Emotional Nonacceptance and Anxiety Sensitivity in Relation to Anxious Arousal, Social Anxiety, and Depressive Symptoms Among African American Young Adults

Abstract

Past work suggests African American college students may be a segment of the college population at heightened risk for anxiety and depressive symptoms; however, there remains an overarching need to broaden our understanding of individual difference variables that may be related to adverse emotional states. The purpose of the present study was to test a theoretically driven interactive model of two individual difference variables (anxiety sensitivity and emotional nonacceptance) in relation to anxiety and depressive symptoms among 133 African American undergraduate students (76.7% female, Mage = 20.9, SD = 5.6; age range = 18-53 years). Results indicated that anxiety sensitivity was positively associated with anxious arousal symptoms at higher levels of emotional nonacceptance (β = 2.1), and more strongly associated with depressive symptoms among individuals endorsing low levels of emotional nonacceptance (β = 3.8). The present data provide novel evidence suggesting there is clinically relevant interplay between anxiety sensitivity and emotional nonacceptance. These findings aid in better understanding the expression of anxiety and depressive symptoms among this population and may represent transdiagnostic constructs of relevance for early intervention.