Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Does the Emotion Dysregulation Model Predict Symptoms Above the Metacognitive Model?

Individuals with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) experience excessive anxiety and uncontrollable worry lasting at least six months, with their worry not limited to a single type or context. The Metacognitive Model (MCM) is a well-established framework of GAD, emphasizing negative beliefs about worry (NB). Recently, the Emotion Dysregulation Model (EDM) of GAD was proposed, focusing on issues with understanding, expressing, and managing emotions. However, there is a lack of research examining the utility of the EDM by comparing it to more established models, such as the MCM. This study extends the current literature by examining whether the EDM helps explain GAD symptoms when compared to the MCM. Self-report measures of worry, GAD symptoms, the EDM, and the MCM were administered to a non-clinical university sample (N = 400). The following was hypothesized: GAD symptoms and worry would positively correlate with emotion dysregulation; GAD symptoms and worry would positively correlate with NB; and emotion dysregulation would predict GAD symptoms independently of NB. Bivariate correlations were conducted to determine whether measures of the MCM and EDM correlated with GAD and worry. Regression analyses tested which measures uniquely predicted GAD and worry. Findings demonstrated that NB and various components of the EDM correlate with GAD and worry. Regression analyses found that when controlling for NB, emotional expressivity (EE) and fear of emotions predicted GAD, while EE and difficulty regulating emotions predicted worry. Findings have implications for GAD treatment, encouraging an approach including emotion psychoeducation and development of effective emotional regulation strategies. Discipline: Psychology (Honours) Faculty Mentor: Dr. Alexander Penne