The Re-construction of Worry-Trait

• Main Authors: Shih-Ming Chung, 鍾世明
• Other Authors: none
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2007
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/41699260419235266491

碩士 === 東吳大學 === 心理學系 === 95 === Since 1990, many researchers (such as Borkovec, Matthews, Dugas) viewed “worry” as a certain cause of anxiety but not a part of anxiety. They also found that worry included three core components - excessive worry, uncontrollable worry, and intolerance of uncertainty. Most worry-related researches usually used Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ). Most items (13) of PSWQ relate with “excessive worry”. A few items (3) of it relate with “uncontrollable worry”. None of it relate with “intolerance of uncertainty”. Furthermore, it is hard to tell whether the items of PSWQ relate to worry-trait or worry-state. For modifying these deficits, the purpose of the study is to rebuild the construct validity of worry. To build a new “worry trait questionnaire” and a worry “state” questionnaire in accordance to the core components of worry is the first purpose of the study. The second purpose of the study was to test the construct validity of worry. The prospective design was used for reaching these purposes. Two hundred and forty eight college students were recruited in the first week and one week before midterm of the school semester separately. In the first week (the low pressure week), subjects filled out two kinds of worry questionnaires, the trait anxiety inventory (STAI-trait), the state anxiety inventory (STAI-state), the neuroticism inventory, and the hopelessness inventory. In the one week before midterm (the high pressure week;), subjects filled out two kinds of worry questionnaires, the trait anxiety inventory (STAI-trait), the state anxiety inventory (STAI-state), BDI, PSWQ, and GAD-Q. Results of the study are as follows: (a) Worry trait could be discriminated from worry state. (b) The Borkovec’s definition of worry with three core features was supported. (c) Construct validity and reliability of either the worry trait or the worry state scale were supported. (d) The validity and the reliability of either the worry trait scale or the worry state scale are better than the PSWQ. Furthermore, the two scales include a more complete extent of worry comparing with the PSWQ. (e) The worry-trait scale is more effective than the PSWQ in screening GAD.