Metacognitive beliefs and strategies predict worry, obsessive–compulsive symptoms and coping styles: A preliminary prospective study on an Italian non‐clinical sample
Abstract
Eighty undergraduate students completed the Italian versions of the Metacognition Questionnaire and Thought Control Questionnaire along with well‐established measures of worry, obsessive–compulsive symptoms and coping styles on two occasions four months apart. A series of hierarchical regression analyses revealed that, after controlling the initial level of both worry and obsessionality, negative beliefs about worry focused on uncontrollability and danger appeared consistently associated with worry and obsessive symptoms at a four‐month distance. In addition, positive beliefs about worry predicted maladaptive coping styles whereas cognitive self‐consciousness and thought strategies aimed at distraction appeared to foster or facilitate adaptive coping styles. Results, implications and limitations are discussed according to Well's metacognitive model of emotional disorders. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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The longitudinal effects of negative metacognitive beliefs on anxiety and depression 6 months later and worrying 4 months later have already been demonstrated.
“as the longitudinal effects of negative metacognitive beliefs on anxiety and depression 6 months later (Yilmaz et al. 2011) and worrying 4 months later (Sica et al. 2007) have already been demonstrated”
From Common Factors of Meditation, Focusing, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Longitudinal Relation of Self-Report Measures to Worry, Depressive, and Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms Among Nonclinical Students (2015) · cites this paper as Sica et al. 2007
Sica et al. (2007) conducted a longitudinal study and found that cognitive self-consciousness was prospectively related to adaptive coping.
“Sica et al. (2007) conducted a longitudinal study and found that cognitive self-consciousness was prospectively related to adaptive coping.”
From Common Factors of Meditation, Focusing, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Longitudinal Relation of Self-Report Measures to Worry, Depressive, and Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms Among Nonclinical Students (2015) · cites this paper as Sica et al. (2007)
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“The scale showed good psychometric properties in previous international and Italian studies.(43,44)”
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“In a study by Sica et al findings were obtained that anxiety and obsessive compulsive symptoms were predictive of the uncontrollability and danger dimension.(30) There are other studies showing that OCD symptoms are markers of the need to control thoughts.”
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“…have also been found to be relevant to adult OCD symptoms (Cartwright-Hatton & Wells, 1997; Grøtte et al., 2016; Ramos-Cejudo, Salguero, & Cano-Vindel, 2013; Spada, Mohiyeddini, & Wells, 2008; Fergus & Bardeen, 2017; Cho, Jahng, & Chai, 2012; Sica et al., 2007; Yilmaz, Gençöz, & Wells, 2008).”
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“These findings correspond to prior knowledge emphasizing that excessive or uncontrollable worry is associated with positive and negative metacognitions (Sica et al., 2007).”
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“Another metacognitive distortion is thought–action fusion, which is the belief that having certain thoughts is morally equivalent to or is causally linked with performing the corresponding actions 139 .”
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“Like Sica et al. [61], they propose revising this subscale to emphasize the negative aspects of excessive and rigid consciousness to better represent the object mode advocated by Wells [48].”
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“This model emphasizes cognitive self-consciousness’ effects on emotional and self-regulatory processing, thus directing subsequent controlled plans (Cook et al. 2015; Georghiades 2004; Sica et al. 2007; Wells 2000).”
The Contribution of Psychological Inflexibility and Metacognitive Processes to Emotional Distress.
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Störungs- und Behandlungskonzepte sowie empirische Evidenz der metakognitiven Therapie nach Wells
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Worry Beliefs Scale: A Scale Development Study
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“…pathology have been identified for generalized anxiety (e.g., Thielsch et al., 2015), social anxiety (i.e., Nordahl et al., 2017, 2022), trait anxiety (e.g., Nordahl et al., 2019), health anxiety (e.g., Bai-ley & Wells, 2016), and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (e.g., Sica et al., 2007).”
Sanrılı Bozukluk ve Obsesif Kompulsif Bozukluk Hastalarında Üstbiliş İşlevlerinin Değerlendirilmesi
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BackgroundResultInfluentialA Review of Metacognition in the diagnosis and treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
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Obsesif Kompulsif Bozuklukta Üst-Bilişsel
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“Such hyper-vigilance and maladaptive coping responses can lead to an increase in anxiety and further reinforcement that worry is indeed uncontrollable (Sica et al., 2007).”
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- Authors
- Sica, C., Steketee, G., Ghisi, M., Chiri, L. R., & Franceschini, S.
- Affiliations
- University of Florence (IT)
- Boston University (US)
- University of Padua (IT)
- Corresponding author
- Sica, Claudio
- Venue
- Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2007-07
- Volume
- 14
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 258-268
- ISSN
- 1063-3995 (ISSN-L)
- 1099-0879
- OpenAlex
- W2010040675
- Cited by
- 86
- References
- 39
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 5
- FWCI
- 4.72
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy (publishedVersion)
- Florence Research (University of Florence) (submittedVersion)
- Padua Research Archive (University of Padova) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychological Treatments and Assessments
- Keywords
- metacognitive beliefs, metacognitive strategies, worry, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, coping styles, metacognition, thought control, cognitive self-consciousness, distraction techniques, non-clinical sample, university students
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