Contingency-competence-control-related beliefs and symptoms of anxiety and depression in a young adolescent sample.
The present study examined the connection between contingency-competence-control-related beliefs, on the one hand, and anxiety and depression, on the other hand, in a large sample of young adolescents aged 10 to 14 years (N = 214). Participants completed measures of perceived contingency, competence, and control, as well as a questionnaire assessing symptoms of common anxiety disorders and major depressive disorder. Results showed that contingency-competence-control-related beliefs were intercorrelated and that these beliefs, in turn, were significantly associated with symptoms of anxiety and depression. Structural equation modeling provided support for a model in which perceived contingency and perceived competence predicted perceived control and in which perceived competence (anxiety and depression) and perceived control (depression only), in turn, predicted symptoms of psychopathology. A prospective test of this model indicated that none of the contingency-competence-control-related beliefs was able to predict symptoms of anxiety and depression at 4-weeks follow-up. However, data also demonstrated that perceived competence significantly contributed to the subjective experience of anxiety and depression on both occasions.
Department of Medical, Clinical, and Experimental Psychology, Maastricht University, The Netherlands. p.muris@dep.unimaas.nl
Peter
P
Muris
Erik
E
Schouten
Cor
C
Meesters
Hanneke
H
Gijsbers
D000293:Adolescent; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D003469:Culture; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012649:Self Concept; D020377:Self Efficacy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires