Analysis of the role of private self-consciousness in the prediction of generalized anxiety symptoms se

This study analyzes if private self-consciousness could play a predictive role in the severity of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) symptomatology when other variables assumed to play a core role in this disorder, such as trait-anxiety or metaworry, are controlled. Sample was composed of 188 students with a mean of age of 21.9 years (SD = 2.7) and 84.9% being women. The instruments used assessed trait-anxiety (STAI-T), metaworry (AnTI), private self-consciousness (SCS) and severity of GAD symptomatology (WAQ). In a regression analysis with the severity of GAD symptoms as the dependent variable, trait-anxiety was entered in a first step, metaworry in a second step and private self-consciousness in a third step. Percentage of additional variance explained by private self-consciousness was not statistically significant. The differential role of the private self-consciousness subdimensions was analyzed: self-reflectiveness, but not internal state awareness, explained an additional percentage of variance. These results highlight the usefulness of the conceptual distinction between these two kinds of self-consciousness and suggest that self-reflectiveness could play a relevant role in the severity of the GAD symptoms.