Maladaptive Emotion Regulation Research Articles

Longitudinal prediction of primary school children's COVID-related future anxiety in the second year of the pandemic in Germany.

Although research has confirmed that the first COVID-19-related lockdown has increased stress and mental health problems in children, less is known about the longer-term effects of the pandemic on children's COVID-related future anxiety (CRFA). Because of CRFA's potentially debilitating effects, risk and resilience factors against this anxiety were investigated. To this end, n = 140 children (49% female) in 3rd and 4th grade classrooms in Germany were asked to perform a working memory task and to self-report about their CRFA and emotion regulation in December 2020 and in May 2021. More maladaptive emotion regulation in December 2020 contributed to the explanation of a high CRFA score in May 2021, whereas a better performance on working memory updating contributed a lower CRFA score later when controls were in place. These results were confirmed when children's CRFA in December 2020 was included in the prediction of their later CRFA. They suggest that maladaptive strategies of emotion regulation, such as rumination, may explain higher or increasing levels of CRFA, whereas efficient working memory updating may be an indicator of processing information in a way which shields children from CRFA-related thoughts. The concepts underlying these variables should be included in prevention and intervention efforts.

Maternal distress during the COVID-19 outbreak: A socio-ecological perspective.

Mothers faced an increased risk of adverse mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to other populations. However, there is little data on the factors that placed mothers at increased risk of distress. The present study explored a range of individual, familial, and environmental factors associated with psychological distress in mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic. This repeated cross-sectional study was composed of a convenience sample of mothers who completed an online survey that included a demographic questionnaire, an emotion regulation questionnaire, and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress scale. The survey was administered during the second and third lockdowns in Israel in 2020-2021. The study included 575 mothers (M age = 39). The findings of a hierarchical regression indicated that individual-level factors, composed of age and emotion regulation tendencies predicted psychological distress. The family-level factors of household income and number of children in the family also predicted distress. In terms of environmental-level factors, COVID-19-related media consumption and school status (open or closed) were also significant predictors of psychological distress. Importantly, the results showed that the most important predictors of psychological distress in mothers during the COVID-19 outbreak were school closures, household income, and the use of adaptive and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies. The findings highlight the intersection of individual, familial, and environmental factors in mothers' mental health during crises.

Momentary Emotion Regulation Strategies and Pain Experience Among Adults With Chronic Pain: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study.

The intention of this study was to characterize the real-time momentary relationship between emotion regulation strategies and the pain experience (ie intensity, interference, and negative affect) among adults with chronic pain. Chronic pain is a significant public health concern. Psychological treatments are effective for treating chronic pain, but long-term follow-up studies are limited, and treatment effect sizes are small. Identifying modifiable treatment targets, such as emotion regulation (ER), is critical to improve interventions. ER (ie, cognitive and attentional strategies to modulate or maintain emotional experience) has been linked to psychopathology and pain experience in adults. Yet, the existing work is limited and has largely focused on the relationship between emotional experience, not ER, and pain. The current study utilized ecological momentary assessment 53 adults with chronic pain. Participants completed ecological momentary assessments of pain experience and ER strategies 5 times a day for 7 days. Associations by specific strategy type were also examined, highlighting the importance of worry, experiential avoidance, rumination, and expressive suppression in pain experience. Results of the current study provide evidence for the association between within-person maladaptive ER strategies and pain intensity ( b = 2.11, SE = 0.37, P < 0.001), pain interference ( b = 1.25, SE = 0.40, P = 0.002), and pain-related negative affect ( b = 2.20, SE = 0.41, P < 0.001). (77.4% females; M age = 27.10 y, SD = 5.16 y). Given that ER is readily targeted in psychological treatments for chronic pain, the results from the current study provide initial evidence to target these ER strategies in treatment.

