Emotional Clarity Research Articles

Adolescents' Comfort in Disclosing to Caregivers Predicts Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors Directly and Indirectly Through Difficulties in Emotion Regulation.

Despite adolescents' suicidal thoughts and behaviors being major health problems, sparse literature exists on the roles of adolescents' disclosing their feelings to caregivers in their suicidal thoughts and behaviors. This study examined whether adolescents' comfort in disclosing their feelings and problems to caregivers predicts subsequent suicidal thoughts and behaviors and whether difficulties in emotion regulation mediate this association. High school students (N = 5,346 from 20 schools, 49% female-identified adolescents, and 35% 9th graders, 33% 10th graders, and 32% 11th graders) participated in the study for two years with four waves, each six months apart: fall semester in Year 1 (Wave 1), spring semester in Year 1 (Wave 2), fall semester in Year 2 (Wave 3), and spring semester in Year 2 (Wave 4). The degree to which adolescents felt comfortable disclosing their feelings and problems to caregivers at Wave 1 predicted lower suicidal thoughts and behaviors at Wave 4 directly and indirectly via higher emotional clarity at Wave 2 and feeling more able to handle negative emotions at Wave 3. Moreover, when female-identified adolescents reported feeling unable to handle negative emotions at Wave 3, they reported engaging in more suicidal thoughts and behaviors at Wave 4 than male-identified adolescents. Therefore, enhancing adolescents' comfort in disclosing their feelings and problems to caregivers and adolescent emotion regulation and taking a nuanced approach to support female-identified adolescents regarding their ability to handle negative emotions could prevent adolescents' suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

Emotional non-acceptance mediates the relationship between insecure attachment and specific psychopathology in women with eating disorders.

Insecure attachment is considered a general risk factor for eating disorders (ED). Emotion dysregulation has been proposed as one of the possible mechanisms by which attachment insecurity may affect ED psychopathology. Aim of the present study was to investigate whether difficulties in acceptance of emotions or emotional clarity may mediate the connection between insecure attachment and ED psychopathology. One hundred and twenty patients participated and completed the Italian version of Eating Disorder Inventory-2, Experience in Close Relationship questionnaire and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. A mediator path model was performed, in which insecure attachment dimensions were set as independent variables, ED specific psychopathology measures as dependent variables, and non-acceptance of emotion and lack of emotional clarity as mediators. The association between both attachment avoidance and anxiety and ED specific symptoms was mediated by emotional non-acceptance, but not by emotional clarity. This study showed the importance to address emotion regulation in individuals with ED, focussing on improving emotional acceptance. Exploring early developmental processes which lead to non-acceptance of emotions could improve this psychological trait in people with ED.

Emotion regulation repertoires in trauma-exposed college students: Associations with PTSD symptoms, emotional awareness, and emotional clarity.

Emotion regulation (ER) plays a prominent role in the development and maintenance of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although links between ER strategies and PTSD symptoms are well documented, recent advancements in ER research emphasize the need to move beyond examining ER strategies as isolated processes. Instead, there is a growing movement to understand ER repertoires, or the patterns in which individuals report habitually using the multiple ER strategies available to them. Additionally, awareness and clarity of one's emotional experiences might play a key role in the effective use of ER strategies. The current study examined person-centered repertoires of the habitual use of eleven ER strategies among 372 undergraduates exposed to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5) Criterion A trauma-and their relations to PTSD symptoms, emotional awareness, and emotional clarity. Latent profile analysis yielded a three-profile solution (Adaptive, Average, and Maladaptive Regulators) and profiles differed on mean levels PTSD symptoms. Emotional clarity, but not emotional awareness, emerged as a significant predictor of profile classification, even after adjusting for negative affect. Findings suggest that emotional clarity might help foster healthy repertoires of ER strategy use and buffer against the development of PTSD among trauma-exposed individuals. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Experiencing anxiety in breast cancer survival: Does perceived emotional intelligence matter?

