title: Early trauma, negative affect, and anxious attachment: the role of metacognition.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Metacognition is linked to the etiology and maintenance of negative emotions and psychological disorder in the Self-Regulatory Executive Function Model. Although there is significant evidence supporting the model, little is currently known about the situational factors for developing dysfunctional metacognitions. The current study explored the hypothesis that early aversive experiences might be important and also tested if metacognitions could mediate the relationship between such experiences and psychological symptoms.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three hundred and fifty non-clinical adults completed a retrospective early trauma measure, as well as measures of current metacognitive beliefs, negative affect, and anxious attachment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Early emotional abuse positively and significantly correlated with several metacognitive belief dimensions but other forms of early trauma did not. Metacognition fully mediated the relationship between emotional abuse and negative affect. Anxious attachment was also positively and significantly associated with metacognitive beliefs and specific relationships remained after controlling for early emotional abuse and current negative affect.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings are consistent with the ideas that: (i) early negative experiences, and emotional abuse in particular, could be a factor in the formation of problematic metacognitions and (ii) these metacognitions may be important in determining the effects of abuse on subsequent psychological symptoms.
authors.affiliation: a Academic Division of Clinical Psychology , University of Manchester , Rawnsley Building, MRI, Oxford Road, Manchester , M13 9WL , UK.
authors.forename: Samuel G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Myers
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wells
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D000067489:Metacognition; D009769:Object Attachment; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: anxious attachment; early trauma; emotional abuse; metacognition; negative affect