Thought Control Strategies in Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder and Their Relationships with Trait Anxiety

Objective: The present study aims to investigate thought control strategies in Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), and the relationship of these metacognitive strategies with trait anxiety, as a construct of emotional vulnerability. Methods: 60 patients with diagnosis of GAD and MDD and 30 control subjects (nonpatients) were selected from the university students. Participants answered to Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory&ndash;II (BDI-II), Thought Control Questionnaire (TCQ), State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28). The data was analyzed by Manova and Enter regression. Results: The results showed that GAD group was distinguished from the control group by their greater use of worry and punishment strategies. The depression group was differentiated from nonpatient group by the greater use of worry strategy and lesser use of distraction and reappraisal strategies. The GAD group was distinguished from MDD group by greater use of reappraisal strategy and lesser use of worry strategy. Worry and punishment strategies can positively predict (P<0.001 and P=0.001) trait anxiety while distraction and reappraisal negatively predict (P<0.001 and P=0.047) it. Conclusion: GAD and MDD patients use maladaptive thought control strategies more frequently and these maladaptive metacognitive strategies can be predictors of trait anxiety as an underlying pathology.