Studies // Cited work
Experiential avoidance as a functional dimensional approach to psychopathology: An empirical review
Chawla, N., & Ostafin, B. (2007). Experiential avoidance as a functional dimensional approach to psychopathology: An empirical review.
Level D Review doi:10.1002/jclp.20400
What this study supports
Supports the claims that experiential avoidance may be implicated in various forms of psychopathology and that the construct lacks theoretical integration and clear operationalisation. The reviewed studies are mostly correlational.
- Who was studied
- Not applicable: a review of empirical studies on experiential avoidance.
- Design
- Review
- Level of evidence
- Cross-sectional, observational, qualitative work and narrative reviews.
Claims that rest on it
Each claim states what the site asserts, at what strength, and with what caveat.
TheoreticalLevel DConfidence MODERATE
Experiential avoidance, the unwillingness to stay in contact with painful thoughts and feelings, has been associated with various forms of psychopathology, but the construct lacks theoretical integration and consistent measurement.
- Scope
- Clinical research on experiential avoidance, mostly correlational.
- Caveat
- Associations do not establish that avoidance causes difficulties; the construct may overlap with neuroticism and distress.
Last reviewed · Review due · experiential-avoidance-construct-limits