Avoiding negative information as a strategy for emotion regulation

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to investigate whether the personality trait negative emotionality and sense of coherence influence emotionally motivated information avoidance, i.e., avoidance of negative information that potentially evoke anxiety or worry. Data from 412 respondents was collected in a survey which measured negative emotionality, sense of coherence and information avoidance. A conceptual model is proposed, and structural equation modelling (SEM) was applied to analyse the data. Negative emotionality was found to influence information avoidance not only directly, but also indirectly through the manageability dimension of sense of coherence. In other words, manageability mediates the relationship between negative emotionality and information avoidance. The study contributes by showing that personal inclinations impact emotionally motivated information avoidance across contexts.