Facets of Experiential Avoidance and Personality as Predictors of Internalizing Symptoms

Experiential Avoidance, a core construct of third-wave behavioral therapies, is theorized to be a unique predictor of internalizing symptoms. However, recent research has shown that experiential avoidance may not have unique predictive power over and above neuroticism, a robust predictor of all forms of psychopathology. Existing research has only evaluated experiential avoidance and neuroticism as predictors at a domain-level and has relied on the heavily criticized Acceptance and Action Questionnaire II. It remains to be tested whether (1) using better measures or (2) analyzing specific facets of experiential avoidance will yield evidence for its unique predictive power. This thesis evaluates whether facets of experiential avoidance have unique predictive power over and above facets of neuroticism when predicting internalizing symptoms. Analyses were conducted a large, combined sample of undergraduate (n = 488) and online community (n = 643) participants. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to (1) confirm the theorized factor structures of each construct and (2) conduct a series of structural regressions. Structural regressions were conducted hierarchically and compared using Hayes’ (2021) method for calculating ∆R2 in SEM. Neuroticism facets were included in the first step and experiential avoidance facets were included in the second step, all regressed onto 17 individual internalizing symptoms. Results support the unique predictive power of experiential avoidance, at both domain- and facet-levels. Some experiential avoidance facets predicted internalizing symptoms over and above neuroticism facets; results varied between internalizing symptoms. Implications for measurement, dimensional models, and third-wave behavioral theory are discussed.