Dysfunctional Emotion Research Articles

Adult attachment and social anxiety: The mediating role of emotion regulation strategies.

Despite extensive evidence relating attachment dimensions to maladaptive interpersonal behaviours and dysfunctional emotion regulation strategies, few studies have explored social anxiety in the context of adult attachment dimensions. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether attachment-related anxiety and avoidance are associated with symptoms of social anxiety and whether cognitive emotion regulation strategies (reappraisal and suppression) play a role in the relationship between adult attachment and social anxiety. A sample of 253 adults (male n = 47, 18.6%; female n = 202, 79.8%; gender not disclosed n = 4, 1.6%) ranging in age from 18 to 74 years (M = 33.12, SD = 11.56) completed an online questionnaire that consisted of the Experience in Close Relationships–Revised Questionnaire (ECR-R); The Inventory of Interpersonal Situations Discomfort scale (IIS-D); and The Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ). Results indicated that both attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance have a direct effect on indices of social anxiety symptomology. Reappraisal partially mediated the relationship between attachment anxiety and social anxiety. However, the relationship between attachment avoidance and social anxiety was not mediated by the use of reappraisal and suppression. Findings of the study have implications for the development of clinical interventions targeting mediators of psychological distress associated with social anxiety.

How to improve the well-being of homeless girls: an exploratory study

ABSTRACTWorldwide, homeless girls are a highly vulnerable group. They suffer sexual exploitation and forced labor, discrimination, and social exclusion at a higher rate than the rest of the general population. They often present anxiety and depression, unassertiveness and emotion dysregulation, among other psychosocial characteristics. All of these factors negatively impact subjective well-being, further worsening their mental health. Subjective well-being has both immediate (mental health, health behaviors) and long-term, cumulative effects on health (physical health, mortality), representing opportunities for investment in population health. Despite the relevance of subjective well-being and its associated factors, there is scarce research on the plight of homeless girls in Mexico and Latin America, which leads to ineffective interventions, policy actions and to a diminished quality of life. This study was carried out to develop and test a path model of well-being in 240 Mexican homeless girls ages 6–23 years old. Symptoms of anxiety and depression, assertiveness and emotion regulation strategies were used as factors influencing subjective well-being. Results showed that symptoms of depression and functional emotion regulation strategies have a significant direct influence on subjective well-being. Symptoms of anxiety and dysfunctional emotion regulation strategies have an indirect influence on subjective well-being with symptoms of depression as the mediating variable. Assertiveness did not significantly influence well-being directly and indirectly. Functional and dysfunctional emotion regulation strategies have a positive significant correlation. Fit indexes obtained indicate an excellent adjustment to data. R square indicates that 38% of the variance in subjective well-being can be explained by this model. Hence, the current study provides unique findings in terms of a model of well-being through which it is possible to design and implement interventions that increase such well-being in order to promote healthier social and emotional developmental trajectories in homeless girls, especially in the context of Latin American cities.

Awareness of the Body in Mental Health Care

In mental health care, the body takes an undeserved, modest place. It is precisely the body that you can use you to test the beliefs of patients on functionality. Dysfunctional beliefs lead to dysfunctional emotions and corresponding response representations in the body. This is entirely in line with the therapeutic elaboration of Lang’s emotion theory. That is, linking existing stimulus representations to incompatible response and meaning representations. This practical paper introduces readers to body-oriented counter conditioning techniques and how to apply the principles of counter conditioning in various anxiety and mood disorders. A report is done from a short mindfulness group training for cardiology patients with anxiety and mood complaints.

Mediators of childhood trauma and suicidality in a cohort of socio-economically deprived Scottish men.

