Exploring the Association Between Trait Equanimity and Negative Affective Symptoms of Stress, Anxiety, and Depression...

Equanimity, a trait reflecting one's ability or tendency to maintain even-minded and unbiased reactions towards all stimuli, regardless of their affective valence, is a protective factor for adolescents and young adults' mental health. Yet, how equanimity is associated with negative emotional experience, such as stress, anxiety, and depression, lacks in-depth research. Therefore, to resolve this gap, the study conducted a network analysis at the symptom level, revealing the potential relationships between trait equanimity and 21 negative affective symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression (7 for stress, 7 for anxiety, 7 for depression). By revealing fine-grained trait-symptom relationships, this study differs from previous dimension-level studies and can deepen the understanding of the mechanisms through which equanimity operates and provide insights for clinical practice.

Data were collected from 3140 Chinese adolescents and young adults (M_age = 19.49 years, 2371 females) via an online questionnaire containing three main measurements, namely the 16-Item Equanimity Scale, Two Factor Equanimity Scale, and Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21). Specifically, the 21 items of the DASS-21 were treated as 21 distinct negative affective symptoms. Network analysis was then employed to examine the relationships between the sub-dimensions of equanimity and these 21 negative affective symptoms.

The Even-Minded State of Mind (EMSM) dimension of equanimity was identified as the most critical bridge node, significantly inhibiting connections between equanimity and negative affective symptoms. Within the negative affective cluster, symptoms like Worried and Worthless Person showed strong associations with equanimity. EMSM exhibited differential correlations with symptoms across stress, anxiety, and depression clusters, with the strongest negative associations observed with No Initiative (symptom of depression) and Touchy (symptom of stress).

This study revealed the micro-symptom relationships between equanimity and stress, anxiety, and depression. Targeted interventions focusing on EMSM may effectively reduce stress, anxiety, and depression for adolescents and young adults.