Model Of Emotion Regulation Research Articles

The application of emotion regulation strategy in classroom teaching

China's double reduction policy has placed greater demands on the all-round development of students. While Chinese education has been excellent in influencing students at the cognitive level and has been prominent in various international competitions, can classroom teaching, which is one of the most important aspects that directly affect students, continue to meet the needs for students' emotional development? This paper reviews three mainstream models of emotion regulation teaching in China with Gross' Process Model of Emotion Regulation and related emotion regulation theories, which are currently well-established internationally. The theoretical analysis reveals that the use of emotion regulation strategies in teaching and learning in China has changed from the regulation of a single emotion to the integrated regulation of multiple complex emotions, and finally to the simplification of emotions and the shift of focus to indirect effects on cognition. This also points to the next issue that needs to be addressed as a specific strategy for implementing models related to the teaching of emotion regulation in the classroom and for teachers to be able to use them successfully.

The Process Model of Emotion Regulation Questionnaire: Assessing Individual Differences in Strategy Stage and Orientation.

The study of individual differences in emotion regulation has typically focused exclusively either on the stage of the emotion generation process at which regulation occurs or on the engagement versus disengagement orientation of the regulation efforts. We introduce a new measure that samples equally across each stage of the process model of emotion regulation and from both engagement and disengagement orientations. Through five studies (ntotal = 2,543), we present the development and convergent, discriminant, and predictive validity evidence for the Process Model of Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (PMERQ). We show the final 10-scale 45-item questionnaire has acceptable internal consistency, is invariant between genders and across the age range, and has sufficient convergent and discriminant validity. The PMERQ also predicts affective and relationship functioning with strategies occurring earlier in the process model generally showing the strongest effects. We propose the PMERQ is a valuable measure to assess individual differences in the use of emotion regulation strategies.

How much variance can event intensity and emotion regulation strategies explain in momentary affect in daily life?

Research based on the process model of emotion regulation has largely focused on affective outcomes of four prominent emotion regulation strategies: distraction, rumination, reappraisal, and suppression. We identified two areas that are relatively understudied regarding the prediction of affect in daily life: (a) comparing the importance of these four strategies to the subjective experience of event intensity and (b) including additional emotion regulation strategies that focus more on positive than negative affect. In two ecological momentary assessment data sets (Nindividuals = 299), we found that event intensity explained an average of 14.8% (4.9% to 25.9%) of the total variance in momentary affect above the variance explained by emotion regulation strategies. In turn, emotion regulation strategies explained an average of 8.3% (2.4% to 19.6%) in additional total variance in momentary affect. The added predictive power of emotion regulation strategies above event intensity was improved when strategies more specific to positive affect (ΔR² = 5.1%) were included. These results highlight avenues for future research that include strategies that focus on the selection and modification of an emotionally relevant situation and on positive affect. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Associations of sleep and emotion regulation processes in childhood and adolescence - a systematic review, report of methodological challenges and future directions.

Sleep and emotions are closely associated; however, the methodological challenges in the examination of sleep and the processes of emotion regulation in children and adolescents have not been investigated so far. Additionally, there is the demand to identify the levels of emotion regulating processes in which problematic or restricted sleep causes effect. Experimental sleep deprivation as well as prevalent sleep problems have been found to have negative influence on mental health and regulating functions. This review focuses first on the methodological protocols of the included studies. Subsequently, the results are summarized in the context of a multilevel model of emotion regulation. Thereafter, suggestions for future directions are given. Sleep problems and sleep deprivation are associated with a decrease of functional emotion regulating behavior and impaired emotion generation, and prolonged sleep enhances better mood and affect states, positive emotion expression, and faster sensory processing in response to emotional stimuli. This literature review highlights the limitations in current research, focusing on types of measurements, task characteristics, and data analysis. At the conclusion, suggestions are given for the future research direction in the field of sleep and emotion regulation in children and adolescents.

Perceived stress and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in nurses: A moderated mediation model of maladaptive cognitive emotional regulation and psychological capital.

