Regulation Difficulties Research Articles

Comparison of the Effectiveness of Bowenian Family Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment-based Therapy (ACT) on Cognitive Emotion Regulation of Mothers with One Child

Aim: The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of Bowenian family therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy on the difficulty in regulating the emotion of mothers with one child. Methods: This was a descriptive quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design with two experimental groups and a control group. The statistical population of the study included all mothers with only one child of preschool age in Kermanshah kindergartens in 2019. A total of 45 people were selected through convenience sampling and 15 people were randomly assigned to two experimental groups and one control group. Data were collected in the pretest-posttest stages with a scale of difficulty in emotion regulation (Grotz and Roemer, 2004). After pre-testing, members of the two experimental groups participated separately in eight 1.5-hour weekly sessions of Bowenian family therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy. Analysis of covariance and Bonferroni post-hoc test were used to analyze the data. Results: The results of analysis of covariance showed that the effect of Bowenian family therapy and the effect of acceptance and commitment based therapy on difficulty in emotion regulation in individuals is significant (P<0.05). Also, differences in the two treatment groups for the dimensions of emotional rejection, difficulty in performing behavior, difficulty in controlling impulse, lack of emotional awareness, limited access, and lack of clarity, respectively, the amount of F statistic; 4.771, 4.461, 3.524, 3.399 and 5.720 with significant levels were 0.026, 0.005, 0.011, 0.001, 0.003 and 0.009, respectively. The results of Bowenian test showed that due to the size of the differences, the effectiveness of acceptance-based and commitment-based therapy in combining with other interventions on the difficulty of emotion regulation and its related components was higher (P <0.05). Conclusion: Psychologists, when faced with problems of mother-child interaction, evaluate the mother in terms of the level of cognitive emotion regulation and other psychological variables affecting emotion regulation and use effective treatment methods if there is a problem.

0249 Sleeping In to Avoid Acting Out: The Association Between Sleep Regularity and Emotion Regulation

Abstract Introduction Sleep and emotions are closely intertwined facets of individuals’ mental health and well-being. Previous studies have consistently shown that sleep is critical in the maintenance of emotion regulation; however, few research studies have examined the association between sleep regularity and emotion regulation skills. The current study seeks to answer this question by examining whether sleep regularity is associated with individual facets of emotion regulation, as well as overall emotion regulation ability. Methods Secondary analysis was performed on data obtained from 999 individuals (M age=44.17, SD=16.23; 47.7% female) who participated in the Investigating Sleep Longitudinally Across Normal Development (ISLAND) online study. The Sleep Regularity Questionnaire was used to measure the degree to which individuals engage in consistent sleep behavior. The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale was used to measure perceived overall emotion regulation ability, as well as individual facets of emotion regulation. Regression analyses were used to determine whether sleep regularity predicted difficulties in emotion regulation while controlling for age, race, gender, sleep quality, and total sleep time. Total sleep time and sleep quality information were obtained from item #4 and item #6 of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, respectively. Results Less sleep regularity significantly predicted greater overall emotion regulation difficulties (p=.021, B=-.13). Less sleep regularity was associated with greater difficulty in individual facets of emotion regulation including emotional clarity (p<.001, B=-.05), impulse control (p<.001, B=-.05), nonacceptance of emotional responses (p=.009, B=-.04), and access to emotion regulation strategies (p<.001, B=-.06). Surprisingly, greater sleep regularity was associated with more difficulties with emotional awareness (p<.001, B=.09). Sleep regularity was not associated with difficulty engaging in goal-direct behavior (p=.103, B=-.02). Conclusion Poorer sleep regularity significantly predicted greater overall emotion regulation difficulties. Findings from the current study add to the literature supporting the close links between sleep and emotion regulation, and suggest that the promotion and enhancement of consistent, regular sleep may be an important factor that leads to improved emotion regulatory skills beyond the sleep experience (i.e., sleep quality and duration). Additional research is needed to disentangle this association and identify additional factors or mechanisms that may further elucidate this association. Support (If Any) Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number K23AG049955 (PI: Dzierzewski).

