Effects of induced affective stress on intrusive cognitions in a college sample

The present study examined Rachman's theory of emotional processing in relationship to intrusive cognitions. Specifically, the study looks at whether dysphoria and relaxation can impede and facilitate emotional processing during times of stress. Undergraduate students were given measures of anxiety, depression, stress and obsessionality, and randomly assigned to one of nine conditions in a 3 (relaxation-induced, dysphoria-induced, or no mood induction) X 3 (stress induction, neutral induction, or no stress induction) design. Participants then either listened to music selected to induce relaxation, underwent the Velten procedure to induce dysphoria, or were assigned to the "no mood" induction condition. Participants in the dysphoria conditions heard significantly more threat and non-threat words than participants in the relaxation or control conditions. Similarly, participants who saw the stressor film heard more threat words than those who viewed the neutral or no film. These results are only partially supportive of Rachman's theory of emotional processing.