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Cited by 30Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive ProcessesMental Health Research TopicsChild and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development

A test of the core process account of psychopathology in a heterogenous clinical sample of anxiety and depression: a case of the blind men and the elephant?

Open access
Mansell, Warren, McEvoy, Peter M.·2017·Journal of Anxiety Disorders
DOI 10.1016/j.janxdis.2016.06.008
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Abstract

Many cognitive and behavioral processes, such as selective attention to threat, self-focused attention, safety-seeking behaviors, worry and thought suppression, have their foundations in research on anxiety disorders. Yet, they are now known to be transdiagnostic, i.e. shared across a wide range of psychological disorders. A more pertinent clinical and theoretical question is whether these processes are themselves distinct, or whether they reflect a shared 'core' process that maintains psychopathology. The current study utilized a treatment-seeking clinical adult sample of 313 individuals with a range of anxiety disorders and/or depression who had completed self-report measures of widely ranging processes: affect control, rumination, worry, escape/avoidance, and safety-seeking behaviors. We found that only the first factor extracted from a principal components analysis of the items of these measures was associated with symptoms of anxiety and depression. Our findings supported the 'core process' account that had its origins in the field of anxiety disorders, and we discuss the implications for theory, clinical practice and future research across psychological disorders.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.janxdis.2016.06.008

Cites

63 of 63 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Transdiagnostic intervention and the Unified Protocol emphasize common underlying mechanisms that contribute to the development and maintenance of emotional disorders such as PD/A.

    “Transdiagnostic intervention, an emotion-focused, cognitive behavioral intervention that has led to the Unified Protocol (UP), emphasizes the common underlying mechanisms that contribute to the development and maintenance of emotional disorders such as PD/A.”

    From Enhancing In Vivo Exposure in the Treatment of Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia Using Location-Based Technologies: A Case Study (2020) · cites this paper as Mansell & McEvoy, 2017

    The indexed Abstract describes transdiagnostic processes shared across psychological disorders and a possible core process that maintains psychopathology, supported by findings in adults with anxiety disorders and/or depression. It does not discuss the Unified Protocol, describe a transdiagnostic intervention leading to it, or establish a role in the development of PD/A. (LLM, conf=0.83)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • If the use of strategies to cope with this loss of control, such as taking drugs, drinking alcohol, or engaging in experiential avoidance, reduce an individual's distress on a short-term basis, they may continue using these strategies.

    “If the use of strategies to cope with this loss of control, such as taking drugs, drinking alcohol, or engaging in experiential avoidance, reduce an individual’s distress on a short-term basis, they may continue using these strategies (Mansell and McEvoy, 2017).”

    From The Psychological Pathway to Suicide Attempts: A Strategy of Control Without Awareness (2021) · cites this paper as Mansell and McEvoy, 2017

    The indexed Abstract discusses affect control and escape/avoidance in people with anxiety or depression, but does not say that short-term distress relief leads people to continue using coping strategies. Searches for drugs, alcohol, short-term relief, and loss of control found no passage addressing that mechanism. (LLM, conf=0.72)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • These strategies prevent the individual's awareness from focusing on the level of the goal hierarchy where it needs to be, i.e., the level above the conflicting goals, so reorganization cannot take place.

    “However, since these strategies prevent the individual’s awareness from focusing on the level of the goal hierarchy where it needs to be, i.e., the level above the conflicting goals, reorganization cannot take place (Mansell et al., 2012, 2015; Mansell and McEvoy, 2017).”

    From The Psychological Pathway to Suicide Attempts: A Strategy of Control Without Awareness (2021) · cites this paper as Mansell and McEvoy, 2017

    The available passages contain the paper’s title and bibliographic details, but no discussion of strategies, goal hierarchies, awareness, or reorganization. Searches for “reorganization,” “conflicting goals,” and related terms found no passage that addresses the attributed mechanism. (LLM, conf=0.76)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • These strategies are all means of avoiding placing a focus of awareness upon one's goals which are in conflict.

    “We posit that these strategies are all means of avoiding placing a focus of awareness upon one’s goals which are in conflict (Mansell et al., 2015; Mansell and McEvoy, 2017).”

    From The Psychological Pathway to Suicide Attempts: A Strategy of Control Without Awareness (2021) · cites this paper as Mansell and McEvoy, 2017

    The available indexed passages contain bibliographic material and an abstract, but no passage addresses whether these strategies avoid awareness of conflicting goals. Searches for the quoted phrase, conflicting goals, awareness, and avoidance found no decisive full-text passage. (LLM, conf=0.70)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Authors
Mansell, W., & McEvoy, P. M.
Affiliations
  • University of Manchester (GB)
  • Curtin University (AU)
Corresponding author
Mansell, Warren
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Anxiety Disorders
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2017-03
Volume
46
Pages
4-10
ISSN
0887-6185 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.janxdis.2016.06.008
OpenAlex
W2473137747
Cited by
30
References
65
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 2
FWCI
2.37
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Journal of Anxiety Disorders (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Research Explorer (The University of Manchester) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • eSpace (Curtin University) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Mental Health Research Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
Keywords
transdiagnostic mechanisms, anxiety disorders, depression, affect control, rumination, worry, escape-avoidance, safety-seeking behavior, self-focus, thought suppression, cognitive processes, behavioral processes, treatment-seeking patients
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Affect, Aged, Anxiety, Anxiety Disorders, Attention, Cognition, Depression, Depressive Disorder, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Thinking, Young Adult, Self Report, Symptom Assessment

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