Anxiety and aggression - The role of social threat, intent attribution, and emotion

Graduate Theses and Dissertations Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and

Dissertations

2020

Anxiety and aggression: The role of social threat, intent

attribution, and emotion regulation

Anna Therese Wehde

Iowa State University

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Recommended Citation

Wehde, Anna Therese, "Anxiety and aggression: The role of social threat, intent attribution, and emotion

regulation" (2020). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 17869.

https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd/17869

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Anxiety and aggression: The role of social threat, intent attribution, and emotion

regulation

by

Anna Therese Wehde

A thesis submitted to the graduate faculty

in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

MASTER OF SCIENCE

Major: Psychology

Program of Study Committee:

Monica Marsee, Major Professor

Patrick Armstrong

Carl Weems

The student author, whose presentation of the scholarship herein was approved by the program

of study committee, is solely responsible for the content of this thesis. The Graduate College will

ensure this thesis is globally accessible and will not permit alterations after a degree is conferred.

Iowa State University

Ames, Iowa

2020

Copyright © Anna Therese Wehde, 2020. All rights reserved.

ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

LIST OF FIGURES...................................................................................................................... iiv

LIST OF TABLES ..........................................................................................................................v

ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................................vi

CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................1

CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW.........................................................................................3

Anxiety and Aggression ..............................................................................................................4

Cognitive and Emotional Processing...........................................................................................7

Attentional Bias and Psychological Wellbeing .........................................................................13

Interpretation Biases and Negative Outcomes ..........................................................................14

Emotion Dysregulation..............................................................................................................15

Understanding Anxiety and Aggression in Emerging Adults...................................................17

Statement of the Problem ..........................................................................................................18

Hypotheses ................................................................................................................................19

CHAPTER 3. METHODS.............................................................................................................21

Participants................................................................................................................................21

Measures....................................................................................................................................23

Demographics........................................................................................................................23

Anxious Symptoms................................................................................................................23

Aggression. ............................................................................................................................24

Hostile Intent and Negative Emotional Response .................................................................24

Emotion Dysregulation……………………………………………………………………..26

Social Threat Bias…………………………………………………………………………..26

Procedure ...............................................................................................................................28

CHAPTER 4. RESULTS...............................................................................................................30

Data Preparation and Cleaning..................................................................................................30

Descriptive Statistics.................................................................................................................31

Moderated Serial Mediation Model...........................................................................................34

Generalized Anxiety Model...................................................................................................34

Social Interaction Anxiety Model..........................................................................................37

Regression Analyses..................................................................................................................39

iii

CHAPTER 5. DISCUSSION ........................................................................................................40

Implications...............................................................................................................................44

Limitations and Future Directions.............................................................................................45

Conclusion.................................................................................................................................47

REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................48

APPENDIX. INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD MEMO……………………..…………....56

iv

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1. Social Informational Processing Model.........................................................................12

Figure 2. Moderated Serial Mediation Model ...............................................................................20

Figure 3. Serial Mediation Model for General Anxiety and Reactive Aggression……………... 37

Figure 4. Serial Mediation Model for Social Anxiety and Reactive Aggression………………..35

v

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. Demographics……………………….……………………………………….…………28

Table 2. Descriptive Statistics of Main Variables…………………………………….…………37

Table 3. Zero-Order Correlations for Main Variables……………………………………….….39

Table 4. Mediation Model Summary for GAD and Reactive Aggression…………………..…..42

Table 5. Mediation Model Summary for SIAS and Reactive Aggression………………………44