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Assessment of Stress Effects on Cognitive Flexibility using an Operant Strategy Shifting Paradigm

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Psychological Inflexibility's Associations With Lifetime Anxiety Disorders.

Max Z Roberts^1,2, James F Boswell¹, Rhonda M Merwin²

¹Department of Psychology, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, New York, USA.

Journal of Clinical Psychology

|March 25, 2026

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Psychological inflexibility, not just anxiety severity, increases the likelihood of developing anxiety disorders. Targeting responses to anxiety may reduce suffering and improve life interference.

Keywords:

acceptance and commitment therapy anxiety anxiety disorders psychological inflexibility

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Reducing State Anxiety Using Working Memory Maintenance

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Published on: July 19, 2017

Area of Science:

Psychology
Clinical Psychology
Psychopathology

Background:

Anxiety is evolutionarily adaptive but can become problematic, leading to common and costly anxiety disorders.
Anxiety disorders are prevalent and impose significant societal and individual burdens.
A transdiagnostic model suggests inflexible responding to anxiety contributes to disorder development.

Purpose of the Study:

To test a transdiagnostic conceptualization of anxiety disorders.
To investigate the role of psychological inflexibility in anxiety disorders.
To determine if inflexible responding to anxiety predicts disorder diagnosis beyond symptom severity.

Main Methods:

1118 participants across two samples (undergraduates and community members) were recruited.
Participants completed self-report measures assessing anxiety (DASS-21) and psychological inflexibility (MPFI).
Lifetime anxiety-related diagnoses were self-reported by participants.

Main Results:

Anxiety severity was associated with increased odds of lifetime anxiety diagnoses.
Psychological inflexibility incrementally predicted greater odds of anxiety diagnoses, independent of anxiety severity.
These findings were consistent across both study samples.

Conclusions:

An individual's response to anxiety, not solely its severity, is crucial for understanding anxiety disorders.
Psychological inflexibility may be a key factor in the development and maintenance of anxiety disorders.
Clinical interventions targeting psychological inflexibility may help alleviate anxiety-related suffering and functional impairment.