The looming maladaptive style: Anxiety, danger, and schematic processing.

Abstract

The importance of cognitive styles as psychological antecedents of psychopathology has gained increasing acceptance over the past 2 decades. Although ample research has explored cognitive styles that confer vulnerability to depression, cognitive styles that confer vulnerability to anxiety have received considerably less attention. In the present investigation, we examined the looming maladaptive style (LMS) as a cognitive style that functions as a danger schema to produce specific vulnerability to anxiety, but not to depression. In 4 studies, we examined the psychometric properties of a revised measure of the LMS, its predictive utility, and its effects on threat-related schematic processing. Results provided evidence for the validity of the LMS and indicated that it predicts anxiety and schematic processing of threat over and above the effects of other cognitive appraisals of threat, even in individuals who are currently nonanx-Now I moved like a man pursued-pursued by the clock, by the ghastly advance of numbers. The earth turned, inexorably, the hour was approaching.-Umberto Eco, Foucault's Pendulum

Looming Maladaptive Style as a Moderator of Risk Factors for Anxiety

“…Perhaps more importantly, studies have also shown that LMS predicts subsequent change in symptoms of anxiety. In an undergraduate sample selected for low anxiety symptoms, LMS was found to predict change in symptoms of anxiety over a one week period (Riskind et al 2000). More recently, in an unselected undergraduate sample, Riskind et al (2007) showed that LMS significantly predicted change in symptoms of both OCD and worry and predicted change in symptoms of social anxiety at a trend level over a one week period.…”

Measures for Anxiety and Related Constructs

“…The measure consists of six brief vignettes of potentially threatening situations followed by eight questions, three of which assess the perception of increasing threat and constitute the looming maladaptive style subscale (Riskind et al, 2000). A variety of studies provide support for the validity of the scale, including its ability to predict worry and catastrophic thinking.…”

Psychometric Properties of the Turkish version of Looming Maladaptive Style Questionnaire (LMSQ) (Turkish)

“…BAT, kaygý ile oldukça yakýndan iliþkili olmasýna ve tüm kaygý bozukluklarýnda ortaya çýkan bir durum olmasýna karþýn, yapýlan çalýþmalar BAT'ýn kavramsal olarak kaygý ve endiþeden ayrýþacak biçimde anlamsaldan (semantik) ziyade görsel içeriðe sahip olduðunu göstermektedir (3,8). Ek olarak, kaygý ve depresyon arasýndaki yüksek korelasyonlara rað-men, yapýlan tüm araþtýrmalarda BAT, kaygý ile yüksek korelasyon gösterirken depresyonla iliþkisi oldukça sýnýrlý hatta bazý çalýþmalarda anlamlýlýk düzeyinin altýnda bulunmuþtur (3,9,10).…”

“…Ek olarak, kaygý ve depresyon arasýndaki yüksek korelasyonlara rað-men, yapýlan tüm araþtýrmalarda BAT, kaygý ile yüksek korelasyon gösterirken depresyonla iliþkisi oldukça sýnýrlý hatta bazý çalýþmalarda anlamlýlýk düzeyinin altýnda bulunmuþtur (3,9,10). Buradan yola çýkarak, Riskind ve arkadaþlarý (3) BAT'ýn depresyonla iliþkisinin depresyon ve kaygý arasýn-daki örtüþmeden kaynaklandýðýný ileri sür-müþlerdir.…”