Relations between trait anxiety and depression: A mediated moderation model

Abstract

BackgroundThis study proposed a mediated moderation model based on the cognitive theory and susceptibility phenotype theory for depression to explore the moderating role of cognitive flexibility in the relationship between trait anxiety and depression and the mediating role of rumination in this interactive effect. MethodsThe subjects were selected via the cluster sampling method. A cross-sectional survey of 1619 Chinese adults of Han nationality was recruited from three cities in central and western China. The trait anxiety subscale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Trait scale), Short Ruminative Response Scale (SRRS), Cognitive Flexibility Inventory (CFI) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) were used for a paper-and-pencil evaluation. The data were statistically processed using correlation analysis, multiple linear regression analysis, and a test of mediated moderation. Results(1) Trait anxiety was significantly positively correlated with rumination and depression. There was a significant negative correlation between cognitive flexibility and trait anxiety, rumination, and depression. (2) The moderating effect of cognition flexibility on the relationship between trait anxiety and depression was mediated by rumination, and the indirect moderating effect accounted for 79.25% of the total variance. LimitationsCross-sectional studies do not reveal the causal relationships between observed variables well. Self-report questionnaires lack objective indicators. The applicability of the current results in the clinical depression population requires further experimental tests. ConclusionsThe results support the important role of trait anxiety in the development of depression. Cognitive flexibility moderates the relationship between trait anxiety and depression and has a risk-buffering effect on this relationship. Rumination plays a mediating role in the moderating effects of cognitive flexibility on the relationship between trait anxiety and depression. The findings enrich the research on the relationship between trait anxiety and depression and have important practical implications for the early prevention and intervention of depression, which can increase individual cognitive flexibility and address rumination to regulate depression.