Nurses often face a variety of work-related and life-related stresses that make them more prone to symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), yet the underlying mechanism of this association is poorly understood. To address this research gap, we investigated the mediating role of maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies in the relationship between perceived stress and PTSD symptoms, and explored whether psychological capital could moderate the direct or indirect effects between perceived stress and PTSD symptoms. Nurses (N = 723) completed a questionnaire about perceived stress, PTSD symptoms, maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies and psychological capital. After controlling for gender, age and work department, perceived stress was positively correlated with PTSD symptoms. Maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies partially mediated this relationship. Psychological capital moderates the effects of perceived stress and maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies on PTSD symptoms. Specifically, the positive correlation between perceived stress and PTSD symptoms was stronger among nurses with low levels of psychological capital than among nurses with high levels of psychological capital. At the same time, the positive correlation between maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies and PTSD symptoms was stronger in nurses with a low level of psychological capital. Therefore, cognitive strategies and interventions oriented toward psychological capital may alleviate the PTSD symptoms of nurses in stressful situations.

Self-compassion and emotion regulation: testing a mediation model

ABSTRACT Self-compassion (SC) seems to play an important role in improving Emotion Regulation (ER). Nevertheless, the results of previous studies regarding the links between SC and ER are not consistent, especially facing diverse models of ER (strategy-based vs skill-based). The goal of this prospective study was to evaluate the links between these three concepts, by testing the predictive roles of SC and ER skills on both ER adaptive and maladaptive strategies, using standardised questionnaires and visual analogue scales. Results of regression analysis showed that self-compassion positively predicts cognitive reappraisal, acceptance, problem-solving, relaxation, self-support, tolerance and ER skills and negatively predicts behavioural avoidance, expressive suppression and ruminations. Results also showed that ER skills positively predict cognitive reappraisal, expression, acceptance, relaxation, self-support and tolerance and negatively predicts behavioural avoidance, expressive suppression and ruminations. Results from a mediation model are also promising regarding both the role of ER skills on the effect of SC on adaptive ER strategy use. Even if this study can be associated with common limits of self-report measures, it highlights the role of SC in a model of ER.

Dynamics of affect, cognition and behavior in a general population sample of adolescents and young adults with current and remitted anxiety disorders: An Ecological Momentary Assessment study

BackgroundMeasures of dynamic changes in affect/emotions (variability, instability, inertia) have been linked to anxiety disorders (AD). We examine dynamics in affect, cognition and behavior in youth with current and remitted AD. MethodsMental disorders were assessed in a general population sample (N = 1180, age 14–21; Dresden, Germany) using standardized interview. Ecological Momentary Assessment of real-life affect, cognition and behavior took place eight times/day for four days. ResultsIndividuals with current AD (n = 65) compared to healthy controls (HC, n = 531) revealed heightened variability of anxious and manic symptomatology, experiential avoidance, optimism and positive thoughts. Remitted AD (n = 52) showed lower variability of anxious and manic symptomatology and positive thoughts compared to current AD, while no differences were found compared to HC. Current AD and HC differed significantly in instability. Remitted AD showed lower instability of all constructs except for anger than current AD, and higher instability on all constructs except for positive and negative thoughts compared to HC. Current AD showed higher inertia of anger and negative thoughts than HC, and less inertia of positive thoughts than remitted AD. DiscussionAD in youths is particularly linked to higher variability and instability of intertwined emotion-related experiences that partly persist after remission, informing emotion regulation models and interventions.

Psychological Profile, Emotion Regulation, and Aggression in Police Applicants: A Swiss Cross-Sectional Study

Although police officers are recurrently exposed to traumatic situations during their duties, only a minority report notable emotional complaints. This can be explained either by strong emotional coping skills or by a repressive self-presentation style. The current study describes the emotional profile and personality dispositions of police candidates (i.e., prior to exposure to occupational trauma) and explores the possible association between these personal characteristics and predisposition to aggression. In a cross-section design, 149 Swiss police applicants were compared to 110 individuals of the community matched by age, gender and level of education. Validated scales were used to obtain self-report markers of emotions and attitudes (anxiety, happiness/depression, aggressive attitudes) and personal dispositions (sensitivity to reinforcement, impulsivity, social desirability). Compared to civilian individuals, police candidates self-reported being happier, less anxious, less aggressive, and less impulsive. They declared being less sensitive to reinforcement, whether punishment or reward, but showed a higher degree of social desirability. Their aggressive tendencies were influenced by anxiety, urgency, and sensitivity to reward. The findings will be discussed within the framework of a diathesis-stress model of emotion regulation. It suggests that the repressive coping style described in police candidates may be a protective factor against negative and overwhelming emotions in the short term, but a risk factor for emotional imbalance in the long term, particularly if exposed to recurrent adverse events.

