A Comparison of Attentional Bias, Interpretation Bias, Metacognition, and Self-Compassion Between Patients with Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Normal Individuals
Keywords:
Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Attentional Bias, Interpretation Bias, Metacognition, Self-Compassion, Cognitive Biases, Emotional DisordersAbstract
Purpose: The present study aimed to compare attentional bias, interpretation bias, metacognitive beliefs, and self-compassion between patients diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and normal individuals.
Methods and Materials: This study employed a causal-comparative research design. The statistical population consisted of patients with Generalized Anxiety Disorder attending psychiatric clinics and counseling centers in Tehran and normal individuals from the general population. A total of 160 participants were selected, including 80 patients diagnosed with GAD and 80 healthy individuals. Participants completed the Dot-Probe Task for attentional bias assessment, the Ambiguous Scenarios Test for interpretation bias, the Metacognitions Questionnaire-30 (MCQ-30), and the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) in SPSS version 27.
Findings: The results of the multivariate analysis revealed a significant overall difference between patients with GAD and normal individuals on the combined dependent variables, Wilks’ Λ = .381, F(4,155) = 63.52, p < .001, partial η² = .619. Follow-up univariate analyses demonstrated that patients with GAD reported significantly higher levels of attentional bias, F(1,158) = 145.73, p < .001, partial η² = .480; interpretation bias, F(1,158) = 174.82, p < .001, partial η² = .525; and dysfunctional metacognitive beliefs, F(1,158) = 160.95, p < .001, partial η² = .505, compared with normal individuals. In contrast, normal individuals exhibited significantly higher levels of self-compassion than patients with GAD, F(1,158) = 228.37, p < .001, partial η² = .591. Among the investigated variables, self-compassion showed the largest effect size, indicating the strongest differentiation between the two groups.
Conclusion: The findings suggest that Generalized Anxiety Disorder is associated with elevated cognitive and metacognitive vulnerabilities, including attentional and interpretation biases and dysfunctional metacognitive beliefs, as well as reduced self-compassion.
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