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Meta-Worry in Adolescents: Examination of the Psychometric Properties of the Meta-Worry Questionnaire in an Adolescent Sample

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2013

Brian Fisak*
Affiliation:
University of North Florida, Jacksonville, USA
Marco Mentuccia
Affiliation:
University of North Florida, Jacksonville, USA
Amy Przeworski
Affiliation:
Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, USA
*
Reprint requests to Brian Fisak, Department of Psychology, University of North Florida, 1 UNF Drive, Jacksonville, Florida 32224, USA. E-mail: b.fisak@unf.edu

Abstract

Background: Meta-worry is considered a central component of the Metacognitive Model of Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Although initial research provides support for the applicability of this model to adolescent samples, the construct of meta-worry has yet to be examined in adolescents. Aims: The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Meta-Worry Questionnaire (MWQ), a measure designed to assess negative beliefs about worry, in an adolescent sample, and to examine the degree to which meta-worry is associated with pathological worry in adolescents. Method: A non-referred sample of 175 adolescents completed a modified version of the MWQ along with the Meta-Cognitions Questionnaire-Children (MCQ-C) and the Penn State Worry Questionnaire for Children (PSWQ-C). Results: The MWQ was found to exhibit strong psychometric properties. Most noteworthy, the MWQ was found to be a particularly robust predictor of scores on the PSWQ-C, and incremental validity was also demonstrated. Conclusions: Overall, the current findings provide support for the reliability and validity of the MWQ in adolescents and support for meta-worry as a predictor of worry symptoms in adolescents.

Type
Brief Clinical Reports
Copyright
Copyright © British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies 2013 

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