The effectiveness of adapted group mindfulness-based stress management program on perceived stress and emotion regulation in midwives: a randomized clinical trial

BackgroundMidwives' stress can have negative consequences on their emotional state, burnout, and poor quality of midwifery care. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of an adapted mindfulness-based stress management program on perceived stress and the emotional regulation of midwives.MethodsThe study was a parallel randomized clinical trial on the midwives working in general hospitals of Zanjan, Iran. In this study, 121 midwives registered to participate based on the census sampling method were screened using a cut point of ≥ 28 in the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). From the initial sample, 42 subjects had inclusion criteria assigned to two groups of control (n = 21) and intervention (n = 21) using online random allocation. The intervention group received an 8-week adapted mindfulness-based stress management program. This program emanates from the Kabat-Zinn's MBSR program, which has been adjusted according to the Iranian culture. The ANCOVA and repeated measure analysis of variance test were used to compare groups over time.ResultsThe results showed that the group intervention effectively affected perceived stress (P = 0.001) and difficulty in emotion regulation during the post-intervention period (P = 0.001). Moreover, the interventions were effective in emotion regulation (P = 0.003), but it was not effective on perceived stress (P = 0.125) at the 3-month follow-up.ConclusionsThis adapted mindfulness-based program successfully reduced stress and increased emotion regulation strategies in midwives; however, the long-term outcomes of this treatment program need further consideration.

Structural Relationships of Risk-Taking and Difficulty in Emotion Regulation with Tendency to Addiction Relapse in Patients Undergoing Methadone Maintenance Treatment: Mediating Role of Distress Tolerance and Cognitive Flexibility

Structural Relationships of Risk-Taking and Difficulty in Emotion Regulation with Tendency to Addiction Relapse in Patients Undergoing Methadone Maintenance Treatment: Mediating Role of Distress Tolerance and Cognitive Flexibility

Problematic Social Media Use for Mood Modification: Its Associations with Shame, Guilt, Anger, and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation

Problematic Social Media Use for Mood Modification: Its Associations with Shame, Guilt, Anger, and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation

Controlling the Dual-Emission Character of Aryl-Modified o-Carboranes by Intramolecular CH⋅⋅⋅O Interaction Sites.

It is still challenging to realize a dual-emission system, in which two luminescent bands simultaneously appear by photoexcitation, in solid with organic dyes due to the difficulty in regulation of electronic properties in the excited state and concentration quenching. o-Carborane is known to be a versatile platform for constructing solid-state emitters since the sphere boron cluster is favorable for suppressing intermolecular interactions and subsequently concentration quenching. Here, we show solid-state dual-emissive o-carborane derivatives. We prepared 4 types of o-carborane derivatives and found dual-emission behaviors both in solution and solid states. By regulating the rotation at the o-carborane unit with the intramolecular Ccage H⋅⋅⋅O interaction, the dual-emission intensity ratios were changed. Finally, it was demonstrated that the overall photoluminescence spectra can be estimated using the binding energy of intramolecular interactions.

When Mindfulness Becomes a Mental Health Risk: The Relevance of Emotion Regulation Difficulties and Need Frustration

Although a great deal of research has shown the positive effects of mindfulness on mental health, some studies have provided evidence that mindfulness can have negative consequences. However, not much is known about the conditions that can account for such negative effects. We examined the moderating roles of difficulties in emotion regulation and basic psychological need frustration in the relationship between mindfulness and psychological ill-being. Longitudinal data were collected at three points in time during a 6-month period from two adult samples in Turkey and Germany. Self-report measures were used to measure ill-being, mindfulness, emotion regulation difficulties, and need frustration. In the German sample, difficulties in emotion regulation and need frustration were related to ill-being, but there were no significant interactions. In the Turkish sample, need frustration predicted ill-being, and the interaction between mindfulness and difficulties in emotion regulation also predicted ill-being. Mindfulness was a protective factor among people with no major difficulties in emotion regulation, whereas it was a risk factor among those with emotion regulation difficulties. The findings suggest that the relationship between mindfulness and ill-being may be more complex than previously thought.