There is little research investigating the relationship between childhood abuse, including neglect, and suicidality in adult men, despite epidemiological data suggesting that they are most at risk for suicide. To investigate the relationship between childhood abuse and neglect and suicidality, and the possible mediating roles of affect dysregulation and social inhibition. a cohort of eighty-six socio-economically deprived male Caucasian participants previously identified as suicidal, attending a non-clinical community group. Participants completed self-report measures on childhood trauma, emotion regulation, interpersonal difficulties and suicidal behavior. Mediation analysis indicated that emotion dysregulation and interpersonal difficulties significantly mediated the relationship between childhood trauma and suicidality with a medium effect size (R2 = .41, p < .001). Study results suggest that early childhood abuse and neglect results in dysfunctional emotion regulation, which leads to suicidality in the context of impoverished social environments. The provision of psychological interventions aimed at improving social and emotional functioning may help to safeguard men who are most at risk of suicide.

Optimal Emotional Profiles for Peak Performance in Strength and Conditioning.

Cooper, JJ, Johnson, M, Radcliffe, J, and Fisher, J. Optimal emotional profiles for peak performance in strength and conditioning. J Strength Cond Res 35(3): 833-840, 2021-This study investigated athletes' performance-related emotions and emotional profiles for optimal performance in strength and conditioning (S&C). It is suggested that the identification and control of emotions associated with successful and unsuccessful performances are essential for achieving peak psychological states and optimal performance in sports-related tasks. The individual zone of optimal functioning (IZOF) model outlines an idiographic and comprehensive conceptual framework of interrelated dimensions that describe the structure and dynamics of subjective emotional experiences and performance-related psychobiological states. With institutional ethics approval, 13 competitive elite athletes (male, n = 7; female, n = 6: mean age = 21.7 ± 4.0 years) completed IZOF-based emotion profiling, in which subjects were asked to recall their perceived best and worst S&C session, outlining emotions and intensity within 4 global emotional categories. A significant difference was evidenced between best ever and worst ever performance within positive functional emotions (p < 0.001, d = 3.63) and negative dysfunctional emotions (p < 0.001, d = 4.92). Initial findings suggest that perceived peak performance states within S&C are associated with a high intensity of positive functional emotions (confident, motivated, and energetic) and a low intensity of negative dysfunctional emotions (worn out, sluggish, annoyed, and discouraged). Although future research is necessary to fully understand this area, the present data suggest that to assist athletes in achieving perceived peak performance states within S&C, psychological skills and strategies should be informed and developed in collaboration with sport psychologists, with the aim of achieving an optimal emotional profile.

EMOTIONS AND WORK BURNOUT FROM THE REBT PERSPECTIVE: A SHORT–TERM PROSPECTIVE STUDY

The main objective of the study was to test REBT model of emo- tion in prediction of burnout. It was hypothesized that dysfunc- tional negative emotions (DNE) would positively predict burnout, positive emotions (PE) would negatively predict buronut, while functional negative emotions (FNE) were hypothesized to be un- correlated to burnout. To test those assumptions, a short‒term, 12 week prospective study was carried out (three measurements, with the interval of 6 weeks). A sample of 197 employees took part in the first measurement (60.3% women); however, due to sample attrition, 113 (64.6% women) underwent all three meas- urements (Little’s MCAR test n.s., which indicates that the data were missing completely at random). Respondents completed the Work burnout scale from the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory, and the Inventory of functional and dysfunctional emotions. It has been shown that the reversed causal model displayed greater fit indices in comparison with the causal model, meaning that it is more likely that burnout will lead to subsequent emotions than vice‒versa. What is more interesting is that in fact burnout had a stronger (although very similar) impact on FNE than it did on DNE. However, when measured simultaneously, it appears that the experience of emotions has greater effect on burnout than vice‒versa. Moreover, in cross‒sectional analysis (at Time 3), FNE had a greater (although very similar) unique effect on burn- out than did DNE. In Time 2, only DNE exerted significant effect on burnout. Finally, PE largely did not predict burnout. The results were discussed in the context of REBT model of emotions. The limitations of the study were also highlighted and discussed.