The specialized literature shows that breast cancer (BC) survivors have a certain vulnerability to express anxiety about the changes that the disease entails in their lives. Breast cancer is a specific adverse circumstance, but women who have not experienced this disease may also be exposed to other anxiety-provoking life crises. In both cases, perceived emotional intelligence (PEI)-consisting of emotional attention (EA), emotional clarity (EC), and emotional repair (ER)-seems to impact on such emotional distress. To identify the mechanism through which PEI may mediate the relationship between BC survivorship, compared to a controlled group, and anxiety. 636 women were divided into two groups: 56 BC survivors and 580 healthy controls. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the Trait Meta-Mood Scale were administered. BC survivors differed from the control group in showing lower levels of EA and higher levels of ER. The global mediation model showed an explanatory capacity of 27% on anxiety (p=0.000). Four significant indirect effects were obtained: two acted as risk pathways and the other two as protective pathways. The strongest effect indicated an increase in anxiety in BC survivors due to the mediated effect of low EA and EC. Knowing the impact of PEI on anxiety on disease survival could be the empirical basis for developing interventions to improve psychological adjustment at the end of treatments.

Emotional Dysfunction and Interoceptive Challenges in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) frequently show impaired sensory processing in different senses, including the interoceptive system. Recent findings suggest that interoception is a fundamental component of emotional experience and that impaired interoception is associated with alexithymia. This study aims to explore the association and interrelation between interoceptive confusion, alexithymia, and the capacity for emotional regulation among a sample of 33 adults with ASD compared to a control group of 35 adults with neurotypical development and its mutual impact. The participants answered a series of questionnaires addressing these three variables. The results showed (1) significant differences between the groups in all dimensions, with dysfunctional emotional regulation, impaired interoception, and alexithymia in the ASD group, (2) significant correlations between interoceptive confusion, emotional clarity, and alexithymia in the ASD group but only positive correlations between interoceptive confusion and alexithymia in the CG, and (3) that emotional clarity, alexithymia, and autism explain 61% of the variance in interoceptive confusion. These results are in line with previous studies and suggest that training interoceptive ability may enhance emotional clarity and reduce alexithymia among those diagnosed with ASD, with significant implications in the planning of treatment.

Emotions in social anxiety disorder: A review

Extant cognitive behavioral models of social anxiety disorder (SAD) have primarily focused on cognitions and behaviors that maintain the disorder. Emotional aspects of SAD have been investigated but have not been sufficiently integrated into current models. To facilitate such integration, we reviewed the literature on emotional constructs (emotional intelligence, emotional knowledge, emotional clarity, emotion differentiation, and emotion regulation), and discrete emotions (anger, shame, embarrassment, loneliness, guilt, pride, and envy) in SAD and social anxiety. We present the studies conducted on these constructs, summarize the main findings, suggest areas for future research, discuss the findings in the context of existing models of SAD and attempt to integrate the findings into these existing models of the disorder. Clinical implications of our findings are also discussed.

A longitudinal examination of alcohol use and emotion dysregulation in adolescence.

Underage drinking is a serious public health concern with magnified physical and psychological risks. Previous research suggests that emotion dysregulation is one factor linked to alcohol use. Limited research has examined emotion dysregulation and alcohol use in adolescent populations, thus the present study aimed to examine the links by assessing the role of emotion dysregulation and its subscales in adolescent alcohol use over time. Participants were 695 high school students, with 309 students having completed Time 2 data collection at a 6-month follow-up. Participants completed measures that assessed Alcohol Use, Emotion Dysregulation, and Emotion Dysregulation subscales. In a negative binomial hurdle model, adolescents with greater emotion regulation difficulties at baseline had significantly greater odds of endorsing any alcohol use at baseline. Greater emotion dysregulation did not significantly predict drinking status or drinking level 6 months later when controlling for baseline alcohol use. Adolescents who reported greater emotional clarity difficulties at baseline were more likely to report any alcohol use at baseline. Among adolescents who drink, reporting greater difficulties accessing emotion regulation strategies was associated with greater alcohol use at baseline and 6 months later. These findings indicate that emotion dysregulation is a cross-sectional marker of alcohol use in adolescents; however, results did not show emotion dysregulation to be a prospective predictor of greater alcohol use. Future research is needed to replicate findings in a more diverse sample of adolescents. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

