Thought Control: Is It Ability, Strategies, or Both That Predicts Posttraumatic Symptomatology in Victims of Interpersonal Trauma?

Beliefs About Traumatic Memories, Thought Control Strategies, and the Impact on PTSD Symptoms After a Natural Disaster

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to investigate the relationships among self-reported meta-memory beliefs, thought control strategies ( i.e. , distraction, reappraisal, worry, social control, and punishment), and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomology, among a sample of earthquake survivors ( N = 412). Correlational analysis and structural equation modeling were used on the responses and showed that stronger positive and negative meta-memory beliefs, and greater worry and punishment, were associated with greater PTSD symptom severity. The results also indicated that meta-memory beliefs had a prominent indirect influence toward PTSD symptomology via their effects toward thought control strategies. Follow-up analysis of variance indicated that those with a history of mental health difficulties reported higher levels of PTSD symptom severity, were more likely to score in the range of clinically relevant PTSD, and had a stronger tendency to negatively appraise unwanted thinking styles. The results of this research provide overall support for the validity of the metacognitive model for PTSD.

The metacognitive model of post-traumatic stress disorder and metacognitive therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder: A systematic review

The metacognitive model of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) implicates metacognitive beliefs, meta-memory beliefs and metacognitive control strategies in perpetuating and maintaining symptoms of PTSD. Despite this expanding area of research, the evidence for the metacognitive model of PTSD has not been reviewed. A systematic review according to the PRISMA statement was conducted. Searches across MEDLINE, PubMed and PsycNET, as well as reference lists of the included studies (2004 to March 2020), yielded 221 records. Two independent reviewers screened articles, which were included where the impact of the constructs of interest on PTSD symptoms was investigated within the framework of the metacognitive model for PTSD. Eighteen articles were included in the review. Eleven studies were determined to have good methodological robustness. Metacognitive therapy for PTSD demonstrated reductions in symptoms from pretreatment to post-treatment, which were maintained at follow-up. Predictors of greater PTSD symptom severity included metacognitive beliefs, meta-memory beliefs, and worry, punishment, thought suppression, experiential avoidance, and rumination. Overall, support was found for the validity of the metacognitive model of PTSD.

The role of perceived thought control ability in the psychological functioning of Black American mothers

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of the study was to investigate the extent to which perceived thought control ability (PTCA) promotes the psychological functioning of Black American mothers, as well as moderates the negative effects of key stressors faced by this population, including discrimination experiences, financial strain, and parenting stress.

METHODS

An online survey was administered to 305 Black American mothers across the U.S. Participants completed measures of PTCA, psychological well-being (life satisfaction and emotional well-being), psychological distress (depressive and anxiety symptoms), and stressors (discrimination experiences, financial strain, and parenting stress).

RESULTS

Discrimination experiences, financial strain, and parenting stress were related to higher anxiety and depressive symptoms. Financial strain and parenting stress were also related to lower life satisfaction and emotional well-being. PTCA protected against the link between discrimination experiences and depressive symptoms (β = -.15, p < .001), discrimination experiences and anxiety (β = -.15, p < .001), and parenting stress on anxiety (β = .08, p = .04). PTCA also was associated with higher life satisfaction (β =.19, p = .001) and emotional well-being (β =.42, p < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides evidence that PTCA is a culturally relevant and practical psychological resource for psychological functioning among Black American mothers. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

It’s the thought that counts: Trait self-control is positively associated with well-being and coping via thought control ability

In the present study, we reason that the ability to keep unwanted thoughts and intrusions at bay – thought control ability – might explain part of the relationship between trait self-control and positive psychological outcomes. We predict that the ability to keep unwanted thoughts at bay causes people high in trait self-control to report higher subjective well-being (Study 1), and makes them to be more likely to cope with stressful life events in an adaptive rather than maladaptive manner (Study 2). Two cross-sectional studies among healthy individuals were conducted (Study 1 n = 284; 70% female; Mage = 22.15 years; Study 2 n = 210, 65.7% female, Mage = 28.07) in which trait self-control, thought control ability, subjective well-being (study 1), and coping styles (study 2) were measured. Additionally, we investigated the mediating role of thought control ability and the conditional effect of gender on this mediation. The results of Study 1 indicate that trait self-control is positively related to subjective well-being. Moreover, thought control ability fully mediated the relationship between trait self-control and subjective well-being, and this effect was particularly strong for women. In Study 2, trait self-control was positively associated with adaptive forms of coping, but negatively with maladaptive coping. Moreover, thought control ability partially mediated the relationship between trait self-control and both types of coping, with stronger results for women than for men. These results suggest that trait self-control affects positive life outcomes in part through an ability to keep unwanted thoughts at bay, thereby facilitating a focus on goal pursuit.

Controlling Unpleasant Thoughts: Adjustments of Cognitive Control Based on Previous-Trial Load in a Working Memory Task

Dynamic cognitive control adjustments are important for integrating thoughts and actions that take place during dynamic changes of environmental demands and support goal-directed behavior. We investigated, in a working memory (WM) paradigm, whether dynamic adjustments in cognitive control based on previous trial load influence the neural response to neutral or unpleasant distracters. We also investigated whether individual self-reported abilities in controlling thoughts influence this effect. Participants performed a WM change detection task with low or high WM-related cognitive demands. An unpleasant or a neutral distractive image was presented at the beginning of each trial, prior to the WM task. We tested for control adjustments that were associated with the load level of the preceding trial task (N-1) on the neural response to the subsequent distractive image. We found an effect of the prior WM task load on a parieto-occipital waveform event-related potential (ERP) that appeared between 200 and 300 ms after the neutral distracter onset. This effect was not observed for the unpleasant distracter. Individual ability for controlling thoughts may influence the effect of cognitive control adjustments on distracter processing during the unpleasant condition. These findings provide evidence that: (1) dynamic cognitive control adjustments are impaired by unpleasant distracters; and (2) the ability to control unpleasant thoughts is linked to individual differences in flexible cognitive control adjustments and shielding of WM representations from unpleasant distracters.

Fifteen Years Controlling Unwanted Thoughts: A Systematic Review of the Thought Control Ability Questionnaire (TCAQ)

Thought control ability is a vulnerability factor implicated in the etiology and maintenance of emotional disorders. This manuscript aims to systematically review the use and psychometric performance of the Thought Control Ability Questionnaire (TCAQ), designed to assess people's ability to control unwanted thoughts. Three electronic databases were searched for papers administering the TCAQ published in indexed peer-reviewed journals. Data (participants characteristics, country, study design, etc.) were extracted from the results for qualitative synthesis. The TCAQ's content validity, dimensionality, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, convergent/divergent validity, floor/ceiling effects, and interpretability were summarized. Two reviewers independently screened articles and assessed quality taking COSMIN criteria into account. Finally, the review included 17 papers. The TCAQ has been administered to healthy individuals, students, and adult patients, in six languages from nine countries. We found that the TCAQ, and its shorter versions, demonstrate robust reliability and adequate content validity. Of interest is the TCAQ's capacity to predict performance in diverse experimental tasks focused on thought control. The TCAQ unidimensionality has been supported in exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Regarding construct validity, the TCAQ is significantly related to a wide range of psychopathological measures of anxiety, worry, depression, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, etc. However, as only a few of the included studies had a longitudinal design, we are unable to draw firm conclusions about the measure's temporal stability. Moreover, psychometric aspects such as factorial invariance across different samples have not been analyzed. Despite these limitations, based on available psychometric evidence we can recommend using the TCAQ for measuring perceived control of unwanted thoughts.

The Role of Experiential Avoidance in the Relation between Anxiety Disorder Diagnoses and Future Physical Health Symptoms in a Community Sample of Young Adult Women

Individuals diagnosed with an anxiety disorder report more physical health problems than those without an anxiety disorder. Few studies have examined the relation of anxiety disorders to later physical health symptoms, or the processes that may explain this relation. One process of interest is experiential avoidance (EA), which is commonly reported in populations characterized by high anxiety and often leads to health-compromising behaviors. The present study examined the relations between anxiety disorder diagnostic status, EA, and physical health symptoms in a community sample of young adult women. Results revealed a significant association between an anxiety disorder diagnosis and physical health problems four months later. Furthermore, levels of EA accounted for this relation. Findings highlight the potential utility of targeting EA as a method for improving health outcomes among individuals with anxiety disorders.

How Personality Affects Vulnerability among Israelis and Palestinians following the 2009 Gaza Conflict

Can the onset of PTSD symptoms and depression be predicted by personality factors and thought control strategies? A logical explanation for the different mental health outcomes of individuals exposed to trauma would seem to be personality factors and thought control strategies. Trauma exposure is necessary but not sufficient for the development of PTSD. To this end, we assess the role of personality traits and coping styles in PTSD vulnerability among Israeli and Palestinian students amid conflict. We also determine whether gender and exposure level to trauma impact the likelihood of the onset of PTSD symptoms. Five questionnaires assess previous trauma, PTSD symptoms, demographics, personality factors and thought control strategies, which are analyzed using path analysis. Findings show that the importance of personality factors and thought control strategies in predicting vulnerability increases in the face of political violence: the higher stress, the more important the roles of personality and thought control strategies. Thought control strategies associated with introverted and less emotionally stable personality-types correlate positively with higher levels of PTSD symptoms and depression, particularly among Palestinians. By extension, because mental health is key to reducing violence in the region, PTSD reduction in conflict zones warrants rethinking.