THE MEDIATING ROLE OF NEGATIVE CORE BELIEFS ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TRAIT ANXIETY AND EMOTIONAL EXPRESSIVITY AMONG YOUNG ADULTS

In this study,the researchers were concerned with the mediating role of negative core beliefs on the association between trait anxiety and emotional expressivity in young adults.The design that was used in the study involved correlational, cross-sectional analysis with mediation testing that recruited 327 young adults between the ages of 20 and 35 who completed standardized instruments for trait anxiety (STAI), negative core beliefs (NCBI), and emotional expressivity (EES). Correlation analysis showed a high positive correlation between trait anxiety and negative core beliefs and no significant correlation between trait anxiety and emotional expressivity or between negative core beliefs and emotional expressivity. Mediation analysis, nevertheless, showed that there was a significant indirect path: negative core beliefs were heightened by trait anxiety and emotional expressivity was lowered by negative core beliefs, that is, the overall effect of trait anxiety on emotional expressivity was nonsignificant when mediation was accounted for.The significant indirect effect also suggests that negative core beliefs fully mediate the effect of trait anxiety on emotional expressivity. This research proposes that challenging central beliefs in clinical treatments could enhance emotional expressiveness in anxious young adults. It also indicates the significance of maladaptive cognitive schemas as emotional suppressors and the complex interplay among these constructs,necessitating more complicated analyses in future work.