Specific Pandemic-Related Worries Predict Higher Attention-Related Errors and Negative Affect Independent of Trait Anxiety in UK-Based Students

TY - JOUR

T1 - Specific Pandemic-Related Worries Predict Higher Attention-Related Errors and Negative Affect Independent of Trait Anxiety in UK-Based Students

AU - Brown, Chris R H

AU - Feng, Ya-Chun

AU - Costin, Vlad

AU - Hirsch, Colette R

AU - Wang, Yun-Han

AU - Wang, Yun-Lin

AU - Chew, Jowinn

AU - Kenny, Jordan

AU - Allen, Paul

PY - 2022/10/20

Y1 - 2022/10/20

N2 - The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in many individuals experiencing increased symptoms of anxiety. We predict that this increase may be underpinned by pandemic-related worry (PRW), characterised by repetitive negative thinking about pandemic-specific outcomes; and that this relationship is mediated through reduced attentional capacity required to regulate negative affect. We developed a novel scale to measure the contents of PRW in an initial sample of 255 participants, and explored its relationship with cognitive functioning and negative affect in a sample of 382 UK-based university students, whilst controlling for recalled pre-pandemic trait anxiety. A five-factor model of PRW was identified, with factors reflecting worry about decline in quality of life (QoL) and probability of infection correlating with attention and memory-related errors. Importantly, attention-related errors partially mediated the positive relationship between PRW and negative affect, even when controlling for pre-pandemic trait anxiety. PRW's relationship with negative affect was partially mediated through attentional function, consistent with models of anxiety and attentional control. In UK-based students PRW may be predominantly focused on the decline in QoL; therefore, interventions targeting worry about the decline in QoL caused by COVID-19 are especially important in this population in the wake of the pandemic. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10608-022-10336-7. [Abstract copyright: © The Author(s) 2022.]

AB - The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in many individuals experiencing increased symptoms of anxiety. We predict that this increase may be underpinned by pandemic-related worry (PRW), characterised by repetitive negative thinking about pandemic-specific outcomes; and that this relationship is mediated through reduced attentional capacity required to regulate negative affect. We developed a novel scale to measure the contents of PRW in an initial sample of 255 participants, and explored its relationship with cognitive functioning and negative affect in a sample of 382 UK-based university students, whilst controlling for recalled pre-pandemic trait anxiety. A five-factor model of PRW was identified, with factors reflecting worry about decline in quality of life (QoL) and probability of infection correlating with attention and memory-related errors. Importantly, attention-related errors partially mediated the positive relationship between PRW and negative affect, even when controlling for pre-pandemic trait anxiety. PRW's relationship with negative affect was partially mediated through attentional function, consistent with models of anxiety and attentional control. In UK-based students PRW may be predominantly focused on the decline in QoL; therefore, interventions targeting worry about the decline in QoL caused by COVID-19 are especially important in this population in the wake of the pandemic. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10608-022-10336-7. [Abstract copyright: © The Author(s) 2022.]

KW - Attentional control

KW - COVID-19

KW - Quality of life

KW - Anxiety

KW - Pandemic-related worry

KW - Worry

U2 - 10.1007/s10608-022-10336-7

DO - 10.1007/s10608-022-10336-7

M3 - Article

C2 - 36284796

SN - 0147-5916

SP - 1

EP - 19

JO - Cognitive therapy and research

JF - Cognitive therapy and research

ER -