Greater Negative Emotions Research Articles

Characteristics of people who report firearm suicidal ideation in the USA

ObjectivesFirearms are the most common method of suicide, yet little is known about the attributes of people who contemplate firearm suicide. The objective of this study was to describe people...

Associations between caregiver-adolescent emodiversity and internalizing symptoms.

Relationships between adolescents and primary caregivers play an important role in the development of internalizing (depressive and anxious) symptoms. We examined associations among caregiver-adolescent emotions and their emodiversity (their breadth and frequency) with adolescents' and caregivers' internalizing symptoms. A total of 181 adolescents (aged 13-17 years old) and their primary caregivers participated in a 14-day daily diary study between 2022 and 2023 where they reported their emotions at the end of each day. We used actor-partner interdependence models to examine whether positive and negative emotions and their emodiversity predicted each individual's and their family member's internalizing symptoms. Primary results concentrated on the actor effects of adolescents' and caregivers' mean levels of positive and negative emotions and their own internalizing symptoms. Greater negative emotion and lower positive emotion were associated with greater internalizing symptoms, for both caregivers and adolescents. Caregivers who showed greater positive emodiversity also showed greater internalizing symptoms. In contrast, relatively few partner effects were observed. Our findings point to the need for more research on the role of interpersonal emotions in daily life as they relate to internalizing symptoms. Although our sample captured diversity in ethnicity, results may not generalize across levels of socioeconomic status, gender identity, and caregiver education.

Pathological personality domains and punishment-enhanced error-related negativity

The error-related negativity (ERN) is an event-related potential that is observed after the commission of an error and is hypothesized to index threat sensitivity. The ERN is associated with multiple psychiatric disorders, but it is unclear if similar results are due to higher-order dimensions of psychopathology. When errors are punished, the ERN is further enhanced, which might better isolate threat sensitivity. However, few studies have examined whether psychopathology is associated with punishment enhancement of the ERN. In a clinical sample of 170 adults, the present study examined the association between pathological personality domains and predictable vs. unpredictable punishment-enhanced ERN. Results indicated that the ERN was enhanced when errors were punished compared to not punished. Greater negative emotionality was associated with a greater predictable punishment-enhanced ERN, while greater disinhibition was associated with smaller predictable punishment-enhanced ERN. The study suggests that higher-order pathological personality domains demonstrate discriminate relationships with punishment-enhanced error-related brain activity.

Perceived Impacts of the Expanded Child Tax Credit Cessation Based on Family Income Level.

The 2021 Expanded Child Tax Credit (ECTC) lifted millions of children out of poverty and drastically improved well-being. These impacts were particularly salient for families with lower income among those who received the full ECTC benefit. This study gathered lived experiences on the ECTC cessation and explored differential impacts across income levels to inform discussions around policy restoration. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents who had a child (2-12 years) who received the full ECTC. Interviews occurred in May 2022 after the ECTC ended. Changes in financial security and health were assessed. Families were classified as having lower vs. higher income (LI; n=19 vs. HI; n=19) corresponding to household income below vs. above 200% of the Federal Poverty Line. Inductive analysis and constant-comparison methods generated themes on similarities/differences between groups. Results indicated families with LI experienced severe financial constraints and greater negative emotions, after the ECTC ended. Many reduced spending, budgeted, accepted financial support from family/friends, and delayed credit card payments. More families with HI reported the ECTC provided a financial buffer placingthem in a more secure position to meet current needs. Both groups reported negative impacts from inflation coinciding with the ECTC ending and minimal changes in their income tax return. Families overwhelmingly reported a desire for the ECTC to continue, despite experiencing different degrees of impact due to these financial changes. Families with LI faced greater hardships after the ECTC ended. Differences across income highlight the need for ECTC restoration, particularly for families in severely under-resourced circumstances.

