Keywords
psychological flexibility; anxiety; adaptive functioning
Abstract
Anxiety is highly prevalent among emerging adults and is associated with impairments in academic, social, and daily functioning. While previous research has documented strong associations between anxiety and adaptive functioning, the present study uniquely tested psychological flexibility as a potential moderator that may foster resilience and adaptive coping.
Undergraduate students (N = 522) from the University of Central Florida completed measures of anxiety (PROMIS-A, GAD-7, STAI-S), adaptive functioning (WHODAS 2.0), and psychological flexibility (COMPACT-23). Confirmatory factor analyses supported distinct but correlated latent constructs of anxiety and adaptive functioning. Due to poor subscale intercorrelations, the COMPACT-23 total score was modeled as an observed variable.
Structural equation models (SEMs) tested bidirectional pathways. In the first model, anxiety significantly predicted deficits in adaptive functioning, with psychological flexibility serving as a small but significant moderator. In the second model, adaptive functioning significantly predicted anxiety, and the moderating effect of psychological flexibility was stronger, in the small-to-medium range. These findings suggest that anxiety and adaptive functioning are reciprocally related, and the buffering role of flexibility may be particularly impactful when functional deficits are primary to heightened anxiety.
This study contributes to growing evidence that psychological flexibility can mitigate the negative effects of both elevated anxiety and impaired functioning. The results highlight the importance of assessing both constructs in university populations and inform interventions, such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, that target flexibility-based coping. Future research should employ longitudinal designs and use more psychometrically robust flexibility measures (e.g., COMPACT-15) to clarify directionality and optimize intervention strategies.
Thesis Completion Year
2025
Thesis Completion Semester
Fall
Thesis Chair
Cassisi, Jeffrey
College
College of Sciences
Department
Psychology
Thesis Discipline
Psychology
Language
English
Access Status
Open Access
Length of Campus Access
None
Campus Location
Orlando (Main) Campus
STARS Citation
Kennedy, Makenzie L. and Cassisi, Jeffrey E., "Anxiety and Adaptive Functioning in Young Adults: The Moderating Role of Psychological Flexibility" (2025). Honors Undergraduate Theses. 404.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/hut2024/404
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