The interactive effect of emotional reactivity and maladaptive metacognitive beliefs on anxiety.

Emotional reactivity has been implicated in the development and maintenance of anxiety. The metacognitive model suggests that maladaptive metacognitive beliefs (i.e. beliefs about thinking) may increase the impact of emotional reactivity on anxiety. As such, the purpose of the present study was to examine maladaptive metacognitive beliefs as a moderator of the relationship between emotional reactivity and anxiety in an undergraduate student sample (N = 78). Participants completed a battery of self-report measures and a negative emotion induction procedure during a single laboratory session. As predicted, higher levels of maladaptive metacognitive beliefs strengthened the relationship between emotional reactivity and anxiety. This effect was found in relation to negative (e.g. "My thoughts are uncontrollable"), but not positive (e.g. "Worrying will keep me safe"), metacognitive beliefs. Study results support the proposal that maladaptive metacognitive beliefs potentiate the effect of emotional reactivity on anxiety and suggest that preemptive efforts to reduce negative metacognitive beliefs may be beneficial among individuals prone to emotional reactivity.