Early life stress is associated with greater negative emotionality and peripheral inflammation in alcohol use disorder

Early life stress (ELS) increases risk for psychiatric illness, including alcohol use disorder (AUD). Researchers have hypothesized that individuals with and without a history of ELS who have the same primary DSM-5 diagnosis are clinically and biologically distinct. While there is strong support for this hypothesis in the context of mood disorders, the hypothesis remains largely untested in the context of AUD. This study investigated the impact of ELS on the neuroclinical phenomenology and inflammatory profile of individuals with AUD. Treatment-seeking adults with AUD (N = 163) completed the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Questionnaire and phenotypic battery as part of a pharmacotherapy trial for AUD (NCT03594435). Participants were classified as having “no-ELS,” (ACE = 0) “moderate-ELS,” (ACE = 1, 2 or 3) or “high-ELS” (ACE = 4 + ). The Addictions Neuroclinical Assessment domains incentive salience and negative emotionality were derived and used to assess the neuroclinical phenomenology of AUD. We tested (1) cumulative ELS as a predictor of ANA domains and (2) ELS group differences in ANA domains. A subset of participants (N = 98) provided blood samples for a biomarker of peripheral inflammation (C-reactive protein; CRP); analyses were repeated with CRP as the outcome variable. Greater ELS predicted higher negative emotionality and elevated CRP, but not incentive salience. The high-ELS group exhibited greater negative emotionality compared with the no-ELS and moderate-ELS groups, with no difference between the latter two groups. The high-ELS group exhibited elevated CRP compared with the no/moderate-ELS group. Findings suggest that high-ELS exposure is associated with a unique AUD neuroclinical presentation marked by greater negative emotionality, and inflammatory profile characterized by elevated peripheral CRP.

Algorithmic gender bias: investigating perceptions of discrimination in automated decision-making

ABSTRACT With the widespread use of artificial intelligence and automated decision-making (ADM), concerns are increasing about automated decisions biased against certain social groups, such as women and racial minorities. The public's skepticism and the danger of algorithmic discrimination are widely acknowledged, yet the role of key factors constituting the context of discriminatory situations is underexplored. This study examined people’s perceptions of gender bias in ADM, focusing on three factors influencing the responses to discriminatory automated decisions: the target of discrimination (subject vs. other), the gender identity of the subject, and situational contexts that engender biases. Based on a randomised experiment (N = 602), we found stronger negative reactions to automated decisions that discriminate against the gender group of the subject than those discriminating against other gender groups, evidenced by lower perceived fairness and trust in ADM, and greater negative emotion and tendency to question the outcome. The negative reactions were more pronounced among participants in underserved gender groups than men. Also, participants were more sensitive to biases in economic and occupational contexts than in other situations. These findings suggest that perceptions of algorithmic biases should be understood in relation to the public's lived experience of inequality and injustice in society.

The Longitudinal Associations of Body Dissatisfaction with Health and Wellness Behaviors in Midlife and Older Women.

Emerging research suggests that body dissatisfaction (BD) is prevalent among midlife and older women (i.e., upwards of 70%). Cross-sectionally, BD is associated with myriad poor health and wellness outcomes (e.g., depression, disordered eating, bad nutrition) in midlife/older women. However, relatively few studies have examined the longitudinal relations between BD and health outcomes in this population. This preliminary study investigated the longitudinal associations of BD with wellbeing and health-related quality of life (QOL) among midlife/older adult women over one year. Participants (n = 86, women aged 40-72 years, M = 51.49, SD = 7.34, 86% white) completed self-report measures of BD, psychosocial impairment, health behaviors, and QOL at baseline (T1) and 12-month follow-up (T2). A series of multiple linear regression models included T1 BD as the predictor variable of health outcomes at T2, covarying for T1 BMI and age in all models. BD was associated with greater negative emotions and psychosocial impairment, less physical activity enjoyment, and poorer physical, psychological, and social QOL one year later. Findings suggest that BD is associated with negative consequences for women across the lifespan (ƒ2 ranges = 0.06-0.60). Future research investigating BD as a unique, modifiable risk factor for health outcomes among diverse samples of midlife/older women is warranted. Targeting BD in interventions may improve health indices beyond eating disorders for this population.

Deviations in stress and support: Associations with parenting emotions across the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stress is a potent disruptor of parents' emotional well-being and interactions with their children. In the context of the early months of the unfolding pandemic, parents' stress likely fluctuated, with downstream impacts on their parenting experiences. The sample consisted of 72 Latina mothers who participated in a 15-20-min phone interview roughly once a month between March 2020 and January 2021. Mothers were asked about their experiences of stress, the quality of partner support, and their emotional experience of parenting. Analyses revealed that mothers' experiences of stress were high at the beginning of the pandemic and slowly decreased as time went on, though this decline eventually leveled off. Partner support and mothers' emotional experiences of parenting, on the other hand, did not change across the first 10 months of the pandemic. Collectively, the within and between analyses revealed that stress (individually), and stress and support (interactively) were associated with mothers' emotional experiences while interacting with their children. Between-subjects analyses revealed greater stress was associated with greater negative emotions during parenting, though support did not buffer this association. Within-subjects analyses revealed a quadratic association between stress and positive parenting emotions, such that at lower levels of stress, increases in stress were associated with more positive than typical emotions during parenting. However, the inclusion of social support into the model as a moderator revealed that when mothers received less support than typical from their partners, mothers' greater experience of stress was associated with their greater experience of negativity during parent-child interactions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Temperament and behaviour problems in children: A multilevel analysis of cross‐cultural differences

