Experiential Avoidance and Youth Mental Health: The Role of Spontaneity and Creative Adaptability

Background/Objectives: The relationship between experiential avoidance (EA) and anxiety and depression symptoms is well established, yet the adaptive psychological resources involved in these associations remain insufficiently clarified. This cross-sectional study tested a theoretically informed serial mediation model examining whether EA is associated with anxiety and depressive symptoms in a youth sample through lower spontaneity and subjective well-being. Creative adaptability was examined as an exploratory outcome of spontaneity. Methods: The sample comprised 444 participants aged 16-24 years (M = 18.87, SD = 2.04; 72.3% female), who completed self-report measures for EA, spontaneity, creative adaptability, subjective well-being, depressive and anxiety symptoms. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics and Amos to estimate the observed-variable path model. Results: The model showed acceptable fit (CFI = 0.989, RMSEA = 0.074) and explained 54.1% of the variance in anxiety symptoms and 51.1% of the variance in depressive symptoms. EA was positively associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms (β = 0.531 and 0.448, p < 0.001) and negatively associated with spontaneity and subjective well-being (β = -0.441 and -0.250, p < 0.001). Spontaneity was positively associated with subjective well-being (β = 0.545) and creative adaptability (β = 0.384). The serial indirect effect from EA to symptoms through spontaneity and well-being was significant for both depression and anxiety (β = 0.089 and β = 0.088, p < 0.001). Conclusions: EA was associated with higher anxiety and depressive symptoms, and these associations were partly reflected in lower spontaneity and subjective well-being. In addition, spontaneity was associated with creative adaptability, although creative adaptability was not associated with symptom outcomes.