Document Type : Research Article

Authors

• mahin etemadnia ¹
• parsa javanmard ²
• Majid Mahmoud Alilou ³
• Abbas Bakhshipour Roudsari ³
• Mansour Bayrami ³

¹ Department of psychology, faculty of humanistic sciences, Urmia branch, Islamic Azad University, Urmia, Iran

² Masters student in Clinical Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Urmia, Iran

³ Department of psychology, faculty of educational sciences and psychology, university of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran

Abstract

Introduction
The present study evaluated the triple vulnerability model for depression, general anxiety, and social phobia. Each level of the triple vulnerability model for each disorder was examined with looming vulnerability style as a disorder-specific psychological vulnerability for GAD and social phobia.

Method
The method of the present study was descriptive-correlational. 370 students from Urmia universities were selected from which 340 students (177 men, 162 women) completed Neuroticism and Extraversion Subscales (Neo-FFI), Anxiety Control Questionnaire (ACQ-R), Looming Maladaptive Style Questionnaire (LMSQ-R), Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS), Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ), and Albany Panic and Phobia Questionnaire (APPQ).

Results
The results of path analysis indicated that neuroticism had significant direct effects on all three disorders, and holding neuroticism constant, extraversion was inversely associated with depression and social phobia. Perceived control was significantly associated with GAD only, holding neuroticism and extraversion constant. Of the disorder-specific psychological vulnerability, holding general vulnerability dimensions constant, looming vulnerability style was not specific predictor of GAD and social phobia. Based on the results reported in the first model of the study (general bio-vulnerability), the effect coefficients of all variables are significant at the level (p <0.01). In the second model (general psychological vulnerability), the coefficients of the effect of neuroticism and extraversion on all three variables are significant; However, the perceived control pathway coefficient is significant only on pervasive anxiety (p <0.01). In the third model of the research (specific vulnerability with the addition of near-risk perception style), the coefficients of the effect of neuroticism, extraversion and perceived control on all three variables are significant; However, after maintaining the effect of the dimensions of general vulnerability, namely neuroticism, extraversion, and perceived control, the coefficient of the near-risk perception pathway on social anxiety and depression is significant. The coefficients of neuroticism pathway on social anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder and depression are 0.44, 0.39 and 0.40, respectively (p <0.01). The coefficient of extraversion pathway on social anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder and depression was -0.36, -0.31 and -0.33, respectively (p <0.01). Perceived control path's coefficients on social anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder and depression were reported as -0.25, -0.30 and -0.28, respectively (p <0.01). The coefficient of near-risk perception style path's coefficient on social anxiety (0.26) is at the level of 0.01 and the pathway coefficient of near-risk perception style on depression (0.19) is at the level of 0.05; however, the coefficient of near-risk perception style on pervasive anxiety (0.11) is not significant.

Conclusion
The results are discussed in regard to transdiagnostic models of the emotional disorders and the various roles of general and specific vulnerability dimensions in the onset, severity, and temporal course of psychopathology.

Keywords

• emotional disorder
• neuroticism
• extraversion
• perceived control
• looming vulnerability style

Main Subjects

• Clinical Psychology