Examining the stability of emotional regulation and psychological distress for low-income individuals: A latent transition analysis.

Previous relationship education research has focused on investigating healthy relationships at the couple level, with limited research conducted on individual-oriented relationship education programs for economically disadvantaged individuals. More specifically, there is a lack of research on how individual-oriented relationship education programs contribute to changes in unique attributes of individuals who enroll in these programs and who would benefit most from relationship education programs. The primary aim of this study is to understand the stability of economically disadvantaged individuals' psychological distress and emotion regulation over two time points, comparing individuals randomly assigned to the relationship intervention using Prevention and Relationship Education's (PREP) Within My Reach (WMR) versus those assigned to a wait-list control. Using a sample of 1129 economically disadvantaged individuals enrolled in the study, results indicated that the three-class model for psychological distress and emotion regulation was the most appropriate for the latent transition analysis. Treatment group participants were more likely to transition to more adaptive models than their wait-list control counterparts, although a small percentage of participants did transition to a less adaptive model. Implications, future directions, and limitations are discussed.

Estrategias de regulación emocional de niños/as en el aprendizaje de la escritura en situación de clase y de entrevista

Learning to write involves the challenge to understand and regulate one’s own emotions in situation, such as frustration, anxiety and different moods. In recent years, the study of emotion regulation in children through different methodological tools, such as interviews, questionnaires or observations, has increased. However, to date there are few studies that complement these techniques. The present study seeks to contribute to early emotion regulation in learning to write from a sociocultural, ecological and situated approach, through the combination of interviews and class observations. The aims are to: (1) identify emotionally challenging events in children’s learning to write; (2) describe the deployment of their strategies of emotion regulation; and (3) analyze the variation of these strategies in class and interview situations. Participants were 10 first graders from a school located in the urban area at San Carlos de Bariloche (Argentina). The school was selected because communication and regulation of emotions is part of the educational project. Observations of language classes and individual interviews were conducted over Zoom in the COVID-19 pandemic context. Ten observations focused on the class interaction between the teacher and children in learning to write situations were analyzed. The individual interview is based on video-elicitation technique. Three videos were designated ad hoc. Each video elicited emotionally challenging events in learning to write: (1) the awareness of a gap between knowledge/power and the demands of a task (child represented difficulties in writing and erasing, showing emotional affectation); (2) social exposure (child was reading alone and an adult asked her about what she was reading, after which the girl looked down and pursed her lips); and (3) the distracting environment (two girls were chatting and making noise as two boys were writing in their notebooks). Beyond the three emotionally challenging events presented in the video-elicitation, another four were found: the adaptation to external norms, the revision of the own text, the difficulty with the material, and the acknowledge the own mistakes. Additionally, children deployed a wide repertoire of strategies according to the emotion regulation model of Gross (2015) and the specific literature. Overall, the most frequent strategies were the modification of the situation in a social way, communication and expression. In the observations, modification of the situation in physical form, control and private speech were found. In the interviews, the alternative activity, breathing, communication and cognitive reappraisal were observed. Finally, it was concluded that the complementation of research methods, class observations and interviews, is promising for the study of children’s emotion regulation in learning to write. https://doi.org/10.16888/interd.2022.39.3.12

Daily changes in state emotion regulation abilities predict positive and negative affect

Emotion regulation (ER) abilities involve the capacity to manage the onset and course of emotions in service of situational goals, which facilitates affective changes dependent upon the contextual parameters. Despite the importance of ER abilities to psychopathology, understanding ER abilities across days, and how daily fluctuations in ER abilities relate to mood, is limited. This study examined the role of state ER in predicting positive and negative affect using a daily diary design (2812 daily surveys). Participants differed in within-individual variability for each domain of perceived state ER, and within- and between-individual fluctuations in perceived ER abilities predicted positive and negative affect. Findings support ER theory, given the importance of contextual, momentary changes in informing theoretical ER models. Implications for momentary assessment and intervention are discussed, focusing on contextual behavioral science.