Believing in conspiracy theories: The role of emotional granularity and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies

AbstractThe COVID‐19 pandemic has accelerated the spread of conspiracy theories. Previous research has found that individuals who struggle with emotion regulation are more prone to believing in conspiracy theories. Emotional granularity, or the ability to differentiate between nuanced emotional states, is a key component of effective emotion regulation, yet its relationship with conspiracy beliefs has not been explored thoroughly. Thus, we conducted an experience‐sampling study (165 participants, mean age = 26.32 years) including measures of emotion regulation and differentiation. The findings revealed that individuals who endorse conspiracy theories engage in repetitive thinking about the causes and consequences of events and exhibit a reduced ability to distinguish between negative emotions. This effect, however, was observed only in the performance‐based measure of emotion differentiation, not in the self‐report measures. This suggests that enhancing emotional granularity may help individuals in regulating their emotions more effectively, thereby reducing their vulnerability to adopt conspiracy beliefs.

A network approach to language learning burnout, negative emotions, and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies

A network approach to language learning burnout, negative emotions, and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies

The moderating role of catastrophizing in day-to-day dynamic stress and depressive symptoms.

The way individuals handle daily stressors can significantly influence their mental health. Those who struggle with emotion regulation are especially vulnerable to the negative effects of stress. This study explored the role of catastrophizing, a maladaptive emotion regulation strategy, in shaping the relationships between daily stress responses and depressive symptoms. A total of 75 healthy college students participated in the study. We adopted an Ecological Momentary Assessment protocol over 14 consecutive days to capture the day-to-day dynamics of stress reactivity and recovery. Our findings indicate that individuals with higher levels of catastrophizing exhibited increased daily stress reactivity and delayed daily stress recovery, consequently raising their likelihood of experiencing amplified depressive symptoms. In contrast, those with lower levels of catastrophizing did not experience the same negative effects of increased daily stress reactivity on their mental health. These results enhance understanding of how real-life stressors contribute to the development of mental health issues and underscore the importance of adaptive emotion regulation for improved overall health and well-being.

Attachment insecurities, emotion dynamics and stress in intimate relationships during the transition to parenthood

BackgroundIn intimate relationships, which are characterized by emotional interdependence, partners act as attachment figures which serve emotion regulation functions. The experience of emotions as well as the strategies that partners use to regulate them and to respond to relational experiences, especially during stressful periods, differ greatly according to their attachment orientation. An important aspect in emotion dynamics is emotional inertia, which reflects the degree to which a person’s current affective state is resistant to change on a moment-to-moment basis. Inertia has been related to maladaptive emotion regulation strategies, like suppression and rumination, preferentially used by highly anxious and avoidant individuals. The aim of this study is to examine associations between attachment orientations and reports on the experience of positive and negative affect, and their dynamics in daily life across the transition to parenthood.MethodsLongitudinal data from a sample of 152 mixed-gender couples collected across the transition to parenthood was analyzed. We predicted that individuals with a more insecure attachment would report more negative and less positive affect, and that their emotional experience would be more resistant to change over time. We explored effects when participants reported feeling stressed.ResultsThe data suggested that attachment anxiety was associated with less positive and more negative affect and that attachment avoidance was associated with more positive affect. Anxious individuals showed lower emotional inertia and not higher as we expected. Reported stress for anxious and avoidant individuals was significantly associated with more negative but not less positive affect.ConclusionsResults are discussed in the light of their impact on couples during stressful periods. Differences between anxiety and avoidance are found, emphasizing the importance of attachment insecurities on the experience of emotion. Furthermore, our findings on momentary fluctuating affect offer complementary insight into the emotional functioning of individuals with different attachment orientations.

The Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Emotion Regulation, Behavioral Symptoms, and Academic Performance of Children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Background: Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) frequently struggle with emotional regulation, behavioral issues, and academic performance, leading to peer rejection and social isolation. Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the effects of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on emotion regulation, behavioral symptoms, and academic performance of children with ADHD. Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted using a pretest-posttest design. The study population consisted of all primary school students with ADHD aged 7 - 11, as well as their mothers, in Amol in 2021. A purposive sample of 30 individuals was selected for the study. Participants were assigned to either the ACT training group (n = 15) or the control group (n = 15) through a simple random allocation. The participants in the study filled out questionnaires on emotion regulation, children's behavioral symptoms, and academic performance. The data was analyzed using an analysis of covariance. Results: In the pretest phase, the scores for adaptive emotion regulation strategies, maladaptive emotion regulation strategies, behavioral symptoms, and academic performance were 43.07 ± 6.05, 65.13 ± 9.27, 91.20 ± 12.58, and 128.47 ± 29.84, respectively; whereas in the posttest phase, they were 61.20 ± 8.01, 52.00 ± 6.00, 67.13 ± 12.73, and 159.73 ± 21.11, respectively. Acceptance and commitment therapy resulted in enhanced emotion regulation strategies and academic performance, as well as a decrease in behavioral symptoms in children with ADHD (P &lt; 0.001). Conclusions: Given the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy training in emotion regulation, behavioral symptoms, and academic performance, this approach may be employed by counselors and psychologists at counseling and psychotherapy centers to help remedy ADHD.

Empathy and psychopathology in children and adolescents: the role of parental mental illness and emotion regulation.

Although empathy is known to be a strength, recent studies suggest that empathy can be a risk factor for psychopathology under certain conditions in children. This study examines parental mental illness as such a condition. Further, it aims to investigate whether maladaptive emotion regulation (ER) mediates the relationship between empathy and psychopathological symptoms of children. Participants were 100 children of parents with a mental illness (55% female) and 87 children of parents without a mental illness (50% female) aged 6 - 16 years and their parents. Greater cognitive empathy was related to more psychopathological symptoms in COPMI, but not in COPWMI. In addition, in COPMI maladaptive ER mediated this relationship. In contrast, greater affective empathy was associated with more psychopathological symptoms regardless of whether parents had a mental illness. Our findings highlight the importance of implementing preventive programs for COPMI that specifically target the reduction of maladaptive ER.

Not just emotion regulation, but cognition: An experience sampling study testing the relations of ecological interpretation biases and use of emotion regulation strategies with momentary affective states during daily life functioning

BackgroundCurrent research is moving from studying cognitive biases and maladaptive emotion regulation (ER) as relatively stable phenomena contributing to affective disturbances, adopting ecological methodologies, such as Experience Sampling Methods (ESM). However, there is still limited ESM evidence on the interactions between stress and ER strategies’ use, and negative interpretation biases, regarding their relations with momentary affective states. In this study, we used a new ESM design to disentangle the contextual, regulatory and cognitive processes implicated in daily affective experiences. MethodA sample of 103 participants completed an ESM study (3 times a day for 10 days) that included self-reports of momentary affect, stress intensity, ER strategies’ use and a cognitive task measuring momentary negative interpretation biases. ResultsMultilevel analyses supported significant interactions of both rumination and worry with stress intensity, to account for momentary higher negative and lower positive affect levels. Furthermore, higher state negative interpretation bias levels uniquely predicted both higher negative and lower positive momentary affect levels. ConclusionThis study implemented a novel online cognitive task within an ESM procedure, which helped to disentangle how contextual ER strategies’ use and momentary cognitive biases uniquely relate to affective experiences in daily life.

Negative emotional reactivity and maladaptive emotional regulation strategies mediate the prospective relationship between depressive symptoms and insomnia symptoms in individuals with insomnia

