Profanity as a Self-Defense Mechanism and an Outlet for Emotional Catharsis in Stress, Anxiety, and Depression

Abstract

Background. Swearing is an increasing trend among men and women worldwide. Earlier studies on the positive aspects of profanity mostly relate to pain management and the release of negative emotions. The uniqueness of the current study is its analysis for a possible constructive role of profanity in stress, anxiety, and depression. Method. The current survey involved 253 conveniently selected participants from Pakistan. The study analyzed the role of profanity in connection to stress, anxiety, and depression. Profanity Scale and the Urdu version of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale were used along with a structured interview schedule. Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and $t$ -test were implied to obtain results. Results. The study revealed that the usage of profane language had significantly inverse correlations with stress ( $r=-0.250$ ; $p<0.01$ ), anxiety ( $r=-0.161$ ; $p<0.05$ ), and depression ( $r=-0.182$ ; $p<0.01$ ). Higher profaners also revealed significantly lower levels of depression ( $\text{M}=29.91$ , $\text{SD}=10.80$ vs. $\text{M}=33.48$ , $\text{SD}=10.40$ ; $p=0.009$ ; Cohen’s $d=0.338$ ) and stress ( $\text{M}=30.83$ , $\text{SD}=11.41$ vs. $\text{M}=35.16$ , $\text{SD}=11.31$ ; $p=0.003$ ; Cohen’s $d=0.381$ ) as compared to lower profaners. Profanity had no significant correlations with age ( $r=0.031$ ; $p>0.05$ ) and education ( $r=0.016$ ; $p>0.05$ ). Men projected significantly higher levels of profanity as compared to women. Conclusion. The current study viewed profanity similar to the self-defense mechanisms and emphasized on its cathartic role in stress, anxiety, and depression.