Emotion Regulation Flexibility and Electronic Patient-Reported Outcomes: A Framework for Understanding Symptoms and Affect Dynamics in Pediatric Psycho-Oncology.

Simple SummaryThe individual’s ability to conceive and regulate the broad spectrum of their human emotions is closely linked to their mental health. The implications of a serious disease such as cancer represent an extraordinary burden to these internal coping mechanisms, especially in the case of young patients. Regarding their well-being and support, it is therefore of particular interest for caregivers to be able to follow the dynamics of the patient’s emotional world and perceptions. Technical progress enables new possibilities for data collection through tools for digital patient self-reports while simultaneously creating new challenges. Within the scope of this article, we provide an overview of the literature on this topic, outlining the current strengths and weaknesses and possible perspectives on digital aids, especially in terms of capturing the flexibility, fluctuations and early detection of symptom changes.Emotion dysregulation is regarded as a driving mechanism for the development of mental health problems and psychopathology. The role of emotion regulation (ER) in the management of cancer distress and quality of life (QoL) has recently been recognized in psycho-oncology. The latest technological advances afford ways to assess ER, affective experiences and QoL in child, adolescent and young adult (CAYA) cancer patients through electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePRO) in their daily environment in real-time. Such tools facilitate ways to study the dynamics of affect and the flexibility of ER. However, technological advancement is not risk-free. We critically review the literature on ePRO in cancer existing models of ER in pediatric psycho-oncology and analyze strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of ePRO with a focus on CAYA cancer research and care. Supported by personal study-based experiences, this narrative review serves as a foundation to propose a novel methodological and metatheoretical framework based on: (a) an extended notion of ER, which includes its dynamic, adaptive and flexible nature and focuses on processes and conditions rather than fixed categorical strategies; (b) ePRO as a means to measure emotion regulation flexibility and affect dynamics; (c) identifying early warning signals for symptom change via ePRO and building forecasting models using dynamical systems theory.

Emotion Regulation, Parasympathetic Function, and Psychological Well-Being.

The negative emotions generated following stressful life events can increase one’s risk of depressive symptoms and promote higher levels of perceived stress. The process model of emotion regulation can help distinguish between adaptive and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies to determine who may be at the greatest risk of worse psychological health across the lifespan. Heart rate variability (HRV) may affect these relationships as it indexes aspects of self-regulation, including emotion and behavioral regulation, that enable an individual to dynamically adapt to the changing demands of both internal and external environments. In this study, we expected individual differences in resting vagally mediated HRV to moderate the influence of emotion regulatory strategies among our sample of 267 adults. We found support for the hypothesis that higher vagally mediated HRV buffers against the typical adverse effects of expressive suppression when evaluating depressive symptoms and found weak support when considering perceived stress. There was no evidence for an interaction between cognitive reappraisal and vagally mediated HRV but there was a significant, negative association between cognitive reappraisal and depressive symptoms and perceived stress. Future work may determine if intervening on either emotion regulation strategies or HRV may change these within-persons over time.

Emotional Regulation and Institutional Maintenance: Debunking Fake News with Emotions

How to fight fake news? Through the study of the social entrepreneur Laura Brennan, in the case of the HPV vaccination in Ireland from 2015-19 we show the importance emotional work in social media to fight fake news. We propose a model of emotional regulation in which social entrepreneurs use mirroring, distancing and enactment strategies to maintain institutional frames and debunk fake news. We claim about the importance of the transformation of negative emotions in positive emotional energy through identification and about the embodiment of the truth in creating a legitimizing frame. By that, we contribute to the understanding social entrepreneurship and emotion work and the embodiment of emotions in fighting against fake news in social media.