Adult attachment and mental health: The role of emotion regulation

Attachment style is one of the most significant driving forces across the lifespan as identified by a variety of studies. Many studies have suggested that there might be an association between attachment and mental health. In a different thread of research, studies provided evidence that dysfunctional emotion regulation has a potential impact on an individual’s mental health. The present review has the purpose to examine available papers on the association of adult attachment with mental health with particular emphasis on the role of emotion regulation in this association.&#x0D; A database search was conducted for published data in Psych INFO, Elsevier and Google Scholar by combining search terms: ‘adult attachment’, ‘mental health, diseases or illnesses’ and ‘emotion regulation’.&#x0D; A total of 182 studies were identified and screened, and finally 19 studies met inclusion criteria. Results of this review revealed a moderate association between insecure attachment and several mental disorders. Also, individuals with insecure attachment showed more difficulty in emotion regulation. However, some studies found no positive association between avoidant attachment and mental disease.&#x0D; This review suggests that individual with insecure attachment showed an increased risk for mental disorders and that and emotion dysregulation might mediate this relationship. However, most of studies had non-clinical samples which could affect result. Therefore, further research is needed to examine clinical samples regarding the attachment in adulthood and mental health and the role of emotion regulation to come up with more accurate results in the future.

The German Version of the Emotion Awareness Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents: Associations with Emotion Regulation and Psychosocial Adjustment

Emotional awareness is an important variable for children’s and adolescents’ social and emotional development. The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties (e.g., factor structure, internal consistencies) of scores on the German translation of the Emotion Awareness Questionnaire (EAQ; Rieffe, Oosterveld, Miers, Meerum Terwogt, & Ly, 2008). Furthermore, to examine the concurrent validity, associations of the six subscales (Differentiating Emotions, Verbal Sharing of Emotions, Not Hiding Emotions, Bodily Unawareness, Attending to Others’ Emotions, Analyses of Emotions) with emotion regulation, internalizing and externalizing problems, and prosocial behavior were investigated. Questionnaire data of 1,018 adolescents aged between 11 and 18 were analyzed. The proposed six-factor structure was replicated and internal consistencies were satisfactory. Meaningful associations of the six EAQ subscales with emotion regulation and psychosocial adjustment were found, proving the concurrent validity of this questionnaire. In general, higher emotional awareness was associated with more functional emotion regulation and prosocial behavior, and less dysfunctional emotion regulation and internalizing and externalizing problems. Significant gender differences were detected and are discussed. Overall, the findings suggest that the German EAQ is a useful instrument to assess children’s and adolescents’ emotional awareness.

Emotion introspection and regulation in depression

Depressed patients suffer from an impairment to voluntarily influence and regulate their unpleasant emotional state. Strengthening the mental ability to interfere with dysfunctional emotion processing may be beneficial in treating depression. According to models of emotion processing this may be done by successful down-regulation of enhanced amygdala activity. We investigated short periods of intentional emotion-introspection compared with cognitive self-reflection as two domains of self-awareness in terms of effects on emotion regulation. Thirty depressed patients performed twelve second periods of emotion-introspection, self-reflection and a neutral condition during functional magnetic resonance imaging. We analyzed brain activation in the patients with depression by means of whole brain, region of interest and connectivity analyses. Amygdala activity decreased during emotion-introspection relative to self-reflection and to the neutral condition, whereby left amygdala was inversely activated relative to the left insula. Insula activity itself was correlated with medial and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation. In conclusion, depressed patients are able to down-regulate amygdala activity by emotion-introspection. This may be interpreted as well-working emotion regulation supposedly induced by PFC connections mediated via insula. The finding supports the application of emotion-introspection, a mindfulness-related process, in a clinical setting as an element of psychotherapy to train and improve emotion regulation.

