Files and links (1)
Published VersionCC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
The Relationships Between Metacognitive Beliefs, Executive Functioning, and Psychological Distress in Early Adolescence
Cognitive Therapy and Research, Vol.48, pp.1173-1188
2024
Appears in Thompson Institute Research Collection
Abstract
Background
Increased endorsement of metacognitions and poorer executive functioning have been associated with increased adolescent psychological distress. However, it is unknown whether poorer executive functioning strengthens the metacognitions–psychological distress relationship.
Methods
This cross-sectional study investigated unique and interactive contributions of self-reported positive metacognitions (beliefs that repetitive thinking is beneficial), negative metacognitions (beliefs that repetitive thinking is uncontrollable) and an objective test of executive function on self-reported psychological distress in N = 85 Australian adolescents (49% female, 51% male) aged 12–14 years (M = 13.22, SD = 0.45).
Results
Results of the hierarchical regression revealed both positive and negative metacognitions significantly, positively, and strongly predicted psychological distress. Furthermore, poorer executive functioning significantly strengthened the negative metacognitions–psychological distress relationship. These findings indicate that adolescents who endorse beliefs that their repetitive thinking is uncontrollable, dangerous, or helpful are more likely to be psychologically distressed. Furthermore, findings indicate adolescents with poorer inhibition were particularly vulnerable to the impact of negative metacognitions (e.g., repetitive thinking is uncontrollable) on psychological distress. This vulnerability is likely because negative metacognitions are highly intrusive, rendering their activation difficult to ignore.
Conclusions
Overall, findings support the self-regulatory executive function model, indicating metacognitions and executive functioning influence adolescent psychological distress. These findings have practical implications for clinical interventions.
Details
- Title
- The Relationships Between Metacognitive Beliefs, Executive Functioning, and Psychological Distress in Early Adolescence
- Authors
- Rebekah G. Belte (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health - PsychologyTamara De Regt - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health - PsychologyLee Kannis-Dymand - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health - PsychologyAmanda Boyes - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson InstituteMarcella Parker - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson InstituteDaniel F. Hermens - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson Institute
- Publication details
- Cognitive Therapy and Research, Vol.48, pp.1173-1188
- Publisher
- Springer New York LLC
- Date published
- 2024
- DOI
- 10.1007/s10608-024-10506-9
- ISSN
- 1573-2819; 0147-5916
- 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
- The datasets generated and analysed during the current study are not publicly available due the fact that they constitute an excerpt of research in progress but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
- Organisation Unit
- Thompson Institute; Engage Research Lab; School of Health - Psychology; Sustainability Research Cluster
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991048275002621
- Output Type
- Journal article
Metrics
10 File views/ downloads
69 Record Views
InCites Highlights
These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output
- Web Of Science research areas
- Psychology, Clinical
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
Source: InCites