The Structure of Cognitive Vulnerabilities to Depression and Anxiety: Evidence for a Common Core Etiologic Process Based on a Meta-Analytic Review

Cognitive theories of psychopathology posit that maladaptive patterns of cognitions confer elevated risks to individuals in the development of psychological disorders. This meta-analysis examined the extent to which six cognitive vulnerabilities associated with depression (i.e., pessimistic inferential style, dysfunctional attitudes, and ruminative style) and anxiety (i.e., anxiety sensitivity, intolerance of uncertainty, and fear of negative evaluation) were related with one another. A total of 159 effect sizes from 73 articles were obtained to estimate the mean correlations among the vulnerabilities. Results indicated that they were moderately to strongly correlated. Meta-analytic structural equation modeling was applied to evaluate two alternative factor analytic models underlying the associations among the vulnerabilities. A one-factor model provided the best fit to the meta-analytic data, suggesting a common etiologic factor shared among the vulnerabilities. This suggests that the vulnerabilities are not distinct at a broad level and their common core presents an avenue for transdiagnostic interventions.