Few studies have examined the association between impulsivity and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). This study examined whether individuals with probable GAD display impulsivity in a particular way, and the extent to which impulsivity uniquely predicts GAD severity and GAD status, over and above intolerance of uncertainty (IU), a key cognitive factor in GAD. Individuals with (n = 63) and without (n = 77) probable GAD completed self-report measures of impulsivity and IU. Results revealed that elevations in the severity of GAD symptoms and in IU were associated with impulsive actions in the face of negative affect (i.e., negative urgency), but also greater premeditation and lower “functional” impulsivity (i.e., the ability to take quick action when it is advantageous to do so). Impulsivity led to an increment in the prediction of GAD symptoms and GAD status, over and above IU. Negative urgency and lower functional impulsivity were significant unique predictors of GAD severity or GAD status. The findings highlight a need to consider impulsivity in theories that implicate intolerance of negative affect and uncertainty in excessive and uncontrollable worry.
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is defined by excessive and uncontrollable worry and anxiety (APA, 2000). Concerted efforts to gain a better understanding of GAD have produced a number of explanatory models (e.g., Dugas et al., 1998, Mennin et al., 2005, Sibrava and Borkovec, 2006 and Wells, 2006); yet, GAD remains difficult to treat (Dugas, Anderson, Deschenes, & Donegan, 2010). As such, there is a continued need to uncover the processes and individual difference characteristics that distinguish individuals with and without GAD.
Although high anxiety has been shown to be associated with stable dispositional characteristics such as neuroticism (Bienvenu et al., 2004 and Weinstock and Whisman, 2006) and childhood behavioral inhibition (e.g., Gladstone, Parker, Mitchell, Wilhelm, & Malhi, 2005), emerging literature suggests that some individuals with anxiety disorders may also be elevated on impulsivity (e.g., Cougle et al., 2011 and Kashdan and Hofmann, 2008). This may appear counterintuitive; however, there is good reason to postulate that impulsive actions may indeed be part of the behavioral repertoire of individuals with clinically-significant anxiety, including those with GAD.
