Catastrophising

• Vasey, M.W. & Borkovec, T.D. (1992). “A catastrophizing assessment of worrisome thoughts.” Cognitive Therapy and Research, 16, 505-520. The founding experimental study of catastrophising as a thought pattern – shows chronic worriers generate more imagined catastrophes than non-worriers, and rate them as more likely to happen.
• Sullivan, M.J.L., Bishop, S.R. & Pivik, J. (1995). “The Pain Catastrophizing Scale: Development and validation.” Psychological Assessment, 7(4), 524-532. The most widely used measure of catastrophising, identifying rumination, magnification and helplessness as its three components.
• Dugas, M.J., Gagnon, F., Ladouceur, R. & Freeston, M.H. (1998). “Generalized anxiety disorder: A preliminary test of a conceptual model.” Behaviour Research and Therapy, 36(2), 215-226. The source behind the “intolerance of uncertainty” model referenced on this page – why an unpredictable world keeps the mind on guard even when nothing is currently wrong.
• Gilbert, P., McEwan, K., Gibbons, L., Chotai, S., Duarte, J. & Matos, M. (2012). “Fears of compassion and happiness in relation to alexithymia, mindfulness, and self-criticism.” Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 85(4), 374-390. The main source behind this page’s “hypervigilance to good news” framing – evidence that positive states themselves can trigger anxiety in some people, not just negative ones.