When does it hurt to try? Effort as a mediator of the links between anxiety symptoms and the frequency and duration of unwanted thought recurrence

Evidence is mixed regarding the circumstances in which anxiety predicts more versus less unwanted thought recurrence. This study examined subjective, self-reported suppression effort as a mediator of the relationship between anxiety symptoms and both the frequency and duration of unwanted thought recurrence during a thought suppression paradigm. Additionally, a moderated mediation model examined whether initial instructions to suppress versus monitor thoughts, and state and trait differences in cognitive resources, moderated the mediating effects of effort. Amazon Mechanical Turk volunteers (N = 939) were instructed to either suppress or monitor an emotionally aversive thought for a one-minute period, followed by a second period during which all participants monitored. Trait cognitive resources were measured at baseline via a working memory task, and state cognitive resources were manipulated between-subjects via a depleting Stroop task. Results indicated that self-reported effort mediated the relationship between anxiety symptoms and both the frequency and duration of thought recurrence, but in opposite directions-such that anxious individuals' greater effort predicted higher frequency (i.e., more initial activation) but lower duration (i.e., faster override) of the target thought. No moderation effects were found. Implications for the role of self-reported suppression effort as a “double-edged sword” in the context of anxiety are discussed.