AbstractEarly temperament attributes have been linked to emerging behaviour problems and significant long‐term consequences; however, these relations are rarely examined cross‐culturally. The present study addresses this gap, employing multilevel modelling to explain within‐ and between‐culture variances with respect to temperament predicting a spectrum of behaviour problems across 14 nations from the Joint Effort Toddler Temperament Consortium (JETTC). A total of 865 children between 17 and 40 months, with approximately equal age distribution across this developmental period and about equivalent representation of genders, were recruited from 14 nations. Greater negative emotionality was associated with more internalizing problems, whereas higher surgency and effortful control predicted fewer internalizing difficulties. Controlling for age and gender, temperament explained significant within‐ and between‐culture variances in internalizing and externalizing problems (at the broad‐band and fine‐grained levels), as well as sleep problems. For internalizing difficulties, temperament accounted for more between‐culture variance. In contrast, for externalizing difficulties, temperament accounted more for how individuals within the same culture differed from their same‐culture counterparts. The within‐culture findings suggest universal patterns of temperament‐problem relations, informing cultural adaptation of interventions; between‐culture findings enhance understanding of the implications of the cultural niche for normative behaviour and adjustment.

METACOGNITION AND EMOTIONS IN OLDER AFRICAN AMERICAN ADULTS

Abstract Older adults in the earliest stages of cognitive decline often present with subjective cognitive complaints which may not be fully reflected in objective measures of cognition. Previous research suggests that a relationship exists between negative emotions, stress and metacognition, but these relationships have not yet been examined in the context of COVID-19. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of stress and emotions in perceived cognition in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Telephone screenings were administered to 206 older African Americans (aged 64–94 years). Objective cognition (Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status [TICS]), subjective cognition (Cognitive Change Questionnaire [CCQ]), perceived stress scale 4 (PSS-4), and survey questions about affective responses to COVID-19 experiences were measured. Objective TICS scores predicted subjective CCQ executive function scores (F(1, 197)=4.37, p=.038, R2=.022). Discrepancy scores were calculated as the standardized residual variance between objective and subjective measures. Survey items describing emotional states were summarized with emodiversity scores following Quoidbach and colleagues’ (2014) formula. Discrepancy scores were correlated with perceived stress, as well as global and negative emodiversity (Spearman r=.294, .279, .318, p<.001). In conclusion, we have shown that objective and subjective measures of cognition are related, but discrepancies exist between objectively-measured and self-perceived cognition. Increased stress and greater negative emotions are associated with greater overestimation of cognitive difficulties relative to one’s objective level of cognition. As stress and negative emotions have increased for many during the pandemic, individuals may also have depreciated their self-appraisal of cognitive abilities in the present climate.

Marital negativity’s festering wounds: The emotional, immunological, and relational toll of couples’ negative communication patterns

BackgroundDyadic stress theories and research suggest that couples’ negative communication patterns threaten immune and emotional health, leaving partners vulnerable to illness. Spouses’ relationship perceptions can also color how they see and react to marital discussions. To identify pathways linking distressed marriages to poor health, this study examined how self-reported typical communication patterns augmented discussion-based behavioral effects on spouses’ blister wound healing, emotions, and discussion evaluations. MethodsMarried couples completed two 24-hour in-person visits where they had their blood drawn to measure baseline interleukin-6 (IL-6), received suction blister wounds, reported their typical communication patterns (demand/withdraw strategies, mutual discussion avoidance, mutual constructive communication), and engaged in marital discussions. Discussions were recorded and coded for positive and negative behaviors using the Rapid Marital Interaction Coding System (RMICS). Immediately after the discussions, spouses rated their emotions and evaluated the discussion tone and outcome. Wound healing was measured for 12 days. ResultsCouples who reported typically using more demand/withdraw or mutual avoidance patterns had higher baseline IL-6, slower wound healing, greater negative emotion, lower positive emotion, and poorer discussion evaluations. In contrast, couples reporting more mutual constructive patterns reported more favorable discussion evaluations. Additionally, couples’ more negative and less positive patterns exacerbated behavioral effects: Spouses had wounds that healed more slowly, reported lower positive emotion, and evaluated the discussions less positively if their typical patterns and discussion-based behaviors were more negative and less positive. ConclusionsCouples’ typical communication patterns—including how often they use demand/withdraw, mutual avoidance, and mutual constructive patterns—may color spouses’ reactions to marital discussions, amplifying the biological, emotional, and relational impact. These findings help explain how distressed marriages take a toll on spouses’ health.