Gender, Rumination, and Awareness of the Perpetrator’s Identity as Predictors of Help-Seeking Among Cyberbullying Victims

Previous studies have highlighted the importance of help-seeking as a strategy that has a potential to reduce incidents of cyberbullying. Although several intervention programs incorporated help-seeking strategies as a key element of education, relatively little is known about the individual factors that may influence help-seeking propensity among victims. The present study investigated cyberbullying-specific factors, dysfunctional emotion regulatory strategies, and psychological resources as possible predictors of help-seeking. A total of 447 cyberbullying victims (49.9% male; Mage = 28.9 years, SD = 9.1) completed an online questionnaire on bullying experiences and other relevant variables. Results indicated that females and those with a higher tendency to ruminate about past cyberbullying incidents were more likely to seek help. Furthermore, victims’ awareness of the perpetrator’s identity was also associated with a greater likelihood of help-seeking. These findings could possibly contribute to the efficacy of intervention programs by increasing general knowledge about individual differences in help-seeking behaviors.

Effects of Emotional Regulation Strategies on the Relations of Spousal Abuse, Depression and Physical Symptoms

The emotional and physical problems can arise from spousal abuse. The purposes of this study were to investigate the influence of spousal abuse on depression and physical symptoms and to examine direct and indirect effects of functional and dysfunctional emotion regulation strategies to depression and physical symptoms. The participants were 232 adults. The Korea version of the Index of Spouse Abuse (K-ISA), Regulation of Emotions Questionnaire (REQ), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Physical Symptoms Scale were administered to participants. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with AMOS was used for the purpose of analysis. The results showed that physical and psychological abuse and controlling behavior were associated with severity of depression and physical symptoms and the functional emotion regulation strategies had the direct and indirect effects on depression and physical symptoms of those who experience spousal abuse. These results might contribute to development of psychological intervention program for those who have experienced spousal abuse. Finally, the limitations and implications of the current study were discussed.

Pathways from Positive and Negative Affect to Depressive Symptoms: Multiple Mediation of Emotion Regulation Strategies

The current study aims to examine the multiple mediations of emotion regulation strategies in the relationship between positive and negative affect and depressive symptoms in adolescents. Participants included 290 students attending middle schools in a mid-size city in Southeastern Anatolian region. Among students, 137 were females (47.2%) and 153 (52.8%) were males. Participants’ ages ranged between 9 and 15 with a mean of 12.12, &lt;em&gt;SD&lt;/em&gt;=1.53. Research data were collected through Positive and Negative Affect Schedule for Adolescents, Emotion Regulation Scale for Adolescents, and Depression Scale for Children. Data analysis was conducted through descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficient, an approach based on Ordinary Least Squares Regression, and Bootstrap method. Research findings indicated that the mediation of external dysfunctional emotion regulation, internal dysfunctional emotion regulation, and external functional emotion regulation in the relationships between positive emotions and depressive symptoms was statistically significant. However, the mediation of internal functional emotion regulation was not found to be statistically significant. In the relationship between negative emotions and depressive symptoms, the mediation of internal dysfunctional emotion regulation and external functional emotion regulation was found to be statistically significant. In addition, the mediation of internal functional emotion regulation and external dysfunctional emotion regulation was not found statistically significant. Research findings were discussed based on the relevant literature and some suggestions for researchers were put forward.

Beyond "Facebook Addiction": The Role of Cognitive-Related Factors and Psychiatric Distress in Social Networking Site Addiction.

