Negative interpretations of distress-related information: A novel assessment tool for distress tolerance

Abstract

Distress tolerance (DT), defined as the perceived and/or actual behavioral capacity to tolerate negative emotional states, is considered an important risk factor for various externalizing and internalizing disorders. Despite the importance of DT in the development and maintenance of psychopathology, few reliable and valid indicators of DT have been developed. One potentially useful way to assess DT is through interpretation bias (IB) paradigms. The current study sought to examine the convergent validity, reliability, and clinical utility of a DT-focused IB paradigm by directly measuring an individual’s interpretations of distressing information. Participants completed a DT-IB task and self-report questionnaires. Results found an association between DTS self-report and an exaggerated DT-IB. Reliability analyses found the word pairings in our DT-IB task to display good internal consistency. In addition, an exaggerated DT-IB was associated with diagnostic status after covarying for negative affect and self-report DTS and DT-IB was associated with increased levels of negative affect above and beyond self-report DTS. This study is the first to identify specific interpretation biases for distress-related information. Given the transdiagnostic nature of DT and the efficacy and accessibility associated with CBM-I protocols for related constructs, the present findings add considerably to a growing body of literature.