Temporal Precedence of Distress Tolerance in Predicting Anxiety and Depression: A Daily Diary Approach During...

This study used a daily diary method to examine the temporal relationship between distress tolerance (DT), anxiety, and depression during a mindfulness-based intervention (MBI). A total of 83 participants with high emotional distress completed daily diaries of mindfulness, DT, anxiety and depression over one week before, during, and after the intervention. Linear mixed models showed significant improvements in all measured variables (p < 0.001) one week after the intervention. Dynamic structural equation modeling found that daily DT at time t significantly predicted daily anxiety (β = -0.06, p = 0.006), but not daily depression (β = -0.03, p = 0.076) at time t + 1. In the first three weeks, no significant time-lagged relationships were observed. However, in the last four weeks, daily DT at time t significantly predicted both daily anxiety (β = -0.11, p < 0.001) and daily depression (β = -0.08, p = 0.002) at time t + 1. Reverse relationships were not significant. These findings support the temporal precedence of DT over anxiety and depression, especially when interventions target DT enhancement.