The Relationship between Trait Positivity and Depressed Mood in College Students: The Chain-mediated Role of Cognitive Integration and Experiential Avoidance
Objective: To explore the relationship between trait mindfulness and depression amongcollege students, and to investigate the chain mediated mechanism of cognitive fusion and experientialavoidance. Method: A survey was conducted on 1972 college students using the Beck Depression Scale,Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale, Chinese version of Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire, and ShortExperience Avoidance Scale. Result: (1) The trait mindfulness of college students was significantlynegatively correlated with their depressive mood, cognitive fusion, and empirical avoidance (r=-0.532,-0.400, -0.338; p<0.01). Cognitive fusion, empirical avoidance, and depressive mood were significantlypositively correlated (r=0.413, 0.333; p<0.01), and cognitive fusion was significantly positively correlatedwith empirical avoidance (r=0.185, p<0.01); (2) Trait mindfulness directly affects depressive mood, withan effect value of -0.1378; Cognitive fusion and experiential avoidance mediate the relationship betweentrait mindfulness and depression, with effect values of -0.0552 and -0.123, respectively; (3) The chainmediated effect of cognitive fusion and experiential avoidance has an effect value of 0.0017. Conclusion:Trait mindfulness can directly affect depressive mood, and can also affect depressive mood through theindividual mediating effect of cognitive fusion and empirical avoidance, as well as the chain mediatingeffect of cognitive fusion and empirical avoidance. We can reduce cognitive fusion and excessiveexperiential avoidance by improving the level of trait mindfulness among college students, which can helpreduce the generation of depressive emotions.