The role of interpretation-memory bias in worry remains underexplored.
• Cognitive processes may influence worry and anxiety, particularly under stress.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the cross-sectional association between cognitive processes and worry/anxiety.
• To investigate the predictive power of cognitive processes on worry/anxiety before examinations.
• To explore cognitive predictors of worry/anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study with longitudinal assessments in undergraduates (N=64).
• Assessed worry, anxiety, attention bias, interpretation bias, and interpretation-memory bias.
• Evaluated cognitive processes' association with and prediction of worry/anxiety across different stress phases.

Main Results:

• Benign interpretation bias and interpretation-memory bias correlated with lower concurrent worry/anxiety.
• Interpretation bias uniquely predicted concurrent worry and anxiety.
• No cognitive predictor significantly forecasted worry/anxiety before examinations.
• During the COVID-19 pandemic, benign attention bias and benign interpretation-memory bias predicted reduced worry; benign attention bias predicted reduced anxiety.

Conclusions:

• Cognitive processes, particularly interpretation bias, are associated with current worry and anxiety.
• Cognitive biases show potential in predicting changes in worry and anxiety during stressful situations.
• Attention and interpretation-memory biases may buffer against worry and anxiety during crises like the pandemic.