Article2014

Experiential avoidance and well-being: A daily diary analysis

Kyla A. Machell · Fallon Rachael Goodman · Todd B. Kashdan

122 citations0/0 files storedCognition & Emotion

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Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction

Abstract

Experiential avoidance (EA) is a regulatory strategy characterised by efforts to control or avoid unpleasant thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations. Most studies of EA have used trait measures without considering the effects of EA on psychological functioning in naturalistic settings. To address this gap, we used daily diary methodology to examine the influence of EA of anxiety on everyday well-being. For two weeks, 89 participants provided daily reports of EA, positive and negative affect, enjoyment of daily events and meaning in life (MIL). Daily EA predicted higher negative affect, lower positive affect, less enjoyment of daily events (exercising, eating food and listening to music) and less MIL. The effect of EA on positive affect was not accounted for by the amount of negative affect experienced. Our daily measure of EA was a stronger predictor of daily well-being than a traditional trait measure (The Acceptance and Action Questionnaire). Taken together, results offer insights into the adverse effects of EA on daily well-being and suggest that EA is a context-specific regulatory strategy that might be best captured using a state-dependent measure.

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References

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2022Emotion Regulation Strategies as Risk Factors for Developmental Psychopathology: a Meta-analytic Review of Longitudinal Studies based on Cross-lagged Correlations and Panel Models 2015Is Experiential Avoidance a Mediating, Moderating, Independent, Overlapping, or Proxy Risk Factor in the Onset, Relapse and Maintenance of Depressive Disorders?

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