대학생의 몰입상태, 정서인식명확성, 자살위험성 간 구조적관계

Objectives The purpose of this study is to examine the differences among college students' flow, emotional clarity, and suicide risk variables according to the level of gambling addiction, and to verify the difference in influence between the variables according to the level of gambling addiction. Methods The To this end, after selecting 633 students from 7 universities located in Daegu, Gyeongbuk, and Busan, research analysis was conducted using F-test and multigroup analysis. Statistical significance was verified at a significance probability of .05. Results First, there were significant differences in flow, emotional clarity, and suicide risk of college students according to the level of gambling addiction. In other words, the pathological gambling group showed a higher flow state and suicide risk than the low-risk gambling group, and showed a lower emotional clarity. Second, in the verification of the difference in influence between flow, emotional clarity, and suicide risk, it was found that there was a significant difference according to the level of gambling addiction in all pathways. Conclusions It was found that the pathological gambling group showed a higher suicide risk based on a higher flow state than the low-risk gambling group, and showed a lower emotional clarity based on a higher flow state. The low-risk gambling group showed a lower suicide risk based on higher emotion clarity compared to the pathological gambling group. Therefore, it can be suggested that a program for emotional and behavioral control needs to be applied to a group with gambling addiction problems.

대학생의 코로나 19(COVID-19) 스트레스가 우울에 미치는 영향

Objectives The purpose of this study is to examine relations betweeen COVID-19 stress and depression, and examine the mediating effects of difficulties of emotion regulation among the undergraduate students. Methods Subjects were 426 undergraduate students who agreed to participate. For descriptive statistical analysis, Pearson analysis, and regression analysis by Baron & Kenny(1986) methods were performed using the IBM SPSS 21.0 program. Results First, it was found that COVID-19 stress and difficulties of emotion regulation showed a negative correlation with depression. In particular, among the sub-variables of COVID-19 stress, it was confirmed that fear of infection and difficulties due to distancing had a statistically significant effect on depression. Second, among the sub-variables of emotional control difficulty, lack of emotional attention/awareness, lack of emotional clarity, and limited access to emotion regulation strategies were found to have a statistically significant effect on depression. Third, it was confirmed that difficulties in emotion regulation partially mediating role in the relations between COVID-19 stress and depression. Conclusions Results of this study will be useful as basic data to understand the COVID-19 stress, difficulties of emotion regulation, depression among undergraduate students and to develop education program and help and support measures for clients.

Facets of emotion dysregulation differentially predict depression and PTSD symptom severity following traumatic injury

ABSTRACT Background: Emotion dysregulation is a hallmark characteristic of psychopathology following trauma. Yet, emotion dysregulation is multifaceted, and little is known about which aspects of emotion dysregulation predict depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity following traumatic injury. Objective: The aim of this longitudinal study was to evaluate how facets of dysregulation differentially predicted the severity of PTSD symptom clusters and depressive symptoms six months after a traumatic injury requiring medical treatment. Methods: Traumatically injured adults (N = 99) presenting to a Level 1 trauma centre completed a measure of emotion dysregulation 2 weeks post-injury, and PTSD and depression were assessed at 2-weeks and 6 months later. Results: Using stepwise regressions controlling for baseline symptoms, age, gender, race, and injury severity, results showed baseline emotion dysregulation significantly predicted the four symptom clusters of PTSD 6 months post-injury. Notably, hyperarousal symptoms and negative alterations in mood and cognition were predicted by a lack of clarity. On the other hand, depressive symptoms were significantly predicted by difficulty accessing emotion regulation strategies. Conclusion: Results highlight that specific facets of emotion dysregulation predict PTSD and depression symptom severity differentially after injury. Indeed, lack of emotional clarity appears to predict PTSD symptomatology, suggesting a potential mechanism driving worsening symptoms. Lack of clarity could also be detrimental to engagement in PTSD treatment. Conversely, lack of regulation strategies may represent a sense of helplessness in managing depression after trauma. As such, future research should elucidate whether interventions targeting aspects of emotion dysregulation based on symptom presentations are useful in treating PTSD and depression following injury.

