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Maladaptive Cognitive Emotion Regulation Prospectively Predicts Subclinical Paranoia

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Abstract

The study investigates whether adaptive and maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation (ER) strategies such as reappraisal, catastrophizing or self-blaming prospectively predict paranoia. We conducted an exploratory longitudinal study with two measurement points, 1 month apart, in a subclinical sample using an online-survey (N = 60). Using bivariate correlations and linear regression analysis, we investigated the cross-sectional and prospective relationship of paranoia and cognitive ER strategies. Only maladaptive cognitive ER strategies were correlated with paranoia. The maladaptive ER strategy ‘self-blaming’ at Time 1 positively predicted paranoia at Time 2 (R 2 = 0.66, p < 0.001). Maladaptive ER has an explanatory value to inform the underlying mechanisms of paranoia in subclinical and potentially clinical samples.

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Conflict of interest

All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Rudolf- Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039, Marburg, Germany

    Stefan Westermann

  2. Center for Health Care Evaluation, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, 795 Willow Rd, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, USA

    Matthew T. Boden

  3. Department of Psychology, Stanford University, 450 Serra Mall, Building 420-Jordan Hall, Stanford, CA, 94305-2130, USA

    James J. Gross

  4. Department of Psychology, Universität Hamburg, Von-Melle-Park 5, 20146, Hamburg, Germany

    Tania M. Lincoln

Authors
  1. Stefan Westermann
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  2. Matthew T. Boden
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  3. James J. Gross
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  4. Tania M. Lincoln
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Correspondence to Stefan Westermann.

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Westermann, S., Boden, M.T., Gross, J.J. et al. Maladaptive Cognitive Emotion Regulation Prospectively Predicts Subclinical Paranoia. Cogn Ther Res 37, 881–885 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-013-9523-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-013-9523-6

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