Examining the Longitudinal Relationship Between Metacognitive Beliefs and Psychological Distress in an Adolescent Population: A Preliminary Analysis

Katie Schultz; Lee Kannis-Dymand; Daniel Jamieson; Larisa McLoughlin; Siobhan Loughnan; Andrew Allen; Daniel Hermens

doi:10.1007/s10578-023-01611-z

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Examining the Longitudinal Relationship Between Metacognitive Beliefs and Psychological Distress in an Adolescent Population: A Preliminary Analysis

Journal article

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Examining the Longitudinal Relationship Between Metacognitive Beliefs and Psychological Distress in an Adolescent Population: A Preliminary Analysis

Katie Schultz, Lee Kannis-Dymand, Daniel Jamieson, Larisa McLoughlin, Siobhan Loughnan, Andrew Allen and Daniel Hermens

Child Psychiatry & Human Development, Vol.56, pp.971-981

2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-023-01611-z

PMCID: PMC12289720

PMID: 37831288

Appears in Thompson Institute Research Collection

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Abstract

Adolescence

Longitudinal

Metacognition

Metacognitive beliefs

Psychological distress

Psychopathology

Other Collaborations

Thompson Institute Special Collection

UniSC Diversity Area - Life Stages

Adolescence is a period marked by significant vulnerability to the onset of mental health concerns. Within adults, the metacognitive model of psychological disorders advocates for the involvement of metacognitive beliefs in the onset, and maintenance, of psychopathology. The current study aimed to assess the applicability of the metacognitive model in adolescence by exploring the relationship, as well as the trajectory, between metacognitive beliefs and psychological distress. The longitudinal prospective cohort study investigated data from a community-based sample of participants aged 12 to 13. Self-report assessment measures of metacognitive beliefs, psychological distress, and somatic distress are reported across four time-points. Baseline assessments are reported for 70 participants, which reduced to 53 participants at time-point four. Correlational analyses demonstrated a significant relationship between overall metacognition, as well as negative metacognitive beliefs, and psychological distress at each of the four time-points. Generalised Estimating Equations found a significant association between metacognitive predictors and psychological distress over the four time-points. These results indicate that negative metacognitive beliefs, positive metacognitive beliefs, metacognitive beliefs related to superstition, punishment, and responsibility, low perceived levels of cognitive confidence and cognitive self-consciousness predict psychological distress over 12 months in adolescents aged 12 to 13. The strongest longitudinal correlational structure was found for the model of negative metacognitive beliefs and psychological distress. These findings provide preliminary evidence for the positive linear relationship between metacognitive beliefs and psychological distress in adolescence. The study provides an important contribution to understanding the role of metacognitive beliefs in the aetiology and perpetuation of psychological distress in adolescence.

Details

Title: Examining the Longitudinal Relationship Between Metacognitive Beliefs and Psychological Distress in an Adolescent Population: A Preliminary Analysis
Authors: Katie Schultz (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health
Lee Kannis-Dymand (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health - Psychology
Daniel Jamieson (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson Institute
Larisa McLoughlin (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson Institute
Siobhan Loughnan (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson Institute
Andrew Allen (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health - Psychology
Daniel Hermens (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson Institute
Publication details: Child Psychiatry & Human Development, Vol.56, pp.971-981
Publisher: Springer New York LLC
Date published: 2025
DOI: 10.1007/s10578-023-01611-z
ISSN: 1573-3327
PMID: 37831288; PMC12289720
Copyright note: This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Data Availability: Data are not available for distribution.
Organisation Unit: School of Social Sciences - Legacy; Thompson Institute; School of Health - Psychology; Sexual Violence Research and Prevention Unit; Sustainability Research Cluster
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99971190302621
Output Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration
Web Of Science research areas: Pediatrics; Psychiatry; Psychology, Developmental

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