A test of the role of metaworry in the prediction of worry severity in an elderly sample.
Wells (Behav. Cogn. Psychother. 23 (1995) 301) proposed a cognitive model, which distinguishes between two kinds of worry: type I worry (focused on external things) and type II worry or metaworry (worry about one's own thoughts and worry). Wells' model assigns a central role to metaworry in the development of excessive worry, and Wells and Carter (Behav. Res. Ther. 37 (1999) 585) found in a college sample that metaworry predicted the level of trait worry after controlling for trait anxiety and type I worry. The present study replicated their investigation with a Spanish elderly sample and supported Wells' predictions that metaworry plays a significant role in the prediction of trait worry in contrast to type I worries, even when trait anxiety or perceived uncontrollability over worry are controlled.
Nuevo
Roberto
R
Facultad de Psicologia, Ciudad Universitaria de Cantoblanco, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Aula 5, Madrid 28049, Spain. roberto.nuevo@uam.es
Montorio
Ignacio
I
Borkovec
Thomas D
TD
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012494:Sampling Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires