Metacognitive processes in social anxiety : a path analysis.

146 Pages·2016·5.86 MB·English

by  Ryan Patrick Hosey

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Electronic Theses and Dissertations
8-2012
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Ryan Patrick Hosey
University of Louisville
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.library.louisville.edu/etd
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Hosey, Ryan Patrick, "Metacognitive processes in social anxiety : a path analysis." (2012). Electronic
Theses and Dissertations. Paper 637.
https://doi.org/10.18297/etd/637
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METACOGNITIVE PROCESSES IN SOCIAL ANXIETY: A PATH ANALYSIS
By
Ryan Patrick Hosey
B.S. College of Charleston, 2004
M.A. University of Louisville, 2009
A Dissertation
Submitted to the Faculty of the
College of Arts and Sciences of the University of Louisville
in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences
University of Louisville
Louisville, KY
August 2012
METACOGNITIVE PROCESSES IN SOCIAL ANXIETY: A PATH ANALYSIS

By

Ryan Patrick Hosey
B.S. College of Charleston, 2004
M.A. University of Louisville, 2009

A Dissertation Approved on

July 13, 2012

By the following Dissertation Committee:

Janet Woodruff-Borden, Dissertation Director

Barbara Burns

Cara Cashon

ii
DEDICATION
This dissertation is dedicated to:
My loving wife, Kristen Hosey
My supportive parents, Jackie and Joe Helmer
&
My late brother, Travis Hosey
111
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am honored to thank my mentor, Dr. Janet Woodruff-Borden for her support of
my growth as a psychologist in training. Her ongoing guidance and belief in my potential
has provided me with the foundational skills and confidence to achieve my goal of
becoming a clinical psychologist. I am certainly grateful for her bountiful supplies of
patience and knowledge, and count myself fortunate for her mentorship. I would also
like to express my gratitude to all of the faculty members, clinical supervisors, and peer
supports, who helped me to navigate the challenges and celebrate the successes of my
graduate student career. I would be remiss if I did not thank the members of my lab who
are now dear friends and, without whom, I would have certainly lost my way. Finally, I
would like to thank my wife Kristen for her love and support, as it has surely enhanced
the quality of my work.
IV
ABSTRACT
METACOGNITIVE PROCESSES IN SOCIAL ANXIETY: A PATH ANALYSIS
Ryan Patrick Hosey
July 13,2012
Social anxiety is prevalent and debilitating. Contemporary models of social
anxiety posit that negative, self-focused thought aids in the maintenance of social anxiety
symptoms. Although these models emphasize in-situation cognition, recent findings have
linked two perseverative thought constructs, anticipatory processing (pre-event) and post
event processing (post-event), to social anxiety symptoms. The current study was
designed to investigate whether these maladaptive thinking styles are perpetuated by the
superordinate process of metacognition. In particular, three domains of metacognition
were included in the current study: metacognitive beliefs, metacognitive monitoring, and
metacognitive (attentional) control. A hypothesized model wherein these three
metacognitive processes maintain social anxiety symptoms via anticipatory and post
event processing was tested using path analysis. Previously established direct and
hypothesized indirect relationships within this model were evaluated. One hundred fifty
four undergraduate students from a large Midwestern university participated in the study
and provided self-report data regarding the mentioned constructs. Results indicate that,
overall, this model was a good fit for the data. Contrary to expectations, a number of the
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previously established direct relationships failed to reach statistical significance
within the context of the path model. In terms of indirect relationships, only one pathway
was significant. The indirect pathway between metacognitive beliefs and social anxiety
symptoms via anticipatory processing was significant. Overall these findings suggest that
cognitive phenomena associated with social anxiety interact dynamically. Moreover,
these findings corroborate Wells' model of psychological distress as it suggests that
metacognitive beliefs (positive and negative) held about anticipatory processing sustains
it and, in turn, perpetuates symptoms of social anxiety.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
DEDICATION .......................................................................... .iii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................... .iv
ABSTRACT ............................................................................... v
LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................ viii
LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................... .ix
INTRODUCTION .......................................................................... 1
METHODS ................................................................................. 57
RESULTS .................................................................................. 64
DISCUSSION .............................................................................. 75
REFERENCES ................ ' ............................................................ 90
APPENDICES ............................................................................ .109
CURRICULUM VITAE ................................................................ .121
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LIST OF TABLES
TABLE PAGE
1. Correlations Between Demographic Variables and Path Model Variables .... 67
2. Correlations Between Variables Included in the Path Model.. .................. 68
3. Descripitive Information for Variables Included in the Path ModeL ........... 69
4. Fit Indexes for Path Model.. .......................................................... 73
5. Direct Relationships Between Variables in the Final Path Model.. ............. 74
6. Indirect Relationships in the Path Model.. ......................................... 75
Vlll
LIST OF FIGURES
FIGURE PAGE
1. Conceptual Metacognitive Model of Social Anxiety ............................. .49
2. Hypothesized Path Model ............................................................. 54
3. Final Tested Path Model.. ............................................................. 70
4. Path Model with Depression Included as a Variable .............................. 71
5. Path Model with Sex Included as a Variable ....................................... 72
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