ATTENTIONAL NONSPECIFICITY IN DEPRESSIVE AND GENERALIZED ANXIOUS AFFECTIVE STATES

Separate but parallel lines of theory and research have suggested that heightened self-focused attention is an important factor in both depression and anxiety. While studies have shown increased self-focusing in both of these dysfunctional states, adequate conclusions cannot be drawn because of the high cooccurrence of depressive and anxious affect in studies of this type. The present study separated subjects into depressed and anxious groups and examined levels of self-focused attention on two different measures. Results indicated that both affective states are separately characterized by heightened self-focused attention. These findings suggest conceptual difficulties for theoretical models of either depression or anxiety that separately propose self-focused attention variables as central to these disorders. © 1990 Plenum Publishing Corporation.