Predictors of persistent alcohol use disorder and co-occurring depressive symptoms: Insights from the longitudinal college experiences study.

Problematic alcohol use and depression are prevalent in the college student population. The purpose of this study was to identify how personality and social-contextual factors in the first year of college work together to predict stable and potentially co-occurring alcohol use disorder (AUD) and depressive symptoms over a period of approximately 4 years. Participants were first-year college students from the Southeastern United States (N = 209, 90% white, 62% female). Baseline data were collected in the first year of college and follow-up assessments were completed ~1 and ~4 years later (retention rates: 80%+, average ages ~19, 20, and 23 years, respectively). At each assessment, participants completed a comprehensive online survey assessing mental health and substance use, as well as personality, social support, stress, sleep, and other features of peer and romantic partner affiliations. Results from our random-intercept cross-lagged panel model indicated AUD and depressive symptoms were more likely to co-occur in the transition out of rather than into college. Significant predictors of stable AUD symptoms across the ~4-year period included greater alcohol quantity, marijuana frequency, affiliation with antisocial/substance-using peers, and frequency of drinking with romantic partner in the first year of college. Significant predictors of stable depressive symptoms included greater constraint, greater negative emotionality, lower positive emotionality, greater stress, and less weekday sleep. Findings suggest that personality factors, stress, and sleep in the first year of college may be useful targets to screen for in efforts to reduce long-term depressive symptoms in the college context. Disrupting affiliation with antisocial/substance-using peers and romantic partners and reducing the high quantity of alcohol and frequency of marijuana may be more relevant to reducing long-term problematic alcohol use. Implications for incorporating individually-tailored approaches to prevention/intervention are addressed.

The significance of early temperamental reactivity for children's social competence with peers: A meta-analytic review and comparison with the role of early attachment.

Early temperamental reactivity and attachment security are key predictors of children's social competence with peers. Leveraging meta-analytic evaluation of the significance of early attachment for social competence already available (Groh et al., 2014), this quantitative review examined the significance of early temperamental reactivity for social competence with peers and compared the strength of this association with that for attachment. Based on 140 independent samples (u = 382; N = 49,891), the meta-analytic association between early difficult temperament and (lower) social competence was significant (r = 0.13, z = 0.13; 95% CI [0.11, 0.16]), but decreased as time between assessments increased. Findings were similar for negative and positive emotionality. Greater negative emotionality was associated with lower social competence (r = 0.14, z = 0.14; 95% CI [0.11, 0.17], k = 93, u = 172), and greater positive emotionality was associated with better social competence (r = 0.18, z = 0.18; 95% CI [0.12, 0.24], k = 43, u = 54). Meta-analytic associations were reduced when overlapping informants and overlapping items in temperament and social competence assessments were excluded (difficult temperament: r = 0.10, z = 0.10; 95% CI [0.06, 0.13]; negative emotionality: r = 0.10, z = 0.10; 95% CI [0.05, 0.15]; positive emotionality: r = 0.10, z = 0.10; 95% CI [0.06, 0.14]). Meta-analytic associations between these broadband temperament dimensions and social competence were smaller than the meta-analytic association between attachment security and social competence. Discussion focuses on the developmental significance of early temperament for social competence and ways to reconcile literatures on early temperament and attachment in future research on the developmental antecedents of children's social competence. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

The Effect of Subjective Loss in Financial Risk Taking and Negative Emotion.