The Development of Green Bond in Developing Countries: Insights from Southeast Asia Market Participants.

Given the increasing importance of green bond as the main funding source for the Sustainable Development Goals, the green bond is an emerging concept in the region of Southeast Asia. In addition, the concurrent Covid-19 pandemic has caused disruption to the development of green bond around the world. This research explores the current development status of the green bond in Southeast Asian countries. A total of thirty-two semi-structured interviews were held with capital market participants in Southeast Asian countries. The results highlight barriers, opportunities, and regulation difficulties, and expected growth for the development of the green bond market. This research is concluded by indicating several propositions that can be tested in the future to generalize the findings from this work. We thus extend the knowledge of green bond in the financial markets of Southeast Asian countries, which also delivers implications for practitioners and policy-makers regarding the development of green bond in Southeast Asian countries.

Impact of Mindfulness Training on Spanish Police Officers\u2019 Mental and Emotional Health: a Non-Randomized Pilot Study

ObjectivesThe purpose of this exploratory non-randomized controlled study was to determine the acceptance and effectiveness of an 8-week mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) co-designed by a police officer.MethodsA pretest-posttest control group design was followed. Participants (MBI group = 20; control group = 18) answered baseline and post-training self-reported measures. In addition, the weekly emotional state of the MBI group was collected. Paired-samples t-test and analysis of covariance were performed for pre-post within-group and between-group differences, respectively, as well as linear mixed effects analysis of repeated measures for week-by-week data.ResultsHigh acceptance and attendance rates, as well as significant pre-post within-group differences in the MBI group in mindfulness (η2 = 0.43), self-compassion (η2 = 0.43), depression (η2 = 0.54), anxiety (η2 = 0.46), stress (η2 = 0.51), difficulties in emotion regulation, sleep quality (η2 = 0.57), and burnout (η2 = 0.31–0.47), were identified. Moreover, police officers who underwent the MBI experienced a week by week decrease of anger, disgust, anxiety, sadness, and desire. Finally, after adjusting for pre-test scores, significant between-group differences were found in the way of attending to internal and external experiences (observing mindfulness facet; ηp2 = 0.21), depression symptoms (ηp2 = 0.23), general distress (ηp2 = 0.24), and the degree of physical and psychological exhaustion (personal burnout; ηp2 = 0.20).ConclusionsThe preliminary effectiveness of this MBI on psychopathology and quality of life outcomes in Spanish police officers was discussed. Previous evidence regarding the promising use of MBIs in this population was supported.

Consequences of Prematurity on Cortisol Regulation and Adjustment Difficulties: A 9-Year Longitudinal Study.

A preterm birth represents a stressful event having potentially negative long-term consequences. Thirty-three children born preterm (<33 weeks gestational age) and eleven full-term children participated in a nine-year longitudinal study. Perinatal Risk Inventory (PERI) was used at birth to assess the perinatal stress. Salivary cortisol, collected four times a day over two consecutive days, was measured with radioimmunoassay technique at six months and nine years to assess the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Mothers reported post-traumatic symptoms on a self-report questionnaire 12 months after their child’s birth and children’s adjustment problems at 9 years of child age on the Child Behavior Checklist. Results showed a significant difference in cortisol regulation at nine years between preterm and full-term children but no differences in adjustment problems. Whereas biological factors (i.e., PERI, cortisol regulation at six months) explained cortisol at nine years, maternal post-traumatic symptoms were predictive of adjustment problems in their child. In conclusion, very preterm birth has some long-term consequences on the HPA-axis regulation at nine years. Although cortisol regulation is mostly influenced by biological factors, the presence of maternal post-traumatic symptoms predicts the manifestation of adjustment problems in both groups. This shows the importance of maternal psychological well-being for child development. Further research is needed to understand the exact consequences of premature birth on cortisol regulation and the implication for the child’s development and health.

