Implicit Beliefs About Emotions in Youth: Associations With Temperamental Negative Emotionality and Depression

Abstract

Introduction: Individual differences in beliefs about the controllability of emotions are associated with a range of psychosocial outcomes, including depressive symptoms. Less is known, however, about factors contributing to individual differences in these beliefs. The current study examined prospective associations between negative emotionality (NE) and implicit beliefs about emotions, as well as the indirect effect of NE on depressive symptoms through implicit beliefs about emotions. Methods: In a sample of children and adolescents, NE was assessed at baseline, implicit beliefs about emotions were assessed 18 months later, and depressive symptoms were assessed at baseline and 36 months later. Results: NE was associated with implicit beliefs about emotions, and an indirect effect of NE on depressive symptoms through implicit beliefs about emotions was observed. Discussion: NE represents a salient dispositional vulnerability factor contributing to individual differences in implicit beliefs about emotions, with implications for the development of depressive symptoms in youth.