Suppression of Dentist-Related Thoughts

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Abstract
The present study explored factors associated with the successful suppression of dentist-related thoughts. Fifty-eight subjects first completed questionnaires on dental anxiety, trait anxiety, cognitive self-efficacy, and negative cognitions related to dental treatment. After imagining a scene in which they were undergoing dental treatment, subjects were asked to identify the negative thoughts they had just experienced. Next, subjects were instructed to suppress these thoughts during a one minute period. After this suppression period, subjects rated the extent to which they had succeeded in suppressing their dentist-related thoughts (i.e., thought control) and the extent to which they had spent on thinking about these thoughts (i.e., intrusiveness). The results showed that dental anxiety was negatively correlated with successful thought suppression, while trait anxiety was negatively associated with intrusions during the suppression period. It is suggested that anxiety undermines adequate cognitive control.

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