%0 Journal Article
%T The Effects of Worry in Daily Life: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study Supporting the Tenets of the Contrast Avoidance Model
%A Ki Eun Shin
%A Lauren E. Szkodny
%A Martin J. Sliwinski
%A Michelle G. Newman
%A Nicholas C. Jacobson
%A Nur Hani Zainal
%J Clinical Psychological Science
%@ 2167-7034
%D 2019
%R 10.1177/2167702619827019
%X The contrast avoidance model (CAM) suggests that worry increases and sustains negative emotion to prevent a negative emotional contrast (sharp upward shift in negative emotion) and increase the probability of a positive contrast (shift toward positive emotion). In Study 1, we experimentally validated momentary assessment items (N = 25). In Study 2, participants with generalized anxiety disorder (N = 31) and controls (N = 37) were prompted once per hour regarding their worry, thought valence, and arousal 10 times a day for 8 days. Higher worry duration, negative thought valence, and uncontrollable train of thoughts predicted feeling more keyed up concurrently and sustained anxious activation 1 hr later. More worry, feeling keyed up, and uncontrollable train of thoughts predicted lower likelihood of a negative emotional contrast in thought valence and higher likelihood of a positive emotional contrast in thought valence 1 hr later. Findings support the prospective ecological validity of CAM. Our findings suggest that naturalistic worry reduces the likelihood of a sharp increase in negative affect and does so by increasing and sustaining anxious activation
%K worry
%K contrast avoidance
%K generalized anxiety disorder
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2167702619827019