Compassion at Work: Looking at the Heart of Organizations

As the world moves from one crisis to another, compassion in response to human suffering is an essential, yet often overlooked, aspect of life. Suffering is also pervasive in organizational life as work is an essential part of life. Whether the suffering is stemming from an employee’s life outside of work (e.g., financial problems), part of one’s job role (e.g., taking care of sick patients), or organizationally induced (e.g., abusive leadership), organizations harbor the suffering of its employees and its clients or consumers. Yet there are significant gaps in understanding the antecedents, consequences, and boundary conditions of expressing compassion at work. The objective of this symposium is to offer new methodological and theoretical directions to highlight areas of inquiry focusing on the expression of compassion at work. All four papers in the session employ novel conceptualizations, designs, and analyses (e.g., in the moment, interactional dyadic design, team-level analyses with objective medical error data, and experimental designs) and make new theoretical connections (e.g., using attribution theory, cognitive appraisal theory, process model of emotion regulation) that serve as a catalyst for new scholarship on workplace compassion. The Role of Appraisals and Values-Directed Action in the Compassion Responding Process Presenter: Shanta Dey; U. Of Sydney Presenter: Anya Madeleine Johnson; U. Of Sydney Presenter: Helena Nguyen; U. Of Sydney Presenter: Paul Atkins; Australian National U. Presenter: Felicia Huppert; U. of Cambridge Compassion at Work: Perceived Self-Concern vs. Other Orientation and the Attribution Impacts Presenter: Hongguo Wei; Robert Morris U. Presenter: Jason Kanov; Western Washington U. Presenter: Shaobing Li; Miami U. Ohio Compassion as a Regulatory Strategy for Navigating Challenging Workplace Relationships Presenter: Hooria Jazaieri; Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara U. Collective Compassion on Team Outcomes and Role of Collective Mindfulness and Meditative Practices Presenter: Helena Nguyen; U. Of Sydney Presenter: Karyn L. Wang; U. Of Sydney Presenter: Nickolas Yu; Sydney Local Health District Presenter: Greg Fairbrother; U. Of Sydney

Regulate and Communicate: Associations between Emotion Regulation and Sexual Communication among Men with Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder and their Partners

ABSTRACT Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD) is characterized by a persistent and distressing lack of sexual desire. Affected men report lower sexual well-being and romantic partners may also experience consequences. According to the Interpersonal Emotion Regulation Model of sexual dysfunction, how couples manage their emotions in relation to sexual problems may promote or hinder sexual communication. In the first dyadic study to date of men with HSDD and their partners (n = 64 couples), we investigated associations between two emotion regulation strategies – reappraisal and suppression – and couples’ communication about their sexual relationship. Participants completed measures assessing use of reappraisal and suppression about their sexual relationship, sexual communication, and sexual assertiveness. Men with HSDD who reported greater suppression also reported lower sexual assertiveness and both partners reported poorer sexual communication. Partners of men with HSDD who used greater suppression were less sexually assertive. In contrast, while reappraisal was only marginally associated with perceived quality of sexual communication, men with HSDD who employed more reappraisal were also more sexually assertive. While suppression may hinder sexual communication, reappraisal may allow men with HSDD to better assert their sexual needs. Findings may inform interventions to help couples navigate impactful emotional experiences associated with HSDD.

A Qualitative Study on Patients’ Use of Emotion Regulation Strategies During Therapeutic Relationships

Introduction Emotion regulation may be an important tool that therapists and patients use to build and maintain therapeutic relationships. This exploratory study investigates how patients use intrapersonal and interpersonal emotion regulation strategies during interactions with occupational therapists and physiotherapists. Methods A two-staged qualitative study was conducted. In the first stage 11 patients were interviewed regarding their use of emotion regulation during their therapeutic relationships. In the second stage, 14 patient/therapist dyads were observed during the course of the therapeutic relationship and then interviewed individually at the end of the relationship. Results Patients utilise the full range of intrapersonal emotion regulation strategies that can be categorised in Gross’s (1998) process model of emotion regulation including situation selection, situation modification, attentional deployment, cognitive reappraisal and response modulation. They used interpersonal emotion regulation strategies to a lesser extent, only reporting using strategies that fit into one of the four interpersonal emotion regulation strategies identified Williams’ (2007), altering the situation. Conclusions This study makes an important contribution to research on patients’ contribution to therapeutic relationship development/maintenance. It is the first study to explore patients use of intrapersonal and interpersonal emotion regulation in response to negative and positive emotions arising from interactions with therapists.

