An examination of anxiety in the context of acceptance and commitment therapy: Psychological inflexibility and core functional processes

The aim of this study was to examine anxiety in emerging adulthood within the framework of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), focusing on psychological inflexibility and its core functional processes. The study employed a correlational research design, and the theoretical model was tested using Path Analysis. The study group consisted of 461 emerging adults. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis, Path Analysis, and Bootstrap mediation analyses were employed in the data analysis. The findings The findings revealed significant positive relationships between anxiety and rumination, cognitive fusion, experiential avoidance, and psychological inflexibility. Path Analysis results indicated that experiential avoidance, cognitive fusion, and rumination significantly predicted psychological inflexibility. Furthermore, experiential avoidance, rumination, and psychological inflexibility were found to be significant predictors of anxiety. Mediation analyses indicated that psychological inflexibility mediated the relationships between experiential avoidance, cognitive fusion, rumination, and anxiety. The findings suggest that psychological inflexibility functions as an important mechanism in the relationship between the core processes of ACT and anxiety. The findings indicate that psychological inflexibility, cognitive fusion, experiential avoidance, and rumination are important variables in understanding anxiety during emerging adulthood. The results are expected to contribute to ACT-based prevention and intervention programs.