BackgroundEmotional reactivity and regulation have been frequently proposed to explain the relationship between insomnia symptoms and depressive symptoms. However, no longitudinal study has examined insomnia symptoms, depressive symptoms, and emotional reactivity and regulation simultaneously and evaluated the mediating role of emotional reactivity and regulation. The current study investigated emotional reactivity and regulation as potential mediators of the relationship between insomnia symptoms and depressive symptoms in a three-wave longitudinal study over three months. MethodsNine hundred and twenty-four participants with clinically significant insomnia were recruited (ages ranging from 16 to 69 years, 72.9 % female). They filled out questionnaires that measured insomnia symptoms, depressive symptoms, emotional reactivity, and the use of emotion regulation strategies once per month for three months. ResultsThe results showed that depressive symptoms predicted insomnia symptoms (but not vice versa) via negative emotional reactivity, rumination, and catastrophizing. LimitationsThis study is limited by its attrition rate (52.9 %) and self-report measures. Participants were individuals with insomnia and mainly young, educated adults, so the generalizability of the findings to other populations might also be limited. ConclusionsThese novel findings highlighted the importance of targeting emotional processes in assessing and treating individuals with insomnia and depression.

Subjective well-being: a pilot study on the importance of emotion regulation, gender identity and sexuality

ABSTRACT The current pilot study focuses on the importance of emotion regulation (ER), gender identity and sexuality for subjective well-being. It is the first large cross-cultural study to examine the difference in use of adaptive and maladaptive ER strategies while differentiating sexual and gender minorities (SGMs) from non-SGMs. An online questionnaire was distributed across 2,485 students in 13 countries using convenience sampling. Multigroup path analysis supported hypothesised model across all groups. Overall, adaptive ER strategies were positively associated with subjective well-being, while maladaptive ER strategies were negatively associated with subjective well-being. SGM participants scored significantly lower on subjective well-being when compared to their non-SGM counterparts. Additionally, SGM participants scored significantly higher on maladaptive ER strategies, and significantly lower on adaptive ER strategies compared to non-SGMs. Further research should focus on tools and ways to increase the use of more adaptive ER strategies in SGMs to improve their well-being.

Depressive symptoms in early adolescence: the dynamic interplay between emotion regulation and affective flexibility.

Individual differences in affective flexibility may be an important factor in understanding how emotion regulation is associated with adolescents’ depressive symptoms. The current study explored the role of affective flexibility as a moderator in the relationship between the use of both adaptive and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies and depressive symptoms in 65 young adolescents (11–13 years). Affective flexibility was indicated by the reaction time and accuracy index on the Emotional Flexible Items Selection Task. Emotion regulation strategies and depressive symptoms were assessed by the use of self-report questionnaires. Contrary to the hypotheses, affective flexibility did not moderate the relationship between emotion regulation and adolescents’ depressive symptoms. Instead, only a direct effect of the use of adaptive emotion regulations strategies on adolescents’ depressive symptoms was found. Additionally, post-hoc analyses revealed that there may exist an indirect relationship between affective flexibility and adolescents’ depressive symptoms through the use of adaptive emotion regulation strategies. These findings help to formulate a better understanding of how emotion regulation and affective flexibility in early adolescents are related to depressive symptoms.

Executive Functions and Competitive Attitudes in Near-Elite Ice Hockey Players

Abstract Ice hockey is considered one of the most competitive sports, and it requires physical and mental preparation to perform appropriately under the pressure of a competitive environment. The present study aims to investigate the impact of competitive sports on executive functions such as emotion regulation, inhibitory control, working memory, and competitive attitudes among near-elite ice hockey players. Near-elite athletes have been gathered (N = 67) from the four Hungarian Ice-Hockey Academies. Our results indicated a small positive association between Canadian points and maladaptive emotion regulation and a slight positive correlation between maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation and false alarms of the N-back task. The result revealed a significant difference between National and Non-National Team members in maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation regarding hypercompetitive attitude. The result of linear regression revealed that maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation significantly predicts false alarms, indicating that the maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation explains 10% of the variance. In conclusion, we highlight the role of the environment, which affects executive functions and competitive attitudes alongside sports performance. Although the findings were mainly correlational, we can conclude that the nature of competitive ice hockey expects certain behavior for the players indifferent of the situation that could lead to emotion suppression, rumi-nation and other maladaptive emotion regulation strategies. We can also conclude that inadequate emotion regulation might be related to the overstimulation of players, characterized by a hypersensitive state to stimuli. We suggest that practitioners ensure the development of adequate competitive attitudes of players to enable long-term physical and psychological benefits.