Feasibility Pilot: Problem Adaptation Therapy for Emotion Regulation in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Emotion regulation (ER) difficulties in older adults are associated with increased depression and decreased resiliency to stressful life events. In general, maladaptive ER is a transdiagnostic risk factor for a range of psychological and physical problems across the lifespan. Thus, interventions targeting ER may be valuable in reducing risk for a range of late-life pathologies. The present study evaluated and adapted an existing ER-focused treatment (i.e., Problem Adaptation Therapy (PATH)) for community older adults. We completed a small clinical pilot study to assess the feasibility of the adapted protocol and initial signals of effect of the intervention on ER, depression, and resiliency. Participants were recruited using an online survey, which was used to then identify participants scoring in the highest and lowest quartiles for ER. Individuals in the lowest ER quartile (N=27) were randomly assigned to the PATH condition or a physical health education (PHET) control condition. Of the 27 participants in the low ER group, four participants (3 PATH, 1 PHET) dropped out of the intervention. A paired samples t-tests revealed significant decreases in depressive symptoms, significant increases in self-reported ER skill, and improvements in resiliency (all ps<.05) for the PATH condition. For the PHET condition, only significant increases in self-reported ER skill (t(12) = -2.68, p = .020) were observed. In sum, the intervention protocol proved feasibility and demonstrated initial signals of effect in the expected directions. Future studies will examine mechanisms of action and the efficacy of the adapted PATH protocol.

Emotional reactivity and difficulties in emotional regulation in drug users: a study in adolescents undergoing treatment in a therapeutic community

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate which emotions and difficulties in the emotional regulation of adolescents with illicit substance consumption.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 41 adolescents undergoing treatment for the use of alcohol and drugs were recruited. The instruments used were the emotional rating scale and the difficulties in the regulation of emotions scale.FindingsEmotional reactivity showed significant differences in the sadness dimension in relation to the number of cannabis cigarettes smoked daily and length of stay, and in the surprise dimension in relation to the number of cannabis cigarettes smoked daily. There was a significant correlation between happiness and age, surprise and number of siblings, sadness and school absenteeism and fear, school absenteeism and number of substances consumed. In regard to difficulties in emotional regulation, there were significant differences between the groups, in strategies regarding the gender of the participants and the number of substances consumed, in non-acceptance and impulses and in the number of substances consumed and in the awareness of the type and number of substances consumed. There was a significant correlation between strategies, non-acceptance, awareness and impulses and the number of substances consumed.Originality/valueThis study demonstrated that the emotional problems of adolescents admitted to a therapeutic community are predictors of illicit substance use.

The effectiveness of marital adjustment training on couples distress intolerance, difficulty in emotion regulation and marital conflict referring to counseling centers

Introduction: Distress intolerance, difficulty in emotion regulation, and marital conflicts affect the quality of the couples life. Aim: The present study investigated the effectiveness of marital adjustment training on couples distress intolerance, difficulty in emotion regulation, and marital conflict. Method: The present study was a quasi-experimental study with a control and experimental group. The study sample included 30 couples referring to counseling centers in 2019-2020 that were divided randomly in two experimental and control groups. Afterward, marital adjustment training was provided to the experimental group during eight sessions, and the control group did not receive any intervention. Simmons and Gaher distress tolerance questionnaires, Grotz and Roemer difficulty in emotion regulation, and Sanai and Barati marital conflicts were used in this study. The data were analyzed by covariance using SPSS software version 22. Results: The results showed marital adjustment training was effective on reducing distress intolerance (f=142.76 and P&lt;0.01), the level of difficulty in emotion regulation (f=146.94 and P&lt;0.01), and marital conflicts (P&lt;0.01 and f=426.21). Accordingly, distress intolerance, difficulty in emotion regulation, and marital conflict were significantly reduced in the treatment group compared with the control group who did not receive any intervention. Conclusion: The findings indicated that marital adjustment training could be an effective intervention in counseling centers for couples with communicative problems.