Emotion Dysregulation and Substance Use Risk and Protective Factors among Veterans in Residential Treatment

Background: Substance use disorders (SUDs) are frequent concerns among healthcare providers serving military personnel and Veterans, and SUDs are also associated with high healthcare utilization. Problematic substance use is consistently associated with deficits in emotion regulation, and changes in emotional regulatory processes may be important factors during treatment and recovery. Methods: The present study examined emotion regulation and substance use risk and protective factors among Veterans seeking residential treatment for SUD within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Data were collected from 138 Veterans at pre-treatment and post-treatment to examine if changes in emotion regulation were associated with post-treatment outcomes. Results: Results indicated difficulties with emotion dysregulation at discharge predicted substance use risk factors, but not substance use protective factors, after controlling for scores at intake. Emotion regulation significantly improved throughout the course of treatment. Facets of emotion dysregulation at post-treatment, specifically difficulties engaging in goal-directed behavior, lower emotional clarity, lower emotional awareness, and more impulse control difficulties, predicted future admission to withdrawal management services, but not future mental health engagement, mortality, or resumed use (positive urine drug screen). Conclusions: Emotion regulation skills may be valuable treatment components, as they are related to reduced substance use risk factors; however, the results of improved emotion regulation were mixed for other measures of treatment outcome.

Why do we vent our emotions and blame others during the coronavirus pandemic? The role of emotional clarity in the United States and South Korea (¿Por qué ventilamos nuestras emociones y culpabilizamos a otras personas durante la pandemia del coronavirus? El rol de la claridad emocional en los Estados Unidos y Corea del Sur)

People have been experiencing more negative affect (NA) during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic than prior to its onset. This may increase instances of people venting their emotions and blaming others to relieve the flood of unregulated NA. This study examined individuals’ venting and blaming processes within the context of the pandemic and explored the mediating role of emotional clarity across cultures. We conducted an online survey with 210 and 197 participants from the US and South Korea, respectively. The results of the moderated mediation analysis showed that individuals’ NA during the pandemic significantly affected their venting and blaming via emotional clarity among US participants. This finding implies that when people in individualistic cultures do not fully understand their emotions, they are more likely to vent to or blame others. This can serve as a potential risk factor for hate crimes during the pandemic. Conversely, the mediation effect of emotional clarity was not significant among South Korean participants, suggesting dissimilar roles played by emotional clarity in individualistic versus collectivistic cultures in managing NA.

Analysis of Academic Psychological Variables, Physical Education, and Physical Activity Levels of Mexican Students.

Physical inactivity is a current worldwide, and especially Mexican adolescents. Therefore, this study has the following objectives: (i) to analyze the PA-LT pattern of Mexican adolescents; (ii) to analyze whether there are differences in emotional intelligence, basic psychological needs, academic motivation, self-esteem, and academic satisfaction according to the PA-LT pattern; (iii) to analyze the relationship between emotional intelligence, basic psychological needs, academic motivation, self-esteem, and academic satisfaction. A total of 748 secondary school students participated, of which 374 were girls (Mean age = 13.99; SD = 0.30) and 374 boys (Mean age = 14.02; SD = 0.33). The questionnaire comprised the following scales: IE, NPB-ESC, EMA, EA, and SIE. The main results obtained show that none of the girls stick to any active physical activity pattern during their spare time. In addition, physically active boys obtained better scores in emotional clarity, emotional repair, perception of academic competence, perception of social relationships, extrinsic motivation, intrinsic motivation, self-esteem, and satisfaction with school.

Emotional dysregulation predicts problematic gaming in children and youths: a cross-sectional and longitudinal approach.

