Metacognition, Mindfulness Attention Awareness, and Their Relationships with Depression and Anxiety

The current study aimed to test how metacognition relates to the concept of mindfulness attention awareness (MAA), whether metacognitions or MAA best predict symptoms of depression and anxiety, and whether there are significant differences between depression and anxiety levels due to metacognitions and MAA. Data were collected from a public sample through e-mails and social media platforms. The results showed that there was a moderate correlation between MAA and three of the five metacognitive subscales. Both MAA (r = 0.66) and metacognition (r = 0.64) were significantly correlated with depression and anxiety severity scores. Subjects in the depressed group ( r= 0.74) and anxious group (r = -0.47)endorsed metacognitions significantly more, and endorse MAA significantly less than did the nondepressed or nonanxious groups. Additionally, the results of the two-way ANOVA test revealed statistically significant effects for the depression level due to metacognitions (F = 99.802, p= 0.000) and MAA (F = 66.874,p = 0.000) in favor of total scores, as well as for the negative beliefs about the worry, cognitive confidence, and need for control factors. Regarding the level of anxiety, the results revealed significant differences between the anxious and not anxious groups due to the total score of MAA, while there were no differences for the cognitive self-consciousness factor or the overall average score of the metacognitive scale and its five factors upon anxious or not anxious groups. Moreover, the interaction results between depression and anxiety showed that there were significant differences for the negative beliefs about the worry, cognitive confidence, and need for control factors. Finally, regression analyses found metacognition to be an important predictor of symptoms explaining 52% for the depression, and 46% for the anxiety of the variance when controlling for age and gender, while mindfulness was a weaker predictor explaining 3% and 0% respectively of the variance.