Experiential avoidance (EA), an unwillingness to stay in contact with unwanted inner experiences (e.g., emotions, thoughts, and bodily sensations), has been implicated in the development and maintenance of anxiety. Individuals with high levels of EA are more likely to employ maladaptive coping strategies (i.e., avoidance behaviors), which exacerbates emotional distress and anxious arousal. As smartphone ownership has become increasingly common in recent years, problematic smartphone use (PSU) has been suggested to serve as a “safety behavior” in situations in which individuals believe that they might experience emotional discomfort. That is, individuals experiencing emotional distress and/or anxious arousal may overengage in the use of technology to relieve emotional distress. As such, the purpose of this study was to examine PSU as a moderator of the relationship between EA and anxiety. Adult participants (N = 294) recruited through Amazon's Mechanical Turk (MTurk), an online labor market, completed an online battery of self-reported measures. Results indicated that the relationship between EA and anxiety became significantly stronger as PSU increased, thereby suggesting that PSU may exacerbate the effect of EA on anxiety. These findings are a first step toward the development of risk profiles that incorporate EA and PSU. Such risk profiles may be beneficial for early identification and intervention for individuals at high risk for the development of anxiety.

中文翻译：

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有问题的智能手机使用会影响体验性回避和焦虑之间的关系

经验回避 (EA) 是一种不愿与不想要的内在体验（例如，情绪、思想和身体感觉）保持联系的行为，它与焦虑的发展和维持有关。具有高水平 EA 的个体更有可能采用适应不良的应对策略（即回避行为），这会加剧情绪困扰和焦虑唤醒。近年来，随着智能手机的拥有变得越来越普遍，有人建议将有问题的智能手机使用 (PSU) 作为一种“安全行为”，以应对个人认为自己可能会感到情绪不适的情况。也就是说，经历情绪困扰和/或焦虑唤醒的个人可能会过度使用技术来缓解情绪困扰。像这样，本研究的目的是检查 PSU 作为 EA 与焦虑之间关系的调节剂。成人参与者（N  = 294) 通过在线劳动力市场亚马逊的 Mechanical Turk (MTurk) 招聘，完成了一系列自我报告的在线措施。结果表明，随着 PSU 的增加，EA 与焦虑之间的关系变得显着更强，从而表明 PSU 可能会加剧 EA 对焦虑的影响。这些发现是开发包含 EA 和 PSU 的风险概况的第一步。这样的风险概况可能有利于早期识别和干预处于高风险发展焦虑症的个体。