Exploring the Interplay of COVID-19 Related Distress, Emotional Nonacceptance, and School-Related Anxiety in Adolescents: The Buffering Role of Expressive Flexibility

In a study of 166 adolescents (aged 11–17) during the COVID-19 pandemic, flexibility in emotional expression attenuated the association between pandemic-related distress and school-related anxiety—particularly among adolescents who exhibited high levels of emotional nonacceptance (i.e., self-critical responses to their own emotional distress).