Role of Types of Inner Speech in the Prediction of Symptoms of Anxiety, Depression, Somatization, and Distress in the Normal Population

Objective: It is extremely common for adults to use inner speech to regulate their behavior. Despite this, little is known about the underlying processes that may explain why people use inner speech differently. This study aimed to determine the relationship between different types of inner speech with symptoms of anxiety, depression, somatization, and distress in normal people. Methods: The research method herein was descriptive correlation. The statistical population of the study included all 10000 students from the University of Mohaghegh Ardabili Iran, in the academic year 2019-2020. 378 students from the University of Mohaghegh Ardabili through multi-stage cluster sampling method were selected. The Varieties of Inner Speech Questionnaire (VISQ) and Four-Dimensional Symptom Questionnaire (4DSQ) were administered to all subjects. Pearson correlation coefficient and multivariate regression analysis were used step-by-step. Data analysis was performed by SPSS ver. 23. Results: The findings showed the strongest inner speech for predicting anxiety, depression, and somatization disorders is another type of inner speech. On the other hand, in those with distress symptoms, evaluative/critical inner speech was appropriately predictive. Also, positive-regulative inner speech negatively predicts anxiety, depression, and distress. In the normal population, positive regulative inner speech is considered an appropriate predictor. Conclusions: Consequently, there are probably two types of inner speech evaluation-critical and positive-regulative that have more powerful construct validity, and usage of other inner speech is questionable.