Avoiding the unwanted: A cross-cultural comprehensive analysis of experiential avoidance and a meta-analysis

Experiential avoidance, a central treatment target of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), involves avoiding uncomfortable internal states and trying to control them. While some researchers suggest several components of ACT align with East Asian values, indicating the possibility of lower experiential avoidance among East Asians compared to Westerners, previous cross-cultural studies have challenged this notion. This study aimed to draw conclusions regarding cultural differences in experiential avoidance between East Asian and Western cultures through two studies. Using a meta-analysis in Study 1, we systematically reviewed previous cross-cultural studies that compared experiential avoidance between the two cultures. Six cross-cultural studies were included in the meta-analysis. In Study 2, we sought to replicate the findings using a large sample of college students. Across studies, East Asians reported greater experiential avoidance compared to Westerners, with significant heterogeneity in effect sizes observed (Study 1). Results from Study 2 showed that being an East Asian predicted greater experiential avoidance when accounting for distress and other covariates. Further, the correlation between experiential avoidance and distress was weaker among East Asian students relative to White students. Our results highlight that elevated levels of experiential avoidance in East Asians may need to be interpreted differently in clinical setting, while within-culture individual differences also need to be considered.