Emotion Regulation Theory Research Articles

COVID-19 Related Stressors, Cognitive Reappraisal, and Students’ Engagement in Online Learning: A Mediation Model

The effects of COVID-19 remained significant on the social and academic well-being of university students. This raised various mental and psychological challenges for the students, which had the potential to deteriorate their academic engagement and performance in online learning environments. The emotion regulation theory hypothesizes that various cognitive skills may assist people in coping with such types of social and psychological challenges. Cognitive reappraisal is a strategy used at the individual level to regularize thought processes in stressful situations. This study aimed to investigate the influence of cognitive reappraisal “as a mediator” on the relationships between COVID-19 related stressors and university students’ engagement in an online learning environment. Three hundred and one students selected from eight public sector universities in Pakistan participated in a survey. Three instruments, including the COVID-19 Related Stressors, Cognitive Reappraisal Questionnaire, and Student Engagement Dimensions, were used to collect data. Mediation analysis confirmed the application of emotion regulation theory in the context of relationships between COVID-19 related stressors and students’ engagement in online learning environments. The study has significant implications for promoting students’ well-being in online setups during stressful situations.

Language teacher emotional intelligence: A scoping review

The current study reviewed and synthesized empirical research on foreign/second language teacher emotional intelligence (EI) using a scoping review approach. Specifically, 15 articles published between 2018 and 2024 were included and analyzed with a particular emphasis on the theoretical perspectives, research themes, research background, and methodologies. The results indicated that there were a variety of models and theories in language teacher EI research, with the trait EI model and theories of self-efficacy and emotion regulation receiving the most attention. Moreover, most reviewed studies regarded language teacher EI as an independent variable or antecedent, examining its impact on other individual and environmental variables. Underdeveloped regions, other target languages apart from English, multilingual teachers, and primary or secondary school teachers haven’t received much attention in the included articles. Additionally, homogenization in research design among these studies was noticeable, with quantitative studies, cross-sectional design, and self-reported questionnaires being prevalent. Finally, implications were provided based on these findings for the further development of language teacher EI.

Be present now, sleep well later: Mindfulness promotes sleep health via emotion regulation.

Despite the popularity of mindfulness in research and interventions, information is missing about how and why mindfulness may benefit employee sleep health. Drawing from emotion regulation theory, we evaluate affective rumination, negative affect, and positive affect as potential mechanisms. We also explore differential effects of trait and state attentional mindfulness on both subjective (e.g., quality and sufficiency) and actigraphy-measured aspects (e.g., duration and wake after sleep onset) of sleep health. Ecological momentary assessment and sleep actigraphy data were collected across two independent samples of health care workers (N1 = 60, N2 = 84). Ecological momentary assessment was also used to collect daily information on state mindfulness, affect, and rumination. Our results support rumination and, to a less consistent extent, negative affect as mediators of the association between mindfulness and sleep health but not positive affect. Trait and state mindfulness demonstrate comparable benefits for employee sleep health, but these benefits largely emerge for subjective sleep dimensions than actigraphy-measured. These findings support emotion regulation as a sound theoretical framework for sleep and mindfulness research and may support more informed workplace mindfulness interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Broadening the View of Holistic Care: Integrating Arts and Humanities Into Physician Assistant Education.

The integration of arts and humanities (A&H) into physician assistant (PA) preclinical curriculum may enhance student performance and improve their patient rapport. Arts and humanities content could promote the personal and professional qualities we desire in clinicians including competence, compassion, and empathy. The aim of this research was to determine what PA students report learning from A&H modules designed to foster personal insight and perspective-taking. The "Introduction of Humanities & Arts into Physician Assistant Education" (IHAPAE) project is an intercampus collaboration between 2 Midwest Universities. The IHAPAE faculty collaboratively created and delivered A&H-based modules within first-year communication courses. Two cohorts of PA students (N = 130) participated in modules and subsequently attended exploratory focus groups to elicit their perceptions of the A&H curriculum. Using a constructivist grounded theory approach for data analysis, we found that PA students perceived multiple benefits. Specifically, module content promoted reflection and stress reduction, improved their continuity of care notes, provided utility in cultivating empathy in patient communication, and introduced students to A&H approaches they could recommend to patients. The process model that emerged from student perceptions fits well with existing emotional regulation theory and provides empirical evidence for cultivation of empathy and patient-centeredness. Given the positive outcomes of our project, PA programs should consider the value of incorporating the A&H activities into their curriculum to enhance the student experience and develop essential provider attributes and skills.