Cognitive and Affective Empathy Relate Differentially to Emotion Regulation

The constructs of empathy (i.e., understanding and/or sharing another’s emotion) and emotion regulation (i.e., the processes by which one manages emotions) have largely been studied in relative isolation of one another. To better understand the interrelationships between their various component processes, this manuscript reports two studies that examined the relationship between empathy and emotion regulation using a combination of self-report and task measures. In study 1 (N = 137), trait cognitive empathy and affective empathy were found to share divergent relationships with self-reported emotion dysregulation. Trait emotion dysregulation was negatively related to cognitive empathy but did not show a significant relationship with affective empathy. In the second study (N = 92), the magnitude of emotion interference effects (i.e., the extent to which inhibitory control was impacted by emotional relative to neutral stimuli) in variants of a Go/NoGo and Stroop task were used as proxy measures of implicit emotion regulation abilities. Trait cognitive and affective empathy were differentially related to both task metrics. Higher affective empathy was associated with increased emotional interference in the Emotional Go/NoGo task; no such relationship was observed for trait cognitive empathy. In the Emotional Stroop task, higher cognitive empathy was associated with reduced emotional interference; no such relationship was observed for affective empathy. Together, these studies demonstrate that greater cognitive empathy was broadly associated with improved emotion regulation abilities, while greater affective empathy was typically associated with increased difficulties with emotion regulation. These findings point to the need for assessing the different components of empathy in psychopathological conditions marked by difficulties in emotion regulation.

A randomized controlled trial of an Internet-based emotion regulation intervention for sexual health: study protocol

IntroductionEmotion regulation difficulties have been associated with mental disorders and sexual dysfunctions. Traditional face-to-face transdiagnostic emotion regulation interventions have shown positive results for emotional and personality disorders. Only recently have the effects of these interventions on sexual health started to be investigated. Internet-delivered psychological interventions have several advantages over face-to-face interventions, such as cost-effectiveness, accessibility, and suitability for people who experience shame because of their stigmatized problematic behaviors and those who avoid seeking help. The aims of the SHER 2—TREpS (Portuguese acronym for Emotion Regulation training for sexual health) project are as follows: (a) determine the efficacy of an Internet-based emotion regulation intervention for sexual health and sexual satisfaction and (b) explore the effects of the intervention on (1) emotion regulation skills, (2) mental health, and (3) sexual self-perception.Methods and analysisThe study will use a randomized controlled trial design. Eligible participants will be randomly allocated to one of two groups: intervention (Internet-based emotion regulation training) or waitlist control. Assessments will take place before the start of the trial, at the end of the trial, and at 6-month follow up, after which participants assigned to the waitlist control condition will receive the same intervention. Primary outcomes include sexual function and satisfaction and secondary outcomes self-report measures of depression, anxiety, difficulties in emotion regulation, and sexual self-perception. This intervention study is financed by the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNS).Ethics and disseminationEthics approval was obtained from the Ethics Review Panel of the University of Luxembourg. Findings will be disseminated via peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations.

Never too late to plan: "Refocus on planning" as an effective way to lower symptoms and difficulties in emotion regulation during the COVID-19 first lockdown.

Lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic have put people in stressful situations. Recent research showed elevated levels of anxiety and depression during this period, but no study has so far evaluated to what extent emotions and regulation difficulties were perceived by people as having changed with the lockdown. This was the major aim of the present study, together with investigating whether the emotion regulation strategy of "Refocus on planning" could be an effective strategy in this context. With a 1 time-point online survey, 635 French-, Italian-, and English- speaking participants (57.6% males, mean age of 48.48 years, SD = 15.7) evaluated (a) emotion changes, (b) anxiety, depression, and difficulties in emotion regulation, and (c) use of planning. Participants retrospectively indicated their state when thinking about the period of the Spring 2020 COVID-19 lockdown, as well as their state when thinking about the period just before. Results show that the lockdown period was associated with a perceived increase in negative and positive feelings, as well as a perceived increase in anxiety, depression, and regulation difficulties. Despite people used less planning during the lockdown, absolute and heightened use of planning was associated with more positive emotions, as well as less negative emotions, depression symptoms and difficulties in emotion regulation, whereas anxiety symptoms were lower only when more planning was adopted. This study suggests that planning is an effective emotion regulation strategy. More importantly, planning works as soon as implemented, suggesting it is never too late to start planning to alleviate emotion-related symptoms and difficulties. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Alexithymia and self-reported emotional eating: The mediating role of difficulties in emotion regulation.