Positive and Negative Emotion-Regulation Ability Profiles: Links With Strategies, Goals, and Internalizing Symptoms

Emotion regulation (ER) encompasses multiple, interdependent aspects (e.g., abilities, strategies, goals) whose collective contribution to mental-health outcomes is not well understood. To provide a more holistic picture of ER and better identify individuals who may be more susceptible to maladaptive ER and internalizing psychopathology, we examined latent profiles of positive and negative ER abilities and their associations with other aspects of ER (e.g., strategies, goals, success) and internalizing symptoms among adults cross-sectionally (Study 1) and daily (Study 2). In both studies, profiles characterized by pronounced deficits in positive ER abilities and below-average negative ER abilities were associated with maladaptive ER strategies and internalizing symptoms. Individuals with these profiles were also more likely to want to down-regulate positive emotions and use strategies reflecting disengagement from positive emotions in daily life. These findings provide insight into characteristics of vulnerable individuals, which can help refine current theory of ER and intervention efforts.

Reciprocal effects between negative affect and emotion regulation in daily life

The extended process model of emotion regulation provides a framework for understanding how emotional experiences and emotion regulation (ER) mutually influence each other over time. To investigate this reciprocal relationship, 202 adults completed a ten-day experience-sampling survey capturing levels of negative affect (NA) experience and use of ten ER strategies in daily life. Residual dynamic structural equation models (DSEMs) were used to examine within-person cross-lagged and autoregressive effects of NA and ER (strategy use and between-strategy variability). Results showed that NA predicted lower between-strategy variability, lower subsequent use of acceptance and problem-solving, but higher subsequent use of rumination and worry. Moreover, reappraisal and between-strategy variability predicted lower subsequent NA levels, while expressive suppression and worry predicted higher subsequent NA levels. Stable autoregressive effects were found for NA and for maladaptive ER strategies (e.g., rumination and worry). Exploratory correlation analyses revealed positive associations between NA inertia and maladaptive ER strategies. Together, these findings provide evidence of a dynamic interplay between NA and ER. This work deepens how we understand the challenges of applying ER strategies in daily life. Future clinical and translational research should consider these dynamic perspectives on ER and affect.

Behavioral state-dependent associations between EEG temporal correlations and depressive symptoms

Previous studies have shown abnormal long-range temporal correlations in neuronal oscillations among individuals with Major Depressive Disorders, occurring during both resting states and transitions between resting and task states. However, the understanding of this effect in preclinical individuals with depression remains limited. This study investigated the association between temporal correlations of neuronal oscillations and depressive symptoms during resting and task states in preclinical individuals, specifically focusing on male action video gaming experts. Detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA), Lifetimes, and Waitingtimes were employed to explore temporal correlations across long-range and short-range scales. The results indicated widespread changes from the resting state to the task state across all frequency bands and temporal scales. Rest-task DFA changes in the alpha band exhibited a negative correlation with depressive scores at most electrodes. Significant positive correlations between DFA values and depressive scores were observed in the alpha band during the resting state but not in the task state. Similar patterns of results emerged concerning maladaptive negative emotion regulation strategies. Additionally, short-range temporal correlations in the alpha band echoed the DFA results. These findings underscore the state-dependent relationships between temporal correlations of neuronal oscillations and depressive symptoms, as well as maladaptive emotion regulation strategies, in preclinical individuals.

The Reflective Mind of the Anxious in Action: Metacognitive Beliefs and Maladaptive Emotional Regulation Strategies Constrain Working Memory Efficiency.

