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Cited by 8COVID-19 and Mental HealthAnxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive ProcessesMindfulness and Compassion Interventions

Evaluating Experiential Avoidance in terms of COVID-19 Fear and Pandemic Emotional Distress Symptoms Among Latinx Adults

Open access
Mayorga, Nubia A., Manning, Kara F., Derrick, Jaye L., Viana, Andres G., Garey, Lorra, Nizio, Pamella, Matoska, Cameron T., Zvolensky, Michael J.·2022·Cognitive Therapy and Research
DOI 10.1007/s10608-021-10265-xPMC PMC8409070
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Abstract

Background: The outbreak of the novel 2019 SARS2-Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has led to substantial psychological distress across the United States and the world. However, emerging work suggests that prominent COVID-19 consequences such as fear of COVID-19 infection and emotional distress resulting from economic adversity and social distancing may afflict the Latinx population disproportionately. The current study sought to investigate the influence of experiential avoidance (EA), or an individual’s tendency to rigidly avoid negative internal experiences (i.e. feelings, thoughts, etc.), on the severity of COVID-19 fear and emotional distress symptoms due to economic adversity and social distancing. Method: Participants included 188 Latinx persons recruited via an online survey panel program. Results: Results indicated that EA was a statistically significant contributing factor to fear of COVID-19 and emotional distress associated with economic adversity and social distancing. These effects were evident over and above the variance accounted for by gender, years living in the United States, education, and COVID-19 related work and home life stress. Conclusions: Overall, the present work is the first to document empirically EA as it relates to fear of COVID-19 infection and related emotional distress resulting from economic adversity and social distancing among Latinx persons. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1007/s10608-021-10265-x

Cites

58 of 58 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Claims the paper makes

11 of 25 cited sources checked · 5 supported · 0 flagged · accuracy not yet measured

  • Premisecitation

    Experiential avoidance is a mechanism that can be changed through intervention.

    “EA is a mechanism malleable to intervention (Kashdan et al., 2014).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim1 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Kashdan et al., 2014 source

      The Study 2 Discussion reports reasonable evidence that experiential avoidance causally influences social anxiety, and the General Discussion says its use is influenced by situational factors. But the paper does not report an intervention that changes experiential avoidance or establish that it is malleable through treatment. (LLM, conf=0.84)

      Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Premisecitation

    In non-COVID-19 research, experiential avoidance has been associated with negative mental health among Latinx populations.

    “In non-COVID-19 related work, EA has been related to negative mental health for the Latinx population (Raines et al., 2018; Zvolensky et al., 2015).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim1 of 2 sources checked
    • cites Raines et al., 2018 source
    • cites Zvolensky et al., 2015 source
  • Premisecitation

    Social distancing can be related to increased stress and isolation.

    “Although a protective measure against the spread of COVID-19, social distancing can be related to increased stress and isolation (Farboodi et al., 2020; Hoffart et al., 2020).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim2 of 2 sources checked
    • cites Farboodi et al., 2020 source

      The Introduction reports that social distancing reduced social activity, including activities such as meeting friends, which supports the reduced-contact aspect of isolation. The paper models the costs of reduced social activity in §5.5, but our copy does not link distancing to increased stress or assess psychological isolation. (LLM, conf=0.79)

      Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
    • cites Hoffart et al., 2020 source
  • Premisecitation

    Social distancing may be especially distressing for Latinx persons because family closeness is an important cultural value and a protective factor for emotional well-being in this population.

    “Social distancing may be particularly distressing among Latinx persons, as family closeness is an important cultural value and protective factor for overall emotional well-being among this population (Bermudez & Mancini, 2013; Rivera et al., 2008).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim1 of 2 sources checked
    • cites Bermudez & Mancini, 2013 source
    • cites Rivera et al., 2008 source
  • Findingown data

    Experiential avoidance was a statistically significant predictor of the emotional impact of social distancing due to COVID-19 among Latinx adults, controlling for covariates.