The current research examined the influence of subjective loss on financial risk-taking tendency and negative emotional experience through inducing the experience of subjective loss in auction scenarios. In Study 1, we found that the subjective loss experience (compared to no-loss experience) in an auction scenario induced greater financial risk propensity, especially in gambling, greater negative emotion, and greater decision regret. In addition, we found that the subjective loss experience induced stronger negative emotion but less risk propensity in investment than the actual loss experience did, but these two types of loss did not yield a difference in risk propensity in gambling in Study 2. These results implicate that subjective loss is a distinct experience from no-loss and actual loss experiences, which is reflected by the degree of associated emotional experience and subsequent risk-taking propensity. The current research highlights the complex psychological processes of the experience of loss in decision-making contexts.

Emotion regulation of social exclusion: a cross-cultural study

Social exclusion is harmful to basic human needs. Emotion regulation represents a potential coping strategy. As culture can influence how people react and regulate their emotions, this study examined whether emotional reaction and regulation in response to social exclusion differ between individualistic and collectivistic cultures. A total of 80 college students, half White (n = 40, recruited in Manchester, UK) and half East Asian (n = 40, recruited in Shenzhen, China) viewed social exclusion pictures expressed by same-race or other-race characters. Both groups of participants viewed these pictures under no-reappraisal (passive viewing) and reappraisal (reinterpretation) conditions. Participants rated their vicarious negative emotional experience after each picture presentation. Results showed that both White and East Asian participants expressed greater negative emotion and showed stronger emotion regulation effects when facing own-race social exclusion, i.e., the “own-race bias”. In addition, White participants were more capable of regulating the negative emotions elicited by social exclusion compared to East Asian participants. Findings highlight the importance of considering the role of culture in emotional reaction to and emotion regulation of social exclusion, which may help the development of appropriate interventions across diverse populations.

Comparison of Emotional Dysregulation Features in Cyclothymia and Adult ADHD.

Background and Objectives: Emotional dysregulation is central to the problem of the overlap between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and cyclothymia. The aim of the study was to evaluate comorbidity rates between ADHD and cyclothymic disorder and to explore demographic and clinical differences among the groups, focusing on affective temperament and emotional dysregulation. Materials and Methods: One hundred sixty-five outpatients attending the Second Psychiatry Unit at the Santa Chiara University Hospital (Pisa) were consecutively recruited: 80 were diagnosed with ADHD, 60 with cyclothymic disorder, and 25 with both conditions. Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris, and San Diego (TEMPS-M) and the 40-item version of Reactivity, Intensity, Polarity, and Stability questionnaire (RI-PoSt-40) were administered. Results: Cyclothymic patients were more frequently female and older with respect to the ADHD groups. Both comorbid and non-comorbid ADHD patients showed significantly lower educational attainment and more frequently had substance use disorders. Panic disorder was common in non-comorbid cyclothymic patients, who showed significantly higher rates of familial panic disorder, major depressive disorder and suicide attempts in comparison with patients only diagnosed with ADHD. Cyclothymic patients without ADHD were also characterized by fewer hyperthymic temperamental traits, higher depressive and anxious dispositions, and a greater negative emotionality. No significant differences among groups were observed for cyclothymic temperament and overall negative emotional dysregulation, but comorbid patients with both conditions scored the highest in these subscales. This group also showed significantly higher affective instability with respect to ADHD patients without cyclothymia and was less frequently diagnosed with bipolar disorder type II than patients from both the other groups. Conclusions: ADHD and cyclothymia often co-occur and show similar levels of emotional dysregulation. However, cyclothymic patients may be more prone to negative emotionality in clinical settings. Subjects with “sunny” cyclothymic features might escape the attention of clinicians unless ADHD is present.

Emotional Vulnerability to Short Sleep Predicts Increases in Chronic Health Conditions Across 8 Years.

Sleep is a robust determinant of next-day emotions, but people vary in the extent that their emotions fluctuate on days following short sleep duration. These individual differences in day-to-day sleep and emotion dynamics may have long-term health implications. To evaluate emotional vulnerability to short sleep (within-person associations between sleep duration and next-day emotions) as a risk factor for future chronic conditions. Adults aged 33-84 (N = 1,426; 57% female) in the Midlife in the United States Study reported sleep duration and emotions by telephone for eight consecutive days. Chronic conditions were assessed via checklist at baseline and at a median follow-up of eight years (range: 5-10 years). Short sleep was examined in three ways: person-centered continuous variable, ≤6 hr, and <7 hr; long sleep was defined as ≥9 hr. Multilevel structural equation models revealed that people with greater negative emotions following nights of sleep ≤6 hr (vs. their negative emotions after longer sleep) had increased chronic conditions at follow-up, compared to people who were less emotionally vulnerable to short sleep (Est. = 1.04, SE = .51, p < .028). Smaller declines in positive emotions following ≤6 hr of sleep were marginally predictive of lower risk for chronic conditions (Est. = -.77, SE = .44, p = .054). Emotional vulnerability to <7, ≥9, and continuous sleep hours were not associated with subsequent chronic conditions. Emotional vulnerability to short sleep is a unique risk factor for the development of chronic conditions, independent of mean-level sleep duration and emotions.