Emotion generation and emotion regulation: The role of emotion beliefs

• People differ in their beliefs about how controllable and useful negative and positive emotions are. • Conceptually, these beliefs should impact progression from emotion generation to regulation. • We examined the direct and indirect effects among emotion beliefs, emotion generation, and emotion regulation. • As expected, problematic levels of negative or positive emotion were associated with emotion regulation difficulties. • These effects operated, in part, via stronger beliefs that emotions were uncontrollable or useless. Emotional dysfunction and dysregulation are defining features of affective disorders. People differ in their beliefs about how controllable and useful negative and positive emotions are, and the process model of emotion regulation postulates that such beliefs play a central role in determining how people progress from emotion generation to regulation. In this study, we aimed to examine the direct and indirect effects among emotion beliefs, emotion generation, and emotion regulation. We anticipated indirect effects between emotion generation and regulation, via beliefs about emotions. University students (N=509; 76.8% female; Mage=22.31) completed measures of emotion beliefs, generation, and regulation. Direct and indirect effects were modelled. Across both positive and negative emotions, all facets of emotion generation (reactivity, intensity, perseveration) demonstrated significant associations with emotion beliefs and/or regulation. As expected, perseveration of negative emotion was associated with difficulties regulating negative emotions, and this effect operated in part via stronger beliefs that negative emotions were uncontrollable and useless. Similarly, lower reactivity of positive emotion was associated with difficulties regulating positive emotions, and this effect operated in part via stronger beliefs that positive emotions were ncontrollable and useless. Our data were cross-sectional. Variables were assessed with trait questionnaires. These results lend preliminary support to the hypothesised role of emotion beliefs in facilitating (or hindering) the regulation of generated emotions, and highlight the importance of considering emotional valence. Case conceptualisations and treatment protocols for emotional disorders may benefit from considering beliefs about the controllability and usefulness of negative and positive emotions.

A Structural Model of Teacher Self-Efficacy, Emotion Regulation, and Psychological Wellbeing Among English Teachers.

Because of the exacting nature of teaching, identifying factors affecting teachers’ mental health and psychological wellbeing are of paramount importance. Parallel with this line of inquiry, the goal of this project was to test a model of psychological wellbeing based on teacher self-efficacy and emotion regulation in an EFL context. To this end, 276 Iranian English teachers participated in this survey. First, the measurement models for the three latent constructs were verified through performing Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Then Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypothesized model. SEM outcomes evince that both teacher self-efficacy and emotion regulation were the significant predictors of teachers’ psychological wellbeing, with teacher self-efficacy being a stronger correlate than emotion regulation. The findings offer significant implications for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers.

Control and acceptance beliefs about emotions: associations with psychological distress and the mediating role of emotion regulation flexibility

ABSTRACT Objective The process model of emotion regulation posits beliefs about emotions inform regulation processes, affecting mental-health outcomes. Beliefs that emotions can be controlled (i.e., control beliefs, underpinning traditional Cognitive Behaviour Therapy) and accepted (i.e., acceptance beliefs, underpinning Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), though seemingly opposing, are both associated with lower psychological distress. This study tested the hypothesis that emotion regulation flexibility (i.e., using and applying a range of regulation strategies at the right times) may mediate the relationship between these beliefs and distress. Method 177 participants (87.6% female, Mage = 42.7) completed the 21-item Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale, the Emotion Belief Questionnaire-General Controllability Composite, and two measures developed for this study: the Emotion Belief Questionnaire-Acceptance Variant and Emotion Regulation Flexibility Questionnaire. Results Emotion regulation flexibility mediated the relationship between control and acceptance beliefs and distress, such that stronger control and acceptance beliefs were associated with lower distress via higher emotion regulation flexibility. Conclusions Our results are consistent with theorising that both control and acceptance beliefs are useful for mental health; these beliefs may inform usage of control or acceptance-based emotion regulation strategies, which may reduce distress levels if applied flexibly. These findings are discussed regarding corresponding therapeutic interventions. Key Points What is already known about this topic: (1) The process model of emotion regulation posits beliefs about emotions inform emotion regulation processes and mental health outcomes. (2) Control and Acceptance beliefs while seemingly opposing are both associated with lower psychological distress. (3) Emotion regulation flexibility is associated with lower psychological distress. What this topic adds: (1) Having both high control and acceptance beliefs is associated with lowered psychological distress via higher emotional regulation flexibility. (2) Flexibly shifting beliefs is associated with lowered psychological distress. (3) Inflexible controls beliefs is not associated with psychological distress, while Inflexible acceptance beliefs is associated with psychological distress.