Anxiety Sensitivity Dimensions and Generalized Anxiety Severity: The ‎Mediating Role of Experiential Avoidance and Repetitive Negative Thinking

Generalized anxiety disorder is one of the most common anxiety disorders in the general ýpopulation. Several studies suggest that anxiety sensitivity is a vulnerability factor in generalized ýanxiety severity. However, some other studies suggest that negative repetitive thinking and ýexperiential avoidance as response factors can explain this relationship. Therefore, this study ýaimed to investigate the mediating role of experiential avoidance and negative repetitive thinking ýin the relationship between anxiety sensitivity and generalized anxiety severity.ý
This was a cross-sectional and correlational study. A sample of 475 university students was ýselected through stratified sampling method. The participants completed Anxiety Sensitivity ýInventory-3, Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II, Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire, and ýGeneralized Anxiety Disorder 7-item Scale. Data were analyzed by Pearson correlation, multiple ýregression analysis and path analysis.ý
The results revealed a positive relationship between anxiety sensitivity, particularly cognitive ýanxiety sensitivity, experiential avoidance, repetitive thinking and generalized anxiety severity. In ýaddition, findings showed that repetitive thinking, but not experiential avoidance, fully mediated ýthe relationship between cognitive anxiety sensitivity and generalized anxiety severity. α Level ýwas p Consistent with the trans-diagnostic hypothesis, anxiety sensitivity predicts generalized anxietyþ þseverity, but its effect is due to the generating repetitive negative thought.ý