The role of experience avoidance and orientations to seeking professional help in predicting covid‐19 anxiety

Subject Areas : Journal of Excellence in counseling and psychotherapy

mehdi shomaliahmadabadi ¹ , mansoure poorjanebollahi ² , Azita Behjat ³ , atefe barkhordari ⁴

1 - Department of Psychology, Payame Noor University, Ardakan Branch, Yazd, Iran
2 - M.Sc., General Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Meybod, Yazd, Iran
3 - M.Sc., General Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Yazd, Iran
4 - Bachelor of General Psychology, Payame Noor University of Meybod

Received: 2020-12-05 Accepted : 2021-01-11 Published : 2021-01-20

Keywords: covid‐19 anxiety, experience avoidance, orientations to seeking professional help,

Abstract :

Introduction: Although the Covid-19 virus has been associated with a number of psychological problems, such as Covid-19 anxiety, components such as avoiding experience and seeking help from the psychological profession can contribute to this level of anxiety. The aim of this study was to The role of experience avoidance and attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help in predicting covid‐19 anxiety. Method: In terms of the purpose of this research was applied and in terms of data collection method was descriptive and correlational. The statistical population of the study consisted of all adults in Ardakan and Meybod in the period from 26 September to 6 November, 2020.383 people participated in a virtual survey and responded to the following tools. The research instruments included Alipour et al.'s (2020) corona disease anxiety scale, Fisher and Farina's (1995) attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help questionnaire, and Bond's(2007) acceptance and action questionnaire. Finally, after removing missing, 381 questionnaires were statistically analyzed by Pearson correlation method and multiple regression analysis using SPSS24 software. Results: The results showed that there was a significant positive relationship between experiential avoidance and Covid-19 anxiety (R=0/386, p < 0.001) and also a significant negative relationship between attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help and Covid-19 anxiety (R=-0/220, p < 0.001). The results of regression analysis also showed that 21% of the variance of Covid-19 anxiety was explained by predictor variables (R2=0.212, p < 0.001). Experimental avoidance also played a greater role in predicting Covid-19 anxiety (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Experiential Avoidance and Attitude to Professional Psychological Assistance Affect Covid-19 Anxiety Rate.