The interactive effect of mental contamination and cognitive fusion on anxiety

Clauss, Kate; Bardeen, Joseph R.

doi:10.1002/jclp.23224

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 41 publications

(59 reference statements)

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“…Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, cognitive fusion, characterized as an over-identification with thoughts and an inability to distract oneself from them, has been found to be a clear precipitator of negative psychoemotional consequences on HCWs [ 41 ]. Its relationship to consequences of work-related stressors, such as anxiety, has also been previously studied [ 24 ]. Our results, in the absence of previous studies, show its role as a risk factor for insomnia, increasing symptoms at short-, medium- and long-term stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and affecting its evolution.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Post-Pandemic Insomnia in Healthcare Workers: A Prospective Study including Sociodemographic, Occupational and Psychosocial Variables

Gil-Almagro,

Carmona-Monge,

García-Hedrera

et al. 2024

JCM

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Background/Objectives: Previous research points to the prevalence of insomnia during the COVID-19 pandemic among healthcare workers (HCWs). However, longitudinal studies on its evolution, including the post-pandemic stage, are less abundant, with a special lack of research about possible psychosocial risk factors. The aim of the current study is to analyze the evolution of insomnia in Spanish HCWs from the beginning of the pandemic until two years later, examining the influence of sociodemographic, occupational and psychosocial variables. Methods: This was a prospective longitudinal design with three data collection periods in which insomnia was assessed using the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), in addition to sociodemographic, occupational and psychosocial (i.e., social support, self-efficacy, resilience and cognitive fusion) variables in HCWs (n = 216) who were in direct contact with COVID-19 patients. Results: High scores were observed for insomnia, with a clear decrease throughout the periods studied (F = 30.198, p < 0.001). An association was observed between insomnia and certain sociodemographic and occupational variables (i.e., work category, p = 0.001; availability of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), p < 0.001; workload, p < 0.001; worry about self or family contagion, p = 0.002, p = 0.003, respectively). Insomnia had negative relationships with social support (p = 0.014), self-efficacy (p < 0.001) and resilience (p < 0.001) and positive relationships with cognitive fusion (p < 0.001). Interaction effects between the evolution of insomnia and social support from friends (p = 0.024, ƞ2 = 0.34) and between the evolution of insomnia and cognitive fusion (p = 0.047; ƞ2 = 0.25) were found. Conclusions: Social support, self-efficacy and resilience act as buffers for insomnia. Cognitive fusion acts as a clear precipitator of insomnia as well as directly influencing its evolution. Social support from friends also affects the evolution of insomnia. Within the specific circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, a long-term effect of social support from friends and a short-term effect of cognitive fusion on the evolution of insomnia was observed. The findings emphasize the need to implement specific interventions to promote the mental well-being of HCWs, particularly in crisis contexts that involve an increase in occupational stress, emphasizing the role of certain psychosocial variables as protective factors.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Meanwhile, other studies have found a clear negative relationship between resilience and insomnia [ 23 ]. Cognitive fusion has also been studied in HCWs, suggesting a clear relationship with anxiety [ 24 ]; however, its relationship with insomnia has not been studied either.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Post-Pandemic Insomnia in Healthcare Workers: A Prospective Study including Sociodemographic, Occupational and Psychosocial Variables

Gil-Almagro,

Carmona-Monge,

García-Hedrera

et al. 2024

JCM

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“…An implication of the psychological inflexibility model is that cognitive fusion and experiential avoidance are crucial toxic mechanisms that connect stressful factors with mental health problems (Hayes et al, 2012). Some studies have demonstrated the effect of cognitive fusion or experiential avoidance from a moderator perspective (e.g., Bardeen & Fergus, 2016; Clauss & Bardeen, 2022; Hekmati et al, 2023; Tyndall et al, 2018); however, in the association of stress with psychological problems, the mediating roles of these two processes seem to receive more empirical support. Cognitive fusion has been found to mediate the association of occupational stressors (Zhang et al, 2021), stigma (Valvano et al, 2016), and pain intensity (Carvalho et al, 2019) with psychological symptoms including depression.…”

Section: The Possible Mediating Effects Of Cognitive Fusion and Exper...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Cognitive Fusion and Experiential Avoidance Sequentially Mediate the Relationship Between Cyber Victimization and Depression in Adolescents

Shi

Chen

Jing

et al. 2023

The Journal of Early Adolescence

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Although cyber victimization has been suggested as a significant risk factor for the development of adolescents’ depression, the underlying psychopathological process that mediates this relationship needs further exploration. Based on the psychological inflexibility model, this study aimed to examine cognitive fusion and experiential avoidance as serial mediators in the relation between cyber victimization and depression. A total of 556 Chinese adolescents completed a set of online self-report questionnaires measuring cyber victimization, cognitive fusion, experiential avoidance, and depression. A bias-corrected bootstrap approach was used to test the serial mediation model. The results showed that cyber victimization predicted adolescents’ depression not only directly but also indirectly through three paths: the mediating role of (1) cognitive fusion and (2) experiential avoidance, and (3) the serial mediating role of cognitive fusion and experiential avoidance. These findings provide insight into the interventions for depression in adolescent cyber victims.

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Contamination-Focussed Vignettes as an Analogue of Infectious Pandemics: An Experimental Validation using the State Disgust and Anxiety Responses in OCD

Harkin,

Davies,

Yates

2024

Psychol Rep

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Despite infectious pandemics proving particularly detrimental to those with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), the investigation of analogous experimental paradigms is lacking. To address this gap, we conducted two studies employing vignettes that depicted contamination-related situations commonly experienced during a pandemic (e.g., Coughing into hands and failing to use hand sanitizer). We manipulated the salience of these vignettes across three levels: high contamination, low contamination, and a neutral control condition. Our examination of state anxiety and disgust responses in all participants revealed the successful manipulation of the vignettes’ impact. Specifically, individuals with more severe OCD symptoms reported significantly higher levels of state disgust and anxiety for both high and low contamination vignettes, in contrast to the group with lower symptom severity. No significant differences were observed in the neutral vignette condition between the high- and low-scoring groups. Interestingly, for those with higher OCD symptoms, high salience contamination-focused vignettes resulted in similarly elevated state disgust and anxiety, regardless of whether the vignettes were situated in public (Study 1) or domestic (Study 2) settings. This suggests that the heightened sensitivity to contamination-related scenarios observed in individuals with OCD symptoms in the present study is not confined to a specific context. These findings support the use of contamination-focused vignettes as analogues for studying infectious pandemics and provide valuable insights into OCD models, interventions, and future research.

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The interactive effect of mental contamination and cognitive fusion on anxiety

Cited by 4 publications

References 41 publications

Post-Pandemic Insomnia in Healthcare Workers: A Prospective Study including Sociodemographic, Occupational and Psychosocial Variables

Post-Pandemic Insomnia in Healthcare Workers: A Prospective Study including Sociodemographic, Occupational and Psychosocial Variables

Cognitive Fusion and Experiential Avoidance Sequentially Mediate the Relationship Between Cyber Victimization and Depression in Adolescents

Contamination-Focussed Vignettes as an Analogue of Infectious Pandemics: An Experimental Validation using the State Disgust and Anxiety Responses in OCD

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