Worriers' perceptions of health -related risks across mood state

Within the last two decades the investigation of worry has markedly increased. Past research viewed worry as only a part of Generalized Anxiety Disorder; however, current research has begun to view worry as a separate construct. Researchers are now studying the construct of worry to determine its unique characteristics.;Recent research has begun to examine the relationship between worry and risk. Researchers have found that the general population tends to be unrealistically optimistic when it comes to estimating risks; however, this is not the case with worry. Worriers have been found to be less optimistic than others when evaluating risks, particularly health risks. The current study looked to add to the literature on worry and its unique characteristics. The study specifically focused on worriers' perceptions of health risks by utilizing affect manipulation to determine whether worriers consistently overestimate health risks.;The present study utilized a 3 (high vs. moderate vs. low worriers) x 2 (experimental vs. neutral) between subjects design. Seventy-two undergraduates were screened into high, moderate, and low worry groups based on the Penn State Worry Questionnaire. All three groups were then randomly assigned into either the experimental or neutral condition. Those in the experimental condition read vignettes that presented health risks negatively and those in the neutral condition read vignettes that presented health risks neutrally. Participants then completed an estimate of risks scale.;It was hypothesized that participants who were high worriers in both the experimental and neutral group would rate risks less optimistically than moderate and low worriers. Statistical analyses revealed that there were no significant differences between high, moderate, and low worriers in the experimental and neutral condition. Analysis of the estimate of risk scale revealed that there was a significant effect for experimental condition was found. Participants in the experimental group rated risks more accurately than participants in the neutral group.;The results provide continued support for the use of vignettes as a means of affect manipulation. The results also support the idea that people are generally unrealistically optimistic regarding health risks regardless of how much worry they experience.