Repetitive Negative Thinking and the Maintenance of Social Appearance Anxiety: An Experimental Manipulation Using Psychophysiological and Subjective Measurement

摘要

Social appearance anxiety (SAA), which refers to fear of having one's appearance negatively evaluated by others, has been posited to be a risk factor for the development of both eating pathology and social anxiety, but the processes through which this factor is maintained over time remain unclear. The current study aims to evaluate repetitive negative thinking (RNT) as a process through which SAA is maintained over time. Undergraduate females (N = 126) attended an appointment during which they were asked to complete self-report measurements, make an impromptu speech task related to appearance to induce SAA, were randomized to either engage in RNT or distraction following the speech task, and provided data throughout all appointment tasks on psychophysiological and self-reported state SAA. Participants then attended a second appointment one day later, wherein they were asked to make a second speech identical to the first appointment and report again on state SAA. Results indicated strong positive associations between self-report measurements of trait SAA and RNT. Additionally, individuals asked to engage in RNT following the appointment 1 speech task reported significantly higher mean levels of SAA and anxiety, compared with those who engaged in distraction. Findings indicated no significant effect of group on appointment 2 state anxiety or SAA, but post-hoc analyses suggested that RNT between appointments, rather than the manipulation, may have accounted for increases in SAA across appointments. Finally, psychophysiological analyses indicated weak, and in some cases, unexpected associations between self-report and psychophysiological measurements, as well as group differences in ANS activity to state RNT. Overall, findings from the current study highlight the significance of further investigation into RNT across different internalizing psychopathologies and the necessity to better identify the links between this process and indices of ANS functioning.