Adolescents show a high vulnerability for addictive gaming patterns on the one hand and immature emotion regulation (ER) abilities as a risk factor for mental disorders on the other hand. We investigated the predictive value of ER difficulties on problematic gaming (PG) considering age groups (children vs. youths) and gender cross-sectionally and prospectively in a representative sample of German adolescents via online survey with two measurement points 14months apart. General Poisson, logistic, and multinomial regression models were estimated to predict gaming patterns by ER difficulties controlling for age group and gender. Results revealed ER difficulties to be significantly associated with PG. Moreover, subgroup analyses indicated differing ER patterns for children vs. youths and boys vs. girls: for children, higher PG values were associated with emotional awareness and emotional clarity whereas for youths it was the acceptance of emotional responses. Moreover, gender differences implicated that boys with PG had more deficits in goal-oriented behavior as well as emotional awareness while affected girls were lacking emotional clarity and had problems with the acceptance of their emotional responses. Interestingly, procrastination was a significant predictor for PG irrespective of subgroups. Furthermore, longitudinal analyses indicated that difficulties in ER promoted PG while stronger procrastination tendencies maintained it. With the inclusion of procrastination, which can be understood as a maladaptive ER strategy, a broader picture of ER difficulties as a risk factor for PG could be drawn. The findings support a better understanding of PG etiology and the development of targeted prevention and intervention measures.

What aspects of mindfulness and emotion regulation underpin self-harm in individuals with borderline personality disorder?

Background Self-harm presents significant risk for individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Both self-harm and BPD are associated with deficits in mindfulness and emotion dysregulation. Previous research suggests that thought suppression and emotional inexpressivity may underpin self-harm in people with BPD, suggesting potential links to self-harm functions common for those with BPD. More research is needed to strengthen our understanding of this relationship. Aims This study examines how BPD symptoms, mindfulness, emotion dysregulation and self-harm functions are related. Methods Australian community outpatients diagnosed with BPD (N = 110) completed measures of mindfulness, emotion dysregulation and self-harm functions. Serial mediation analyses were conducted to examine relationships between variables. Results BPD symptoms, chronic emptiness, mindfulness skills, describing and non-reacting, emotion dysregulation areas of emotion regulation strategies and poor emotional clarity were associated with recent self-harm. Various combinations of describing, strategies and clarity mediated the path between emptiness and self-harm functions more likely to be endorsed by individuals with a diagnosis of BPD. Describing was associated with all but anti-suicide function, while strategies was associated with all but anti-dissociation. Conclusion The study highlights how individuals with BPD experiencing chronic emptiness may benefit from treatment targeting describing skills and adaptive emotion regulation strategies.

Study of Factors Associated with the Development of Emotional Intelligence and Resilience in University Students

Future educational professionals should possess both the academic and personal skills needed for resilience. These future professionals will face difficult situations, and the development of skills such as resilience is an important part of their training. The primary objective of this research paper is to study and analyze the links between the emotional intelligence, resilience, and personalities of undergraduates studying for different degrees in educational sciences. A quantitative analysis was performed with a non-experimental, descriptive, comparative, and correlational design. The sample results show above-average levels in all three dimensions, with resilience exhibiting the highest values. Regarding the influence of gender, males presented a higher level of resilience than females, while females tended to exhibit higher levels of spirituality. University students who studied physical activity and sport sciences were found to be more resilient and to have higher weighted emotional intelligence scores than students with other educational science degrees. Emotional clarity and repair corresponded directly with the subjects’ age. Emotional intelligence was positively correlated with repair, highlighting this variable as fundamental to resilience.

Emotion dysregulation in migraine patients: can it be a hallmark the probability of the transformation from episodİc to chronic?

