DISTRESS TOLERANCE AS A MEDIATOR OF THE RELATION BETWEEN STRESS MINDSET AND ANXIETY

Abstract

The current study investigated the effect of distress tolerance on the relation between stress mindset and anxiety. It was hypothesised that a stress-is-enhancing mindset is associated with lower levels of anxiety because individuals with this mindset are more prone to tolerate distress, while a stress-is-debilitating mindset is associated with higher levels of anxiety because individuals with this mindset are less prone to tolerate distress. The study design was cross-sectional and descriptive (N=104). A Preacher and Hayes mediation analysis was conducted to test the hypotheses. The bootstrap sample was elevated to 5,000 to reach sufficient power for the statistical analyses. In sum, the findings of the current study supported both hypotheses. The effect of both a stress-is-debilitating mindset and a stressis- enhancing mindset on anxiety was mediated by distress tolerance. Correspondingly, the current study indicated that distress tolerance can explain varying levels of anxiety and is a major indicator in determining the influence of stress mindset on anxiety.