The double burden of racial discrimination in daily-life moments: Increases in negative emotions and depletion of psychosocial resources among emerging adult African Americans.

Objective: Racial discrimination is a common experience for African Americans, but no research has examined how discrimination reported in daily-life moments influences concurrent negative emotions and psychosocial resources. Method: Emerging adult African Americans (N = 54) reported hourly on momentary racial discrimination, negative emotions, and psychosocial resources across two days. Results: Controlling for past discrimination and trait emotion, momentary racial discrimination was associated with greater negative emotions and lower psychosocial resources (ps < .05). The relationship between momentary racial discrimination and negative emotions was stronger among individuals residing in areas with fewer African Americans (simple slope p < .0001). The relationship between momentary racial discrimination and psychosocial resources was stronger among individuals reporting greater past discrimination (simple slope p < .0001). Vicarious discrimination (exposure to discrimination experienced by another person) was associated with higher negative emotions (p < .01), but not with psychosocial resources. Conclusion: These results are the first to demonstrate that personal and vicarious racial discrimination are associated with negative emotions and lower coping resources in daily-life moments and that contextual factors modify these associations. Results refine our understanding of the immediate sequelae of discrimination in daily life and point to possible targets for ecological momentary interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Neighborhood Disadvantage and Mental Health: Test of a Parallel Mediation Model through Social Support and Negative Emotionality

ABSTRACT According to the life stress model, stressful circumstances occur in the context of social, psychological, and environmental features that can function as either resources or aggravating factors, each of which are associated with well-being. This research was designed to test indirect effects of living in disadvantaged neighborhoods on mental health, through reduced social support and increased negative emotionality. This model was tested with data from a national sample of 1050 adults residing in the United States. Participants completed measures of social support, negative emotionality, depression, loneliness, stress, and alcohol consumption. These scores were merged with data from the 2015 American Community Survey to assess indicators of neighborhood disadvantage at the zip code level. The test of a parallel mediation model with structural equation modeling indicated that neighborhood disadvantage did not have direct effects on either psychological distress or alcohol consumption. However, neighborhood disadvantage was associated with greater negative emotionality, and through negative emotionality, exhibited indirect effects on psychological distress and alcohol consumption. These results are consistent with elements of the life stress model that specify various psychosocial traits as maladaptive in the context of stressful environments.

Negative urgency combined with negative emotionality is linked to eating disorder psychopathology in community women with and without binge eating.

Previous research has shown that negative emotionality (NE) and negative urgency (NU) are each risk factors for disordered eating behaviors among undergraduates and treatment-seekers. However, the interaction of these traits in community-based adults with clinical levels of binge eating is unknown and has implications for risk and maintenance models of disordered eating. We examined a moderated-mediation model of cross-sectional associations among levels of NE (independent variable), NU (mediator), and eating disorder psychopathology (i.e., eating, shape, and weight concerns, and restraint; dependent variable) in 68 community-recruited women with current regular binge eating and 75 control women with no eating disorder history (group = moderator). Participants completed semi-structured diagnostic interviews and self-report questionnaires measuring NE, NU, eating disorder psychopathology, and anxiety and depression symptoms. After adjusting for anxiety and depression symptoms and body mass index, women with binge eating experienced greater NU and eating disorder psychopathology than control women with no eating disorder history. Despite similar levels of NE across groups, both groups exhibited an indirect effect of NE on eating disorder psychopathology via NU. Our findings suggest that greater NE, coupled with a propensity to engage in rash action when experiencing negative emotions, are associated with eating disorder psychopathology in women with and without eating disorders characterized by binge eating. These findings may help explain why some individuals engage in disordered eating behaviors when experiencing negative affect.