Abstract
BackgroundWhile there has been research on catastrophic misinterpretation of ambiguous situations and on the effects of the induction of physiological arousal, there has been no experimental research on the relationship between them. Based on the concept of a fear memory, we aimed to investigate if the induction of physiological arousal leads to catastrophic misinterpretations.MethodsParticipants were shown either a suspenseful film clip to induce physiological arousal (EG, n = 43) or a calm film clip with no specific effect on arousal levels (CG, n = 40) before completing a measure of catastrophic misinterpretation (BSIQ-FR). To assess the specific predictive value of physiological arousal, measurements of other known predictors were included (BSI, BDI-II, ACQ, BSQ, STAI-T, ASI-3).ResultsThe film manipulation led to a significant increase in physiological arousal in the EG but not in the CG. The EG did not report more catastrophic misinterpretations than the CG – however, more participants in the EG reported at least one catastrophic misinterpretation. The increase in physiological arousal due to the film manipulation predicted catastrophic misinterpretation in the open response format in the EG, but not in the CG, even when controlling for other known predictors.ConclusionsOur study provides evidence that experimentally induced physiological arousal can predict catastrophic misinterpretation. The findings support the concept of a fear memory. With the BSIQ-FR, a German questionnaire measuring catastrophic misinterpretation was introduced. Further research on the relationship between physiological arousal and catastrophic misinterpretation with clinical samples is recommended.
Highlights
While there has been research on catastrophic misinterpretation of ambiguous situations and on the effects of the induction of physiological arousal, there has been no experimental research on the relationship between them
Two-way ANCOVAs with the factors Group (EG vs. control group (CG)) and Time with repeated measures on the last factor and the Body sensations questionnaire (BSQ)-score as a covariate were calculated for the anxiety and the attentiveness score of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS)-M
Post-hoc t-tests showed that before the presentation of the film clip, there was no significant difference between the groups (EG: M = 1.19, SD = .38, CG: M = 1.17, SD = .24, p = .70), while after the presentation the experimental group (EG) showed a significantly higher anxiety score (EG: M = 2.07, SD = .92, CG: M = 1.11, SD = .22, p < .001, d = 1.41)
Summary
While there has been research on catastrophic misinterpretation of ambiguous situations and on the effects of the induction of physiological arousal, there has been no experimental research on the relationship between them. Based on the concept of a fear memory, we aimed to investigate if the induction of physiological arousal leads to catastrophic misinterpretations. According to cognitive models of panic, catastrophic misinterpretations of bodily sensations are assumed to lead to panic attacks (e.g., [1]). Cognitive models of panic predict that any physiological arousal It seems plausible that feared bodily sensations and other feared stimuli are stored in a fear memory along with associated catastrophic misinterpretations. Physiological arousal is seen as a necessary prerequisite for the activation of a fear memory [3]
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