Abstract
The purpose of the current study was to examine the degree to which trait stop rules, as measured by the worry stop rules checklist (WSRC), predict worry, perseveration, and generalized anxiety disorder symptoms (GAD) in a nonclinical sample. Both ‘as many as can’ (AMAC) and ‘feel like’ (FL) stop rules were found to be significantly associated with worry and generalized anxiety disorder symptoms. However, only AMAC stop rules were found to be associated with perseverative worry, as measured by steps on the Catastrophic Interview Procedure (CIP). In addition, stop rules were found to predict worry and symptoms associated with GAD after controlling for variables from the metacognitive model of GAD. Overall, the current study provides support for the relation between trait stop rules, worry, and symptoms associated with GAD.