ABSTRACT Objective The main aim of this study was to examine patients with migraine in terms of emotional dysregulation and to evaluate whether the emotion dysregulation is effective on chronicity in migraine. Materials and Methods A total of 85 migraine patients and 61 healthy participants were included in this study. All participants were evaluated using Migraine Disability Scale (MIDAS), Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), and the Discomfort Intolerance Scale (DIS). Then, all results were compared between the migraine patients and healthy individuals. In addition, the migraine patients were separated into three groups as patients without an aura, patients with an aura and patients with chronic migraine and then their results were compared among them. Finally, the predictive markers of chronic migraine were explored using regression analyses. Results Among 85 migraine patients, the mean age was 31.5 (SD = 7.98); 83.5% were women. The total and subscale scores of DERS, PCS, DIS, and DASS-21 were significantly higher in patients than in healthy individuals (p < 0.01). Subscale scores of DERS, DIS, and DASS-21 in the chronic migraine patients were found to be higher than in the other two patient groups (p < 0.01). Logistic regression analysis showed that chronic migraine could be associated with ‘lack of emotional clarity’ (OR = 1.229; p = 0.042), ‘lack of awareness’ (OR = 1.187; p = 0.032), ‘migraine associated disability’ (OR = 1.128; p = 0.033), and ‘stress’ (OR = 1.292; p = 0.027). Conclusion This study results showed that chronic migraine could be associated with the emotional dysregulation. To our knowledge, this study is the preliminary study in the literature and, therefore, new studies with large samples are needed.

Emotional Intelligence, Quality of Life, and Concern for Gender Perspective in Future Teachers

In recent years, concern in Spain for gender issues has been on the rise. The United Nations has established the Sustainable Development Goals, among which is the concern for achieving quality education and gender equity. In view of the above, this study analyzed the relationship between emotional intelligence and quality of life in university students taking degrees related to education; the study took into account variables such as sex, studies completed, and the degree of concern that the students show about the incorporation of the gender perspective in their curriculum. The sample consisted of 442 students from different Spanish universities who responded to an online questionnaire that included sociodemographic questions and several questionnaires, which allowed for an analysis of emotional intelligence (TMMS-24), satisfaction with life (SWLS-C), and gender-sensitive evaluation of training in gender equality (ESFIG). Some of the main results obtained concluded that there were no differences between the sexes with respect to the perception of quality of life, with the people who were more satisfied with their lives being those who were more sensitive to the incorporation of a gender perspective in training plans. In relation to emotional intelligence, women scored higher in the attention dimension and men in the emotional clarity and repair. In turn, females showed greater interest in including the treatment of gender issues in their academic training. The findings obtained show the need for future teacher training plans to pay attention to the satisfaction with life shown by students in addition to favoring the development of emotional competencies and the incorporation of gender perspective, considering the social, personal, and work-related benefits that this will bring about.

Stressors inherent to clinical practices and their relationship with emotional intelligence in nursing students: A cross sectional study

BackgroundThere is a wide body of knowledge about Emotional Intelligence and its benefits in health care, generating better productivity, clinical performance and communication with work teams, patients and families. Its relationship with stress and with performance of clinical practices has also been studied, although the results are not conclusive or up-to-date. ObjectivesTo study and correlate the perception of Emotional Intelligence and the stressors inherent to Nursing students' clinical practices. DesignA multicenter and observational study was carried out through cross-sectional surveys with Nursing students during the 2021/2022 academic year. Participants377 students were included in the study, recruited through non-probabilistic sampling in four Spanish universities. MethodsSociodemographic and academic variables were collected, as well as the following main variables: perceived Emotional Intelligence and stressors in clinical practices. ResultsThe study sample consisted of 377 students (89.1 % women; mean age of 23.15 ± 5.50). The perception of Emotional Intelligence obtained adequate ranges. The stressors that generate most concern are being attacked by the patients, lack of competence, and impotence and uncertainty. There are statistically significant differences in Emotional Intelligence by gender and university, as well as in stressors between each other. The Emotional Intelligence dimensions are weakly correlated with the stressors, although with statistical significance. ConclusionsThis study shows that Emotional Intelligence slightly influences the stressors inherent to clinical practices, so that EI can help cope with the difficulties of clinical work. Specifically, emotional clarity has an inverse relationship with some stressors. However, the attention and repair dimensions do not present such a clear relationship in our study or in previous ones. This shows the need to include Emotional Intelligence training in Nursing training curricula.

Clarity of Emotions and Goals: Exploring Associations with Subjective Well-Being Across Adulthood.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42761-022-00179-6.