    “Results indicated that EA was a statistically significant contributing factor to fear of COVID-19 and emotional distress associated with economic adversity and social distancing.”
    • Also stated in: § Regression Analyses · plain
      “In terms of emotional impact of social distancing, step one was statistically significant with COVID-19 impact and education emerging as statistically significant predictors of the criterion variable. In step two, experiential avoidance was a statistically significant predictor.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim. 16
  • May combine two claims. 6
  • The quote only partly states this claim. 1

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Premisecitation

    People higher in experiential avoidance tend to avoid or try to control negative internal experiences and the situations that trigger them.

    “Individuals higher in EA exhibit a tendency to avoid or attempt to control negative internal experiences and the contexts that cause them (Kashdan et al., 2009; Ottenbreit & Dobson, 2004).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim1 of 2 sources checked
    • cites Kashdan et al., 2009 source
    • cites Ottenbreit & Dobson, 2004 source

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    COVID-19 fear has been associated with heightened inflammatory response and more severe psychiatric symptoms.

    “For example, COVID-19 fear has been associated with heightened inflammatory response and more severe psychiatric symptoms (Zarghami, 2020).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim1 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Zarghami, 2020 source

      On p. 1, the paper links intense fear of infection with posttraumatic stress and describes anxiety and other psychological reactions to the pandemic. It does not link COVID-19 fear to a heightened inflammatory response; its separate discussion of inflammation concerns influenza and says it may cause encephalopathy and psychiatric symptoms. (LLM, conf=0.88)

      Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    COVID-19 health symptoms and distress related to economic adversity and social distancing are expected to continue.

    “Exploring the psychological predictors related to psychological adjustment during/post COVID-19 among Latinx persons is clinically relevant considering work that indicates COVID-19 health symptoms and distress over economic adversity and social distancing are expected to persist (Leviner, 2021; McKnight-Eily, 2021).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim1 of 2 sources checked
    • cites Leviner, 2021 source

      The Long-Haulers section describes persistent COVID-19 symptoms, and Mental Health Sequelae identifies financial strain and social isolation as psychological stressors. The paper does not specifically predict that distress related to economic adversity and social distancing will persist; its persistence claims concern long-haulers’ symptoms and functioning. (LLM, conf=0.84)

      Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
    • cites McKnight-Eily, 2021

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    The emotional impact of COVID-19 financial stress has been related to increased overall stress and poorer mental health.

    “The emotional impact of COVID-19 financial stress has been related to increased overall stress and poorer mental health (Blanco et al., 2021).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim1 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Blanco et al., 2021 source

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    Fear of contracting COVID-19 has been linked to increased risk of mental health problems, including suicidal ideation.

    “Fear of contracting COVID-19 has been related to an increased risk of mental health problems, including suicidal ideation (Dsouza et al., 2020).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim1 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Dsouza et al., 2020 source

      The Discussion (page not provided) links fear of infection to psychological distress and describes fear of infection as the most prominent factor among 69 reported Indian suicide cases. It does not specifically examine suicidal ideation or establish an increased risk of mental health problems among people who fear contracting COVID-19. (LLM, conf=0.84)

      Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    Certain sociodemographic factors, such as sex, have been linked to higher COVID-19 fear among Latinx individuals.

    “Some of the limited available work has found that certain sociodemographic factors, such as sex, have been linked to higher levels of COVID-19 fear among Latinx individuals (Rodríguez-Hidalgo et al., 2020).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim1 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Rodríguez-Hidalgo et al., 2020 source

      The Results section reports significantly higher COVID-19 fear scores for women than men among university undergraduates in Ecuador. This supports a link with sex in that sample, but the claim extends the finding to Latinx individuals generally. (LLM, conf=0.88)

      Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Study design and conductreasoning

    The use of self-report measures may introduce method variance that could affect the observed results.

    “Second, the study implemented self-report measures, and therefore, method variance could influence the observed results.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • The quote only partly states this claim.

    Study design and conductown data

    The Fear of Coronavirus-19 Scale showed internal consistency in the current sample (α = 0.88).

    “This measure has demonstrated a unidimensional structure in past work (Ahorsu et al., 2020) and was employed as a criterion variable (α = 0.88).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationcitation

    The sample may have greater comfort with technology and higher education than the general Latinx population, which limits generalizability.

