Interpretation Biases in Anxiety – A Three-Level Meta-Analysis

• DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/7zkvr
• Publication Date: 2023-12-04T05:01:09Z
• Authors: Felix Würtz; Marius Kunna; Chiara Lindgraf; Elinor Abado; Yagmur Amanvermez; Simon Edward Blac...; Jürgen Margraf; Jonas Everaert; Marcella Lydia Woud
• Keywords: Agoraphobia; PsycINFO; Specific phobia; Anxiety sensitivity

Interpretation biases (IBs) play a central role in cognitive models of anxiety disorders and are considered transdiagnostic feature operating across disorder categories lev-els severity. Despite decades research, the magnitude this bias as well factors modulating its largely unknown. This article presents three-level meta-analysis investigating strength association between IBs symptoms anxiety. Databases (PsycINFO, PubMed, ProQuest Dissertations) were searched resulting inclusion 295 samples with 1450 contrasts. An overall medium effect size (g = 0.48, 95% CI [0.43, 0.52]) was found. Equivalent sizes found for minors adults different (Generalized Anxiety, Panic/Agoraphobia/Anxiety Sen-sitivity, Specific Phobia, Separation Multiple Symptom Clusters) clinical sta-tuses (clinical, sub-clinical). Moreover, larger studies using direct measures, verbal disorder-specific stimuli. Interestingly, stronger negative than positive To conclude, present results consistent view that is associated operate severity levels. These findings have implications theories interventions.