The use of social networking sites (SNSs) is rapidly increasing as billions of individuals use SNS platforms regularly to communicate with other users, follow the news, and play browser games. Given the widespread use of SNS platforms, investigating the potential predictors of addictive SNS use beyond Facebook use has become paramount given that most studies so far focused on "Facebook addiction." In this study, a total of 511 English-speaking SNS users (58.1% young adults aged 20-35 years; 64.6% female) were recruited online and asked to complete a battery of standardized psychometric tools assessing participants' sociodemographic characteristics, SNS preferences and patterns of use, SNS addiction, preference for online social interaction, maladaptive cognitions, fear of missing out (FoMo), dysfunctional emotion regulation, and general psychiatric distress. Overall, about 4.9% (n = 25) of all participants could be classed as having a high SNS addiction risk profile. Moreover, the results further indicated that FoMo (β = 0.38), maladaptive cognitions (β = 0.25), and psychiatric distress (β = 0.12) significantly predicted SNS addiction (i.e., p < 0.0001) and accounted for about 61% of the total variance in SNS addiction, with FoMo providing the strongest predictive contribution over and above the effects of sociodemographic variables and patterns of SNS use. The implications of the present findings were discussed in light of extant literature on behavioral addictions and Facebook addiction and further considerations were provided regarding the potential clinical implications for cognitive-based psychological treatment approaches to SNS addiction.

Emotional experience of early traumatic experiences and relationship-specific attachment styles in alcohol-dependent patients

Three standardized instruments were used on this clinical sample of 70 patients in inpatient psychotherapy: (1) Scales for Experiencing Emotions (SEE), (2) Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), (3) Relationship-Specific Attachment Scales for Adults (RASA). The results showed that traumatic experiences in childhood and adolescence as well as relationship-specific attachment styles were indeed associated with deficits in emotional experience and regulation. Especially emotional abuse was associated with deficits in emotional experience. An insecure attachment style was associated with a lower level of acceptance of emotions, a lower level of self-control, and dysfunctional emotion regulation. In particular, the attachment style to the mother seems to be important. These results suggest that a distinction of alcohol-addicted patients, with respect to attachment styles and traumatic experiences in childhood and adolescent, seems to be important in order to define specific interventions to improve the ability to regulate emotions.

The dimensions and mechanisms of mindfulness in regulating aggressive behaviors.

On the basis of the notion that the ability to exert self-control is critical to the regulation of aggressive behaviors, we suggest that mindfulness, an aspect of the self-control process, plays a key role in curbing workplace aggression. In particular, we note the conceptual and empirical distinctions between dimensions of mindfulness (i.e., mindful awareness and mindful acceptance) and investigate their respective abilities to regulate workplace aggression. In an experimental study (Study 1), a multiwave field study (Study 2a), and a daily diary study (Study 2b), we established that the awareness dimension, rather than the acceptance dimension, of mindfulness plays a more critical role in attenuating the association between hostility and aggression. In a second multiwave field study (Study 3), we found that mindful awareness moderates the association between hostility and aggression by reducing the extent to which individuals use dysfunctional emotion regulation strategies (i.e., surface acting), rather than by reducing the extent to which individuals engage in dysfunctional thought processes (i.e., rumination). The findings are discussed in terms of the implications of differentiating the dimensions and mechanisms of mindfulness for regulating workplace aggression. (PsycINFO Database Record

Robot-Enhanced CBT for dysfunctional emotions in social situations for children with ASD

Robot-Enhanced CBT for dysfunctional emotions in social situations for children with ASD

Trait Worry and Neural Correlates of Emotion Regulation

Abstract. Pathological worrying is of high transdiagnostic relevance and is related to maladaptive emotion regulation processes. Dysfunctional emotion regulation and its underlying neural mechanisms might contribute to the maintenance of fear over time. Therefore, this functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study aims at investigating the association of trait worry with neural correlates of emotion regulation. Twenty-six healthy females were instructed to passively look at aversive pictures, to distract themselves with a neutral thought, or to down- and up-regulate negative feelings via cognitive reappraisal in response to repeatedly presented aversive pictures. Trait worry was not related to cognitive reappraisal but to distraction, which leads to a greater reduction of self-reported negative feelings and insula activation in individuals with higher trait worry. The current study indicates that the neural mechanisms underlying distraction seem to be altered in pathological worrying and may prevent adaptive emotional processing of aversive stimuli leading to the maintenance of fear.

