Zahra Kavousian, Faezeh Ziaei, Parisa Pakari, Parisa Hosseinzadeh Yazdi, Zeinab Hassani Asl,
Volume 19, Issue 3 (12-2025)
Abstract
The present study aimed to investigate the mediating role of emotional working memory in the relationship between attentional bias and depressive symptoms within the context of family interactions. Guided by contemporary cognitive–emotional models of depression, the study explored how negative attentional bias, as a core vulnerability factor, may influence depressive symptomatology through impairments in emotional working memory, and how these processes are embedded in the dynamics of family relationships. This research employed a descriptive-correlational design using structural equation modeling (SEM). The statistical population consisted of adults aged 20–40 years living in active family systems in Tehran in 2025. A total of 350 participants were selected through purposive convenient sampling following eligibility screening. Research instruments included measures of depressive symptoms, attentional bias, emotional working memory performance, and family interaction patterns. The results demonstrated that negative attentional bias significantly predicted higher levels of depressive symptoms both directly and indirectly. Emotional working memory showed a significant mediating role, indicating that deficits in maintaining, updating, and regulating emotional information constitute a key mechanism linking attentional bias to depressive experiences. Furthermore, family interactions functioned as an amplifying contextual factor: maladaptive and conflictual family environments strengthened the indirect pathway by increasing cognitive–emotional load and reducing regulatory resources. The final structural model showed acceptable fit indices and supported the hypothesized mediational relationships. Overall, the findings highlight the importance of integrating cognitive, emotional, and contextual variables in understanding depressive symptoms. They also underscore the potential value of interventions targeting attentional processing biases and emotional working memory capacities, particularly within family-based therapeutic frameworks.
Dr. Mehdi Akbari, Dr. Alireza Moradi, Ms. Shiva Jamshidi, Dr. David Hallford,
Volume 20, Issue 1 (4-2026)
Abstract
Distress intolerance, as a psychological vulnerability factor, has been implicated in the development of a wide range of conditions leading to psychopathology, including worry and rumination. Low distress tolerance may also predispose individuals to greater use of avoidance strategies. This study aimed to expand our understanding of the relationship between distress intolerance and worry/rumination by examining the mediating role of two forms of avoidance (i.e., experiential avoidance and emotional contrast avoidance). Questionnaire and cross-sectional data were collected from 1,098 participants from the general population aged 18–55 years (52.3% female). The results of structural equation modeling and mediattion analysis showed that experiential avoidance and emotional contrast avoidance mediated the relationship between distress intolerance and worry/rumination in a chain fashion. More precisely, the lower the distress tolerance capacity, the more people engage in repetitive negative thinking in the form of worry and/or rumination, and the two forms of avoidance mediated this relationship. The applications, limitations, and implications of this research are also discussed.
