Psychometric Properties of the Metacognition Scales about Rumination in Clinical and Non-clinical Turkish Samples 2

SUMMARY Aim: The aim of this study is to examine the reliability and validity of the Turkish adaptations of the Positive Beliefs about Rumination Scale (PBRS) and the Negative Beliefs about Rumination Scale (NBRS) in clinical and non-clinical samples. Method: While the non-clinical sample of the study consisted of 455 participants, the clinical sample was composed of 60 major depressive disorder (MDD), 30 panic disorder (PD) and 30 social anxiety disorder (SAD) cases. Results: The results of the factor analyses confirm the construct validity and original factor structure of the scales. Findings obtained from internal consistency and test-retest analyses indicated good reliability for the scales. Supporting the convergent validity of the scales, the correlations between metacognitions about rumination and depressive symptoms, rumination, metacognitions about worry, pathological worry, and anxiety symptoms were found to be positive and significant in the non-clinical sample. Hierarchical regression analyses demonstrated that both scales have predictive validity for depressive symptoms after controlling for anxiety symptoms. As for extreme group comparisons, it supported the criterion-related validity of the scales. In discriminant clinical validity examinations, although both scales were able to differentiate MDD, PD, and SAD groups from healthy controls, they were unable to differentiate the depressive group from the other anxiety disorder groups. Conclusion: A comprehensive psychometric evaluation of the scales demonstrated that both PBRS and NBRS are reliable and valid assessment devices that can be used for research purposes both in clinical and non-clinical groups in Turkey

An interactive 3D virtual environment to reduce the public speaking anxiety levels of novice software engineers

Software engineering is a set of activities that relies no only on technical tasks but also requires abilities focused on social duties such as daily meetings and product introduction presentations. However, engineers may experience elevated levels of anxiety when required to present their work in an unfamiliar environment. More specifically, they may suffer from public speaking anxiety even though they are supposed to be effective in those social tasks as well as in their engineering activities. Fortunately, previous studies suggest that virtual exposure therapy is an effective strategy to reduce public speaking anxiety. In this study, an interactive 3D virtual environment similar to real classrooms and auditoriums was developed to examine if this might decrease the anxiety levels of novice software engineers. To compare traditional and virtual exposure therapy, the sample set (N = 14) was divided equally into 2 groups including one experimental group and one control group. For 4 weeks, the virtual exposure therapy was conducted in the experimental group whereas psychoeducation was used in the control group. The findings from our study illustrate that virtual exposure therapy may be represent an alternative solution to the traditional therapeutic intervention for software engineers seeking to overcome public presentation anxiet

Metacognitions in smoking : evidence from a cross-cultural validation of the metacognitions about smoking questionnaire in a Turkish sample

Metacognitions about the positive and negative effects of smoking have been associated with cigarette use and nicotine dependence. The aim of the present study was to validate the Turkish version of the Metacognitions about Smoking Questionnaire (MSQ; Nikcevic et al., 2015). The sample consisted of 859 self-declared smokers (452 female) aged between 18 and 68 years (mean = 28.3; SD = 7.9). Once the English to Turkish translation of the MSQ was completed, confirmatory factor analyses were conducted based on the four-factor structure of the original measure. Initially results suggested that this model was an inadequate fit of the data obtained. However, by allowing three pairs of items (within factor) to co-vary, a re-specified model was tested that was found to be a satisfactory fit of the data. Internal reliability and predictive validity of the translated scale were observed to be good. The Turkish version of the MSQ exhibited suitable psychometric properties. This study also showed that metacognitions about smoking predict nicotine dependence independently of demographic variables, length of cigarette use, negative affect, and smoking outcome expectancies

The role of worry and rumination in the symptoms of anxiety and depression

Aim: The aim of this study is to examine the unique and interactive role of worry and rumination in anxiety and depression symptoms. Method: A total of 328 university students responded to questionnaires assessing worry (Penn State Worry Questionnaire), rumination (Ruminative Response Scale-Short Version), anxiety (Beck Anxiety Inventory and Trait Anxiety Inventory), and depression (Beck Depression Inventory). Results: The results of regression analyses demonstrated that the relationship between worry and depressive symptoms is significant only if individuals engage in high levels of brooding type rumination. The main effect of worry was a significant predictor of trait anxiety, but it did not make a significant contribution to somatic anxiety. Brooding was found to be associated not only with depressive symptoms but also with both types of anxiety. Finally, the reflection type of rumination did not significantly predict depressive symptoms, somatic anxiety, or trait anxiety. Conclusion: Findings indicated that worry and rumination are related to both anxiety and depression. Clinical implications of these results were discussed in the light of the current literature

Examination of the Metacognitive Model of Depression in a Turkish University Student Sample

Aim: The aim of the present study is to test the metacognitive model of depression in a Turkish sample using structural equation modeling

The Role of Worry and Rumination on Anxiety and Depression Symptoms: Is Worry Unique to Anxiety, and Rumination to Depression?

Aim: The aim of this study is to examine the unique and interactive role of worry and rumination in anxiety and depression symptoms. Method: A total of 328 university students responded to questionnaires assessing worry (Penn State Worry Questionnaire), rumination (Ruminative Response Scale-Short Version), anxiety (Beck Anxiety Inventory and Trait Anxiety Inventory), and depression (Beck Depression Inventory). Results: The results of regression analyses demonstrated that the relationship between worry and depressive symptoms is significant only if individuals engage in high levels of brooding type rumination. The main effect of worry was a significant predictor of trait anxiety, but it did not make a significant contribution to somatic anxiety. Brooding was found to be associated not only with depressive symptoms but also with both types of anxiety. Finally, the reflection type of rumination did not significantly predict depressive symptoms, somatic anxiety, or trait anxiety. Conclusion: Findings indicated that worry and rumination are related to both anxiety and depression. Clinical implications of these results were discussed in the light of the current literature