Sain Kimberly S, Lord Kayla A, Knowles Kelly A, Everhardt Kate, Tolin David F
Anxiety Disorders Center, The Institute of Living, Hartford, CT, USA.
Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, USA.
Anxiety Stress Coping. 2025 Mar;38(2):193-205. doi: 10.1080/10615806.2024.2383769. Epub 2024 Aug 6.
Experiential avoidance (EA) may serve as a risk factor for a wide range of anxiety-related psychopathology. Anxiety is thought to trigger the use of EA, while also serving as a consequence of EA efforts. Previous ecological momentary assessment (EMA) studies found that EA was associated with greater anxiety in nonclinical undergraduates and patients with social anxiety disorder.
The present study examined the in-the-moment, bidirectional relationship between EA, perceived stress, and two facets of anxiety (autonomic arousal and worry/misery) in a sample of treatment-seeking patients broadly diagnosed with an anxiety-related disorder (= 46). Participants completed a baseline assessment followed by an EMA assessment period (assessments three times daily for seven days). We hypothesized that there would be a bidirectional relationship between EA and anxiety/stress.
Results largely supported a unidirectional relationship such that greater EA at one time point predicted higher stress at a later time point controlling for previous stress levels and linear time. Trend-level associations between EA and anxiety symptoms are discussed.
The current study provides important insight into the relationship between EA and anxiety symptoms in a clinical sample of participants with anxiety-related disorders.
经验性回避（EA）可能是多种与焦虑相关的精神病理学的危险因素。焦虑被认为会引发EA的使用，同时也是EA努力的结果。先前的生态瞬时评估（EMA）研究发现，EA与非临床本科生和社交焦虑障碍患者的更高焦虑水平相关。
本研究在广泛诊断为焦虑相关障碍（n = 46）的寻求治疗患者样本中，考察了EA、感知压力与焦虑的两个方面（自主唤醒和担忧/痛苦）之间的即时双向关系。参与者完成了基线评估，随后进入EMA评估期（连续七天每天评估三次）。我们假设EA与焦虑/压力之间存在双向关系。
结果在很大程度上支持了单向关系，即在控制先前压力水平和线性时间的情况下，某一时刻较高的EA水平预测了随后时刻较高的压力。讨论了EA与焦虑症状之间的趋势水平关联。
本研究为焦虑相关障碍参与者的临床样本中EA与焦虑症状之间的关系提供了重要见解。