The Predictive Role of Emotion Regulation Strategies on Depressive and Psychosomatic Symptoms in Adolescents

The main purpose of the current study was to investigate the predictive role of emotion regulation strategies on depression and psychosomatic symptoms in adolescents. The secondary purpose was to examine the predictive role of some demographic variables on depression and psychosomatic symptoms. The participants for this study comprised 319 high school students [G = 155 (48.6%), B = 164 (51.4%)], attending three high schools from 9th to 11th grade, and representing different socioeconomic levels in Diyarbakir city center. A Personal Data Form was used to gather data regarding demographic variables. The Turkish version the Children’s Depression Inventory, Regulation of Emotions Questionnaire, and Psychosomatic Subscale of Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale were the instruments of the study. Standard regression analysis revealed that academic achievement and grade level were significant predictors of depressive symptoms, while academic achievement and gender variables had predictive power for psychosomatic symptoms. Moreover, hierarchical regression analysis indicated that all emotion regulation strategies played a predictive role in depression, while internal dysfunctional emotion regulation strategies and external dysfunctional emotion regulation strategies were significant predictors of psychosomatic symptoms. Taking into consideration that the research findings revealed that emotion regulation strategies played a predictive role on both depression and psychosomatic symptoms, assisting adolescents to develop functional emotion regulation strategies may improve the mental health quality of adolescents.

Pathways to positivity from perceived stress in adolescents: multiple mediation of emotion regulation and coping strategies

&lt;b&gt;Background &lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; The current study aimed to examine the multiple mediation of emotion regulation and coping strategies in the relationship between perceived stress and positivity in adolescents. &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;b&gt;Participants and procedure&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Participants included 312 adolescents attending high schools. 162 of the participants were female and 150 were male, with an average age of 16.26, SD = 1.21. Data collection was conducted with the Perceived Stress Scale, the Emotion Regulation Scale for Adolescents, the Coping Scale for Children and Youth, and the Positivity Scale. Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, regression based on ordinary least squares, and the bootstrap method were used to analyze the research data. &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;b&gt;Results&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; The research findings indicated that internal dysfunctional emotion regulation, assistance seeking, problem solving, and behavioral avoidance mediated the relationship between perceived stress and positivity. &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;b&gt;Conclusion&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; In conclusion, internal dysfunctional emotion regulation, seeking assistance, problem solving, and behavioral avoidance were found to mediate the relationship between adolescents’ perceived stress and positivity. Thus, preparing individual and group psychological counseling as well as emotion regulation and coping-oriented psycho-educational programs for adolescents to regulate negative emotions and to cope with stress may be important. The research findings were discussed and interpreted based on the relevant literature, and suggestions for relevant experts were included.

Anxiety with and Without New Technology Among Romanian High School Students

Nowadays, the new technology defines the classroom and students’ and teachers’ life. Sometimes the attitude towards technology use is marked by negative dysfunctional emotion, anxiety, fear, avoidance or dependence. This paper focuses both on the anxiety with the new technology and on the anxiety without technology. Our research aims to examine the attitudes and behaviours of Romanian high school students regarding trendy technologies, such as computers, internet and smartphones, including the access to social networking applications. The following tools were used: CARS (Heinssen, Glass, - Knight, 1987), IAS (Nickel and Pinto, 1986), four scales from MTUAS (Rosen, Whaling, Carrier, Cheever, and Rokkum, 2013), the Use of Smartphones for Learning Purposes Scale-USLS and a socio-demographic questionnaire. There were 517 participants distributed in two studies. The findings showed some differences concerning gender, age, specialization and academic performance, as well as an evolution of participants from the anxiety towards the computer (highest with females) to the anxiety without technology (similar for females and males). School performance is negatively associated with computer anxiety and Facebook activities. The study is important in the Romanian context, where computers, internet and smartphone penetration is more pronounced with younger people. Pedagogical issues of the research are also discussed, anxiety having a double function, as an endogenous and exogenous factor with respect to one’s academic and professional development.