Objective: Generalized anxiety disorder is one of the most common anxiety disorders in the general population. Several studies suggest that anxiety sensitivity is a vulnerability factor in generalized anxiety severity. However, some other studies suggest that negative repetitive thinking and experiential avoidance as response factors can explain this relationship. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the mediating role of experiential avoidance and negative repetitive thinking in the relationship between anxiety sensitivity and generalized anxiety severity.
Method: This was a cross-sectional and correlational study. A sample of 475 university students was selected through stratified sampling method. The participants completed Anxiety Sensitivity Inventory-3, Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II, Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item Scale. Data were analyzed by Pearson correlation, multiple regression analysis and path analysis.
Results: The results revealed a positive relationship between anxiety sensitivity, particularly cognitive anxiety sensitivity, experiential avoidance, repetitive thinking and generalized anxiety severity. In addition, findings showed that repetitive thinking, but not experiential avoidance, fully mediated the relationship between cognitive anxiety sensitivity and generalized anxiety severity. α Level was p<0.005.
Conclusion: Consistent with the trans-diagnostic hypothesis, anxiety sensitivity predicts generalized anxiety severity, but its effect is due to the generating repetitive negative thought.