An examination of implicit theories of worry

Abstract

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a relatively common mental disorder defined by chronic, excessive, and difficult to control worry. Moreover, individuals who worry excessively may think about their worry differently based on the implicit theories they hold, which in turn may influence their willingness to seek treatment. Implicit theories are heuristics held about personal attributes. Specifically, we will be focusing on growth mindsets (i.e., believing that a personal attribute is malleable) and fixed mindsets (i.e., believing that an attribute is unchangeable). Limited research has explored implicit theories in mental health, and no published studies have examined implicit theories of worry. We hypothesize that students who report more severe worry are more likely to hold a fixed mindset regarding their worry (i.e., more likely to report their worry is unchangeable). We also plan to examine if implicit theories are related to interest in various forms of treatment. Separately, we are going to test if reading the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) “Psychology Works” Fact Sheet about GAD will increase growth mindset, and therefore interest in treatment. In the study participants will complete a series of online self-report questionnaires before being randomly assigned to read either the CPA GAD Fact Sheet or CPA Insomnia Fact Sheet. Our goal is to recruit 300 participants. To date, 279 participants have participated. Our findings could provide a greater understanding of the role of implicit theories in worry and GAD, and may also have implications for the treatment of worry.