(PS2-53) The Moderating Role of Expressive Flexibility in the Relation Between Different-gender Friends' Friendship Quality and Anxiety Symptoms in Emerging Adults

A third of college students experience anxiety symptoms (Li et al., 2022). Among the multiple factors that contribute to the development of anxiety symptoms, friendship quality (FQ) serves an important role (Pittman & Richmond, 2008). There remains a gap in research regarding which individuals are more susceptible to experiencing anxiety symptoms during friendship challenges. One such factor is expressive flexibility (EF), the ability to alter emotional expressions to meet situational needs flexibly (Bonanno et al., 2004). EF is shown to buffer against internalizing symptoms in various adverse situations (Bonanno & Burton, 2013). One aspect of emerging adulthood social development that has been understudied is the importance of different-gender close friendships. Thus, the current study examined the relations between FQ and anxiety in same- and different-gender friendships. We hypothesized that EF moderates the relation between friendship quality and anxiety symptoms, such that among those with high EF, the relation between conflictual friendships and anxiety symptoms will be less strong. Additionally, we hypothesized that gender would also moderate the relation. Because of the dearth of research on different-gender friendships, the direction of the moderation was not hypothesized.

Participants were 196 college students (M_age = 19.44 years, 58.7% women, 57.7% White) who completed the Flexible Regulation of Emotional Expression Scale (Burton & Bonanno, 2016), the Network of Relationships Inventory - Relationship Quality Version (Furman & Buhrmester, 2009), and the Inventory of Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms (Watson et al., 2007). Four double moderation analyses were computed using the PROCESS model (Hayes, 2017). Four indicators of FQ (discord with same- or different-gender close friends, closeness with same- or different-gender best friends) were separately entered as the predictor. Anxiety scores were entered as the dependent variable, covarying the depression score given the comorbidity. EF and gender were entered as moderators. Results indicate that EF significantly moderated the relation between discord with different-gender close friends and anxiety symptoms, F(1,130) = 4.60, p = .03. Specifically, in men with high EF ( > 1 SD above the mean), more discord with different-gender friends was related to fewer anxiety symptoms. In women with low EF ( > 1 SD below the mean), more discord with different-gender friends was related to more anxiety symptoms. Additionally, gender significantly moderated the relation between closeness with the different-gender best friend and anxiety symptoms, F(1,130) = 6.45, p = .01. Higher closeness with the different-gender best friends was related to fewer anxiety symptoms in women. On the contrary, EF and gender did not moderate the relation between discord with the same-gender best friends and anxiety symptoms, F(1,169) = .11, p = .74.

These results suggest the differential benefits of EF for men and women when they are experiencing conflict with different-gender friends. Training EF abilities may be especially useful for men to handle friendship conflicts. For women, closeness with friends (e.g., emotional support) may buffer against the development of anxiety symptoms.