Exploring the Interplay Between Self-Identity, Affective Style, Emotion Regulation, and Anxiety: Based on Bayesian...

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Mental Health Research

Background:

• Anxiety is a prevalent mental health concern influenced by various psychological factors.
• Understanding the interplay between self-identity, affective style, emotion regulation, and intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is vital for developing effective interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the predictive relationships between self-identity, affective style, emotion regulation, and IU in the context of anxiety.
• To propose and test a comprehensive model integrating these psychological constructs to predict anxiety.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 608 university students.
• Utilized self-report measures for self-identity, affective style, emotion regulation, IU, and anxiety.
• Employed network analysis and Bayesian network modeling to examine direct and mediating effects.

Main Results:

• Self-identity, affective style, and IU were identified as direct predictors of trait anxiety.
• Intolerance of uncertainty and affective style mediated the influence of self-identity on anxiety.
• Emotion regulation did not significantly mediate the relationship between affective style and anxiety.
• The predictive model achieved high accuracy for both trait (90.13%) and state (88.49%) anxiety.

Conclusions:

• Self-identity plays a central role in anxiety, suggesting its importance in therapeutic interventions.
• Affective styles and intolerance of uncertainty are critical targets for anxiety management.
• Emotion regulation strategies alone may be insufficient for anxiety reduction, necessitating integrated clinical approaches.