The Attentional Control Theory (ACT) posits that, while trait anxiety may not directly impact performance, it can influence processing efficiency by prompting the use of compensatory mechanisms. The specific nature of these mechanisms, which might be reflective, is not detailed by the ACT. In a study involving 110 students (M = 20.12; SD = 2.10), surveys were administered to assess the students' metacognitive beliefs, trait anxiety, and emotion regulation strategies (ERSs). The participants engaged in two working memory exercises: the digit span task from the WAIS-IV and an emotional n-back task. The findings indicated that anxiety, metacognitive beliefs, and maladaptive ERSs did not affect task performance but were correlated with increased response times. Several regression analyses demonstrated that a lack of confidence in one's cognitive abilities and maladaptive ERSs predict higher reaction times (RT) in the n-back task. Additionally, maladaptive ERSs also predict an increased use of strategies in the digit span task. Finally, two mediation analyses revealed that anxiety increases processing efficiency, and this relation is mediated by the use of maladaptive ERSs. These results underscore the importance of the reflective level in mediating the effects of trait anxiety on efficiency. They highlight the necessity of incorporating metacognitive beliefs and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies for a thorough comprehension of the Attentional Control Theory. Recognizing these factors offers valuable perspectives for enhancing cognitive capabilities and fostering academic achievement.

Associations of nature contact with emotional ill-being and well-being: the role of emotion regulation

ABSTRACT Nature contact has associations with emotional ill-being and well-being. However, the mechanisms underlying these associations are not fully understood. We hypothesised that increased adaptive and decreased maladaptive emotion regulation strategies would be a pathway linking nature contact to ill-being and well-being. Using data from a survey of 600 U.S.-based adults administered online in 2022, we conducted structural equation modelling to test our hypotheses. We found that (1) frequency of nature contact was significantly associated with lesser emotional ill-being and greater emotional well-being, (2) effective emotion regulation was significantly associated with lesser emotional ill-being and greater emotional well-being, and (3) the associations of higher frequency of nature contact with these benefits were partly explained via emotion regulation. Moreover, we found a nonlinear relationship for the associations of duration of nature contact with some outcomes, with a rise in benefits up to certain amounts of time, and a levelling off after these points. These findings support and extend previous work that demonstrates that the associations of nature contact with emotional ill-being and well-being may be partly explained by changes in emotion regulation.

Changes in affect longitudinally mediate associations between emotion regulation strategy use and disordered eating.

Trait-level emotion regulation (ER) difficulties are associated with eating disorders (EDs) transdiagnostically. However, little research has examined whether within-person fluctuations in ER longitudinally predict ED behaviors in daily life or the mechanisms of ER effects. Investigating daily ER could help us better understand why people experience ED behaviors at a given time. We examined whether day-to-day changes in adaptive (e.g., cognitive reappraisal) and maladaptive (e.g., rumination) ER longitudinally predicted core ED behaviors (binge eating, purging, dieting) and whether changes in affect mediated effects. Female participants (N = 688) ages 15-30 from the Michigan State University Twin Registry reported their adaptive and maladaptive ER use, negative affect (NA), positive affect (PA), binge eating, purging, and dieting on 49 consecutive days. Using structural equation modeling, we examined whether within-person fluctuations in ER predicted same- and next-day ED behaviors and whether changes in affect mediated longitudinal ER effects. Greater maladaptive ER predicted increased likelihood of same-day binge eating and next-day binge eating and purging. The association between maladaptive ER and next-day binge eating and purging was mediated by increased next-day NA. In contrast, dieting was more closely related to changes in PA. Adaptive ER did not predict reduced likelihood of any ED behavior. Maladaptive ER may longitudinally increase risk for binge eating and purging by amplifying NA. Interventions focused on decreasing maladaptive ER and subsequent NA might help disrupt binge eating-purging cycles. Conversely, results add to evidence that PA fluctuations may play a unique role in maintaining restrictive behaviors. Little is known about how daily changes in emotion regulation may impact disordered eating. We found that maladaptive emotion regulation (e.g., rumination) was associated with a higher likelihood of binge eating and purging on the next day because it predicted increased next-day negative affect. In contrast, dieting was more closely tied to fluctuations in positive affect. Targeting daily emotion regulation and affective processes may help disrupt cycles of disordered eating.