en Nursing Orginal research <span style="line-height:2;"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="unicode-bidi:embed"><span sans-serif=""><span style="color:#2980b9;"><b><span new="" roman="" times="">Background:</span></b></span><span style="color:#003366;"> </span><span new="" roman="" times="">Anxiety is a common mental health issue in adolescence, more frequently affecting girls, emphasizing the need to examine family factors such as family functioning and emotional expressiveness. </span></span></span><br> <span style="unicode-bidi:embed"><span sans-serif=""><span style="color:#2980b9;"><b><span new="" roman="" times="">Objectives:</span></b></span><span style="color:#000099;"><b> </b></span><span new="" roman="" times="">This study aimed to evaluate how family functioning and emotional expressiveness predict anxiety levels in adolescent girls.</span></span></span><br> <span new="" roman="" times=""><span style="color:#2980b9;"><b>Methods:</b> </span><span style="color:black">This descriptive-correlational study analyzed a population of female adolescents enrolled in the first year of high school (grades 7-9, ages 13-15) in Shiraz during the 2023-2024 academic year. A sample of 252 participants was selected using a multi-stage cluster sampling method. Data were collected through the Children&rsquo;s Anxiety Scale, the McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD), and the Emotional Expressivity Questionnaire (EEQ). The data were analyzed with Pearson&rsquo;s correlation coefficient and stepwise regression using SPSS version 26.</span></span><br> <span style="unicode-bidi:embed"><span sans-serif=""><span style="color:#2980b9;"><b><span new="" roman="" times="">Results:</span></b></span><span new="" roman="" times=""> Findings revealed a significant negative correlation between family functioning and anxiety (r=-0.51, p<0.001), as well as between emotional expressiveness and anxiety (r=-0.46, p<0.001). Both family functioning and emotional expressiveness together explained 34% of the variance in anxiety (R&sup2;=0.34), with family functioning contributing more significantly.</span></span></span><br> <span style="unicode-bidi:embed"><span sans-serif=""><span style="color:#2980b9;"><b><span new="" roman="" times="">Conclusion:</span></b></span><span new="" roman="" times=""><span style="color:#000099;"> </span>This study finds that family functioning and emotional expressiveness are important predictors of lower anxiety levels in adolescent girls, collectively accounting for a significant portion of the variance. Family functioning seems to have a more vital influence, indicating that interventions focused on family dynamics could help reduce anxiety in this group.</span></span></span></span></span></span> Family Function, Emotional Expressiveness, Anxiety, Adolescent Girls 37 45 http://nmcjournal.zums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-945-2&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Aida Naziri naziriiaida@gmail.com 100319475328460014501 100319475328460014501 No Department of Psychology, Shi.C., Islamic Azad University, Shiraz, Iran Farzaneh Hooman n.psyhoman@gmail.com 100319475328460014502 100319475328460014502 Yes Department of Psychology, Shi.C., Islamic Azad University, Shiraz, Iran