| Literature supports a negative association between stress and attention, and this study focused on the relationship between a method of coping with stress (i.e., experiential avoidance [EA]) and attention. Previous studies examined the relationship between EA and other components of cognitive functioning (e.g., perceptual motor abilities, working memory, learning), but none have examined the relationship between EA and attention. This study aimed to explore the relationship between EA and objective and self-reported attention difficulties in stressful situations. Participants consisted of 79 graduate psychology students (Mean age = 27.7, SD=5.4). A correlational design was used to examine the relationship between students' attention difficulties and their tendency to engage in EA during periods of increased stress (i.e., midterms/finals). Participants completed the Acceptance and Actions Questionnaire - II (AAQ-II), the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale - IV Digit Span Forward subtest (WAIS-IV DSF), and the Barkley Adult ADHD Rating Scale - IV Inattention subscale (BAARS-IV). Bivariate correlation analyses revealed a small but nonsignificant relationship between EA and objective attention (r = -.11, p = .331). Conversely, a significant, small-to-medium sized positive relationship was found between EA and self-reported attention difficulties (r = .29, p = .011). Experiential avoidance is a common strategy used to cope with stress; however, these findings suggest that EA will negatively impact students' self-reported rating of their attention abilities, but not their ability to perform on one specific objective attention task. |