Coping trauma with tolerance! A dyadic approach to investigate the relationship between social rejection and work-deviant behavior

PurposeBased on the conservation of resources and emotional regulation theories, this research seeks to examine the relationship between social rejection and work-deviant behavior with a moderated mediation effect of emotional tolerance and psychological trauma.Design/methodology/approachA three-wave multi-sourced (dyad) data were collected from the professionals and respective supervisors of state-managed services sector organizations operating in Pakistan (n1 = 252, n2 = 126) selected through snowball sampling technique.FindingsThe results reflected that socially excluded employees indulge in work-deviant behaviors and psychological trauma perform a partial transmitting link. Further, an ability to be emotionally tolerant buffers the detrimental aspects effects of social rejection on psychological trauma but might not be an effective tool while one moves to the trauma stage. Further, the conditional effect confirms that a high level of emotional tolerance weakens the moderated mediation relationship between social rejection and work-deviant behavior via psychological trauma.Practical implicationsThe present study provides guidelines to carefully identify and tackle the incidences of social rejection in the workplace and develop tolerance capabilities of employees to tackle the trauma and reduce work deviance.Originality/valueThis is a novel attempt to link the emotional regulation theory with the conservation of resources theory in order to minimize the deviance-related issues provoked by social rejection by introducing emotional tolerance as a coping mechanism which was paid less attention in the contemporary literature.

Conceptual Model of and Intervention Development for Unplanned Suicide Attempts.

More than half of those who die by suicide do not communicate about suicide prior to their death. This project describes the emotional state and decision-making among "unplanned" attempt survivors to inform a conceptual model and suicide prevention interventions. This qualitative study purposefully sampled patients who reported having no suicidal thoughts on a standardized mental health questionnaire within 60 days (about 2 months) prior to a nonfatal suicide attempt documented in the health record. Participants verbally consented to telephone interview participation. Semistructured audio-recorded interviews elicited suicide attempt survivor descriptions of their emotional state and experiences in the days, hours, and minutes leading up to their suicide attempt. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using grounded theory. The biopsychosocial theory of emotion regulation informed conceptual model development. Participants (N = 26) described 2 distinct "phases" prior to the attempt. First, a phase of increasing life stressors, transitory and nonspecific suicidal thoughts, and a reluctance to disclose experiences. Second, an overwhelming emotional state led to a sudden suicide attempt and nondisclosure due to the rapidity and intensity of the experience. These results informed the conceptual model and intervention development to manage unplanned and overwhelming urges to attempt suicide. Qualitative analysis informed the development of an intervention for the high-intensity "hot" period preceding an attempt, including specific steps to manage a highly intense emotional state in combination with overwhelming urges to kill oneself. Future research is needed to evaluate whether and how this intervention helps support people with a chance of "unplanned" suicide attempts.

On (Im)Patience: A New Approach to an Old Virtue.

Patience has been of great interest to religious scholars, philosophers, and psychological scientists. Their efforts have produced numerous insights but no cohesive theoretical approach to understanding the broad set of experiences people label as patience. I propose a novel view of patience, one that departs from but ties together existing approaches. Grounded in theories of emotion and emotion regulation, I propose impatience as a discrete emotion triggered by an objectionable delay of some sort, and patience (as a state or process rather than a virtue) as a form of emotion regulation that targets the subjective experience and outward expression of impatience. I propose a number of predictors and consequences of patience and impatience and provide initial evidence for many of the theory's tenets. This theoretical approach, the process model of patience, reveals coherence across varied fields and methodologies and generates novel, testable, and timely questions for future patience scholars. "Patience is a virtue" is a familiar exhortation, and patience has been of great interest to religious scholars, philosophers, and psychological scientists. Their efforts have produced numerous insights but no cohesive theoretical approach to understanding the broad set of experiences people label as patience. This paper proposes an entirely novel view of patience, one that departs from but ties together existing approaches. I propose that impatience is an emotion, triggered by a frustrating delay of some sort, and patience captures the various ways people try to deal with their experience of impatience. I also propose that various aspects of the situation and the person combine to determine the intensity of impatience and the effectiveness of patience. Finally, I discuss the implications of a theoretical model, the process model of patience, for both scientific inquiry and issues of social justice, which are often fueled by appropriate experiences of impatience.

Longitudinal Relationship Between Psychological Capital and Anxiety in College Students: The Mediating Effect of Emotion Reregulation Strategy and Moderating Effect of Parent-Child Relationship.

Based on Conservation of resources theory, process model of emotion regulation and attachment theory, the present study examined how psychological capital affects anxiety through the mediation of emotion regulation strategies and explored the moderating role of parent-child relationship. Using a longitudinal study method, 962 college students were surveyed twice at one-year intervals. (1) College students' emotion regulation strategies (including cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) partially mediated psychological capital and anxiety mood; (2) parent-child relationship moderated the pathways of psychological capital and expressive suppression on anxiety, respectively. College students with higher levels of parent-child relationship had stronger predictive effects of psychological capital and weaker predictive effects of expressive suppression on anxiety mood. The research findings clarify the combined effects of emotion regulation and parent-child relationships on anxiety among college students, providing valuable reference for the design and implementation of interventions to promote individual psychological well-being.

Emotional Regulation of Displaced Aggression in Provocative Situations among Junior High School Students.