    “This cohort of Latinx individuals may have a higher level of comfort with and access to technology and a higher than average level of education compared to the general Latinx population”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Schak et al., 2016

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Study design and conductnone given

    Data quality safeguards included obtaining IP addresses to prevent duplicate responses and omitting less than 1% of responses based on missing information, quality check failures, short completion times, or nonsensical responses.

    “To further ensure data quality, IP addresses were obtained to prohibit duplicate responses. Additionally, less than 1% of responses were omitted based on missing information, incorrect responding to three out of four quality check questions, completion times less than 10 min, or evidence of nonsensical responses.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    Amazon Mechanical Turk has been found to yield valid and representative data.

    “Mturk is an online survey management system that has been found to yield valid and representative data (Kim & Hodgins, 2017).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Kim & Hodgins, 2017 source

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Study design and conductnone given

    The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board at the supporting institution.

    “The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board at the supporting institution.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Study design and conductown data

    The Brief Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire showed excellent internal consistency in the current sample (α = 0.94).

    “This measure demonstrated excellent internal consistency in the current sample (α = 0.94), as well as in previous work (Gámez et al., 2014).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Study design and conductreasoning

    A Bonferroni correction was applied, setting statistical significance at 0.017.

    “A Bonferroni correction was employed; level of statistical significance was adjusted to 0.017 (i.e. 0.05/3).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Study design and conductown data

    The Epidemic-Pandemic Impacts Inventory work and home life subscales had internal consistency (α = 0.88 and α = 0.89).

    “The current study included work life (e.g. “hard time making the transition to working from home”) and home life (e.g. “increase in physical conflict with a partner or spouse”) as covariates (work: α = 0.88, home: α = 0.89).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    COVID-19 fear is related to worse daily life functioning.

    “Additionally, COVID-19 fear is related to worse daily life functioning (Lee et al., 2020).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Lee et al., 2020

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    Latinx persons have experienced elevated emotional distress during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “For example, among Latinx persons, approximately 63% of individuals have reported elevated symptoms of emotional distress (McCormack, 2020).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites McCormack, 2020

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    Latinx persons have been disproportionately affected by job loss during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “Latinx persons have been disproportionately affected in terms of job loss (18.9% Latinx Americans compared to 14.2% non-Latinx White Americans), and notably, these gaps have persisted through at least the end of the year 2020 (Falk et al., 2021).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Falk et al., 2021

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

18 of 18

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    No prior investigations have examined experiential avoidance in relation to emotional or psychological maladjustment during or after COVID-19 among Latinx persons.

    “However, no investigations have explored EA in relation to emotional or psychological maladjustment during/post COVID-19 among Latinx persons.”
1 of 1

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. Hayes, S. C., Strosahl, K. D., & Wilson, K. G. (2011). Acceptance and commitment therapy: The process and practice of mindful change. Guilford Press.
  2. Stress in AmericaTM 2020: Stress in the Time of COVID-19, Volume One. (n.d.). Retrieved November 11, 2020, from https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2020/report.

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Authors
Mayorga, N. A., Manning, K. F., Derrick, J. L., Viana, A. G., Garey, L., Nizio, P., Matoska, C. T., & Zvolensky, M. J.
Affiliations
  • University of Houston (US)
  • The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (US)
Corresponding author
Zvolensky, Michael J.
ORCID
Venue
Cognitive Therapy and Research
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2021-09-01
Volume
46
Issue
2
Pages
358-366
ISSN
  • 0147-5916 (ISSN-L)
  • 1573-2819
DOI
10.1007/s10608-021-10265-x
PMC
PMC8409070
OpenAlex
W3198801047
Cited by
8
References
58
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 2
FWCI
1.19
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Cognitive Therapy and Research (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
national institute on minority health and health disparities (U54MD015946)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
Keywords
experiential avoidance, fear of COVID-19, emotional distress, economic adversity, social distancing, Latinx adults, psychological distress, COVID-19 pandemic

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