Abstract

This study examined the path in which the three traits of emotional experience ; emotional clarity, emotional intensity and emotional awareness, influence depression. The assumption that stress coping style would serve as a mediating variable, and the assumption of the existence of gender difference in the path were tested through administering a set of questionnaire to a total of 411 college students. The data were analyzed through path analysis using the AMOS 4.0 program and the results were as follows. Emotional clarity and emotional intensity had significant effects on depression. Emotional awareness had no significant effect on depression. Gender differences in the patterns of results were found. In the male group only emotional clarity had significant effect on depression, whereas in the female group emotional intensity along with emotional clarity had signficant effect on depression. In the male group, emotional clarity had significant effect on depression through both direct and indirect path; negative effect through mediation of task-oriented coping and positive effect through emotion-oriented coping. Whereas in the female group emotional clarity had only direct influence on depression. Emotional Intensity had significant effect on depression in the female group through the mediation of emotion-oriented coping variable. Based on the results, the implications and limitations of this study were discussed.