Prevalence of a looming maladaptive style as a cognitive vulnerability to anxiety in rural populations

The present study attempted to find a global cognitive style among rural populations suggesting that threatening situations are seen as rapidly rising in risk, progressively worsening, or actively accelerating and speeding up. Participants completed a battery of anonymous questionnaires including a non-identifying demographics questionnaire and commonly used, published psychological assessments which measure anxiety, depression, worry, perception of negative life events, and looming vulnerability to anxiety. It was predicted that demographic variables, such as socioeconomic status, rural/non-rural status, and experience with natural disasters, will predict anxiety, which, in turn, would predict scores on the measures of anxiety, depression, and cognitive style. Exposure to natural disasters was found to vary significantly with scores on the measures of depression, anxiety, and negative life events. The results are generally consistent with previous research indicating a strong relationship between measures of depression, anxiety and worry with the looming maladaptive style