Catastrophizing and meaning-making after stressful life experiences

Abstract

Catastrophizing, or the tendency to expect the worst, is a transdiagnostic feature of several mental health conditions. Previous studies in high-risk populations have shown that catastrophizing is linked with an individual's ability to cope with stressful life experiences. We aimed to assess this relationship in a general population sample, using a recently developed Catastrophizing Questionnaire. Over two online studies (n = 170 and n = 123), we estimated the relationship between participants' catastrophizing scores and Integration of Stressful Life Experiences Scale (ISLES) scores. In study 2, we further investigated whether coping with stressful life experiences was a mediator in a hypothesized relationship between the occurrence of stressful life events and catastrophizing. We found a strong negative relationship between catastrophizing and ISLES scores—more catastrophizing is associated with less successful integration of stressful life experiences into one's personal narrative, and this integration partially mediates the relationship between the occurrence of life stressors and catastrophizing. The results also showed a weaker negative relationship between catastrophizing and perceived socio-economic status: higher catastrophizing was associated with lower perceived socio-economic status. There is scope for future research to explore other mediators of the relationship between catastrophizing and integration of stressful life experiences.