An empirical investigation of the associations between metacognition, mindfulness experiential avoidance, depression, and anxiety

The aims of this study were to explore the possible relation between metacognition, mindfulness, and experiential avoidance, as well as their association with symptoms of anxiety and depression. Cross-sectional data was collected from a community sample (N = 364) who completed the Metacognitions Que...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:BMC Psychology 2023-09, Vol.11 (1), p.1-281, Article 281
Main Authors: Ãdnay, Torstein, Solem, Stian, Hagen, Roger, Havnen, Audun
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis
Anxiety
Behavior modification
Care and treatment
Cognition & reasoning
Cognitive therapy
Depression
Diagnosis
Evaluation
Experiential avoidance
Flexibility
Generalized anxiety disorder
Health surveys
Likert scale
Mental depression
Mental disorders
Metacognition
Mindfulness
Patient outcomes
Questionnaires
Regression analysis
Social networks
Surveys
Validity
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Summary:The aims of this study were to explore the possible relation between metacognition, mindfulness, and experiential avoidance, as well as their association with symptoms of anxiety and depression. Cross-sectional data was collected from a community sample (N = 364) who completed the Metacognitions Questionnaire-30 (MCQ-30), the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire-24 (FFMQ-24), the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7), and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). There were moderate-strong associations between mindfulness (FFMQ-24), metacognition (MCQ-30), and experiential avoidance (AAQ-II) (0.62 - 0.67), and they showed similar relations with symptoms of depression (PHQ-9) and anxiety (GAD-7) (0.57 - 0.71). Mindfulness, experiential avoidance, and the non-judging subscale of FFMQ-24 constituted a latent factor of flexibility in cognition and emotional experience, while three FFMQ-24 subscales (describing, acting with awareness, and observing) constituted a present-centered attention and awareness factor. Regression analyses indicated that flexibility explained more of the variance in symptoms of anxiety and depression than present-centered attention and awareness. The results suggest that flexibility in cognitive and emotional regulation skills could be important in explaining symptoms of anxiety and depression.
ISSN:2050-7283
2050-7283
DOI:10.1186/s40359-023-01336-7