Alexithymia and self-reported emotional eating: The mediating role of difficulties in emotion regulation.

Psychometric Properties of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale Brief Form (Ders-16): in Group of Iranian Adolescents

Introduction: Given the importance of the scale of difficulty in emotion regulation, in measuring the ability to regulate emotion in adolescents and adults, which is widely used in research and clinical settings, the purpose of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of short form of difficulty in emotion regulation (DERS-16) in group of Iranian adolescents. Methods: The method of the present study was a survey in which the statistical population consisted of all 16 to 18 years old male secondary school students in Ardabil City in the 2019-2020 academic year (N = 21756). Among which 409 individuals were selected by cluster random sampling and individually responded to the DERS-16 &amp; NEO-FF-R. To analyze the data internal consistency coefficient, divergent validity and exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis were used. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 16 and LISREL 8.8 software. Results: The results of internal coefficient showed that this scale had a good reliability. Fit indices of confirmatory factor analysis also showed appropriate scale validity (CFI = 0.99, RFI = 0.98, NNFI = 0.99, and RMSEA = 0.048). Conclusion: Findings indicate that the Persian version of this scale is a good tool for measuring the difficulty in regulating emotion and can be used to assess the difficulty in regulating emotion in adolescents and adults.

Drunk Texting: When the Phone Becomes a Vehicle for Emotional Dysregulation and Problematic Alcohol Use

Background: Drunk texting is an understudied phenomenon, despite its ubiquity and evidence suggesting it may be implicated in heavy drinking. Research on texting motivations and use of the phone as a tool for self-regulation also represent newly emerging areas of study. Objective/Method: The goal of the current study was to examine how drunk texting relates to drinking based on difficulties in emotional regulation and texting motivations in a sample of 2,559 women. Results: Drunk texting predicted heavy drinking. Emotional regulation difficulties (specifically, lack of access to strategies and lack of emotional clarity) predicted reliance on texting to escape as well as to facilitate self-expression. Further, indirect associations found that texting to escape strengthened the association between emotional regulation difficulties and drunk texting, while texting as a form of self-expression buffered against this association. Conclusions: These results highlight the extent to which problematic drinking and drunk texting have overlapping associations with emotional regulation, which can result from the presence of certain motivations for text messaging. Implications are discussed for interventions targeting the use of both phones and alcohol to escape, and increasing awareness of emotional states that might trigger such behavior.

MỐI QUAN HỆ GIỮA KHÓ KHĂN GIỮA QUẢN LÍ CẢM XÚC VÀ HÀNH VI TỰ GÂY TỔN THƯƠNG Ở HỌC SINH TRUNG HỌC CƠ SỞ

To study the relationship between emotional management difficulties and self-injurious behaviour in junior high school students, the author used the survey method by questionnaire and the multiple-choice process to conduct the study to survey 347 junior high school students in Hue city. Research results show that 39.5% of students have ever self-injured. The forms of self-injury are diverse; Difficulties in emotion regulation, alexithymia, emotion reactivity and self-injurious behaviour are strongly correlated. Difficulties in emotion regulation and emotion reactivity had a linear correlation with self-injurious behaviour, and it accounted for 27.2% of the variation in the self-injurious behaviour score. This study shows that school counsellors, teachers, and parents need to pay attention to the emotional management difficulty in counselling and therapy for middle school students with self-injurious behaviour.