Examining the Relations Among Emerging Adult Coping, Executive Function, and Anxiety

Emerging adulthood is a developmental period marked by increased anxiety related to academic, social, and professional stressors. The ability to successfully cope with stress is strongly negatively related to mental health outcomes. Furthermore, recent studies indicate a connection between executive function impairment and anxiety. The current study examines executive function (EF), coping, and anxiety in a sample of 210 emerging adults (N Males = 131, M age = 19.14). The relation between EF and coping is examined as well as how coping may moderate the relation between EF and anxiety. The results demonstrate that EF impairment is related to greater disengagement and emotion-focused coping. Furthermore, both EF dysfunction and disengagement coping strategies were associated with increased anxiety. Emotion-focused coping and disengagement coping moderated the relation between EF impairment and anxiety.