Research Symposium

BIO

Jasmine Collar is a second year psychology major at Florida State University. Jasmine was born and raised in Miami, Florida and is proud of her Cuban heritage. On campus, Jasmine is heavily involved in what matters to her. She is part of co-ed service fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega, and has served as chair of multiple service subcommittees. She is also involved in research and serves as an assistant in the Joiner lab in the department of Psychology. During free time, Jasmine enjoys singing and playing guitar and has performed at venues across Tallahassee and Miami. Jasmine hopes to continue a career in research and psychology, aiming to work in the prison system and developing therapeutic tactics to combat inmate recidivism.

Assessing for Potential Mediating Factors Between Anxiety and Externalizing Behaviors

Abstract

Using data from a minority stress study sample consisting of 194 participants, we analyzed the different potential mediating factors between anxiety and externalizing behaviors. The mediators that were tested via survey data were emotional invalidation, thwarted belongingness, and perceived burdensomeness. Background on current research and definitions of the variables are introduced. Additionally, the specificities of each survey’s function and importance are outlined. Mediation analysis of the data supports that emotional invalidation does not mediate the association between anxiety and externalizing behavior (p > .05). However, both thwarted belongingness (b = .48, p < .001) and perceived burdensomeness (b = .47, p = .25) both present a full mediating effect between anxiety and externalizing behaviors. Although a cross-sectional analysis cannot assert a causal relationship, this mediation supports that anxiety and externalizing behavior may not occur simultaneously without the presence of thwarted belongingness or perceived burdensomeness. The implications of this data could be applied in many settings including suicide research, personal and family therapy, crime research, and research on the mental health of minority populations. 

Keywords: Anxiety, Externalizing, Aggression, Substance Abuse