Dependent stressor occurrence, stressor severity appraisals & stressor controllability appraisals link attentional control deficits to engagement in repetitive negative thinking in daily life

Worry and rumination share a common process of repetitive negative thinking (RNT). RNT is a transdiagnostic risk factor for internalizing psychopathology. Theoretical models suggest deficits in cognitive control (e.g., difficulty focusing & shifting attention) and dependent stressors (e.g., failing an exam due to trouble studying) are risk factors for RNT engagement. Stressful events are subject to individual appraisals (e.g., severity & controllability) which have been shown to predict higher RNT. Limited research has examined these relations with RNT with naturally occurring stressors in daily life. The current study aimed to examine dependent stressor occurrence and stressor appraisals as mechanisms linking deficits in cognitive control to RNT engagement. Undergraduate students (N = 98) completed the Attentional Control Scale and a 10-day ecological momentary assessment procedure. Participants received brief surveys 5 times per day. The surveys included measures of stressor occurrence, stressor appraisals (severity & controllability), RNT, negative and positive affect. Preregistered hypotheses were tested using multilevel modelling to parse out between and within-person effects. Attentional control, specifically poorer focusing, predicted higher dependent stressor occurrences and higher stressor severity appraisals. However, attentional control did not predict overall stressor controllability, RNT engagement, negative or positive affect. Concurrently within-person, (1) higher stressor occurrence predicted higher RNT, (2) higher stressor severity and lower stressor controllability appraisals predicted higher RNT, and (3) higher RNT predicted higher negative affect and lower positive affect. The current study suggests dependent stressor occurrence and stressor appraisals are potential mechanisms linking deficits in cognitive control to RNT engagement in daily life.