This study investigated the emotion regulation effect of displaced aggression among junior high school students after provocation through two experiments. Experiment 1 examined the effect of displaced aggression on the negative and positive emotions of junior high school students after low- and high-level provocation. The results showed that only after high-level provocation did individuals experience a significant decrease in negative emotions and a significant increase in positive emotions after engaging in displaced aggression. Experiment 2 explored the effect of aggressive intensity on negative and positive emotions after provocation. The results indicated that, in terms of changes in positive emotions, low-intensity aggression showed a significant increase in positive emotions after aggression. Regarding changes in negative emotions, both low-intensity aggression and high-intensity aggression resulted in significant decreases in negative emotions after aggression. In conclusion, this research showed that, in highly provocative situations, displaced aggression among junior school students, especially low-intensity displaced aggression, could increase positive emotions and decrease negative emotions. These results support the emotional regulation theory of aggression. However, considering that displaced aggression violates social norms, efforts should be made to avoid individuals regulating their emotions through displaced aggression, instead guiding them toward using more appropriate methods for emotional regulation in future research and practical applications.

Longitudinal Relationships Between Bullying Victimization and Dual Social Behaviors: The Roles of Self-Compassion and Trauma-Related Shame.

Bullying victimization is a serious issue among college students, which might affect the development of their social behaviors. Based on the theory of stress and coping and emotion regulation theory, the present study examined the mediating role of self-compassion and trauma-related shame between bullying victimization and cyber aggression/prosocial behavior. We gathered self-reporting data on bullying victimization, self-compassion, trauma-related shame, cyber aggression, and prosocial behavior from 634 college students in China using a three-wave longitudinal design survey. Structural equation modeling was used to test temporal mediation. The results showed that bullying victimization predicted cyber aggression and prosocial behavior via trauma-related shame and the chain effect of self-compassion and trauma-related shame. Moreover, self-compassion also mediated the relationship between bullying victimization and prosocial behavior. The study revealed the different emotional processes that underlie both bullying victimization and different social behaviors. It also contributes to more effective prevention and intervention measures for the social adaptation of bullied students.

Emotion Regulation and Psychological Dependence on Pain Medication among Hospital Outpatients with Chronic Spinal Pain: The Influence of Rumination about Pain and Alexithymia

Objective : To examine the extent to which pain acceptance, pain catastrophising and alexithymia moderate associations between pain intensity and psychological pain medication dependence. Methods : Participants (106 hospital outpatients with chronic spinal pain) completed the Leeds Dependence Questionnaire (LDQ) to measure psychological dependence on pain medication, and the Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire-8 (CPAQ-8), the Pain Catastrophising Scale (PCS) and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (TAS-20), plus the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21). Results : Multiple linear regression showed that degree of psychological dependence (measured dimensionally across the range of LDQ scores) was associated with TAS subscale difficulty identifying feelings (DIF) (β = 0.249, p = <0.002) and PCS subscale rumination (β = 0.193, p = 0.030), independently of pain intensity and risk behaviors for medication misuse. The effect of pain intensity was moderated by rumination, with pain intensity more strongly associated with dependence when rumination was high (interaction β = 0.192, p = 0.004). Logistic regression showed that the effect of pain intensity on severe dependence (measured categorically as LDQ score ≥ 20) was moderated by alexithymia, so that severe dependence was independently associated with the combination of intense pain and high alexithymia (interaction odds ratio = 7.26, 95% CIs = 1.63–32.42, p = 0.009). Conclusions : Rumination and alexithymia moderated the associations between pain intensity and psychological pain medication dependence, consistent with emotion regulation theory. This raises the possibility that specifically targeting rumination about pain and symptoms of alexithymia could potentially improve the effectiveness of psychological interventions for chronic pain and help people to avoid or reduce their psychological dependence on pain medication.

Longitudinal Examination of the Relationship Between Virtual Companionship and Social Anxiety: Emotional Expression as a Mediator and Mindfulness as a Moderator.

As the interweaving of human interaction and Artificial Intelligence (AI) intensifies, understanding the psychological impact, especially regarding social anxiety, of engaging with AI-driven virtual companionship becomes crucial. While a substantial body of research on social anxiety has concentrated on interactions between individuals, both online and offline, there is a noticeable deficit in explorations concerning how human-computer interactions influence social anxiety. This study offers a comprehensive, longitudinal examination of this underinvestigated relationship, intricately dissecting the roles of emotional expression and mindfulness within the context of AI-based interactions. We use social support theory and emotion regulation theory as our theoretical foundation. Data were collected from 618 undergraduate students in Eastern China over two intervals (May 15, 2023 and September 15, 2023). We utilized SPSS 26.0 to conduct descriptive statistics, while AMOS 25.0 facilitated multi-group confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and the cross-lagged panel modeling. Our findings indicate that as the frequency of virtual companionship use increases, there's a decline in online social anxiety but a rise in offline social anxiety. Emotional expression emerges as a significant mediator, with heightened emotional expression leading to reduced social anxiety in both contexts. Mindfulness serves as a potent moderator, suggesting its protective role against the potential pitfalls of frequent virtual interactions. This research not only deepens our theoretical understanding of the dynamics between virtual interactions and social anxiety but also serves as a cornerstone for future endeavors aimed at optimizing AI and devising therapeutic interventions tailored for the digital generation.

Working with a Mask: How and When Workplace Mask Wearing Decreases Employee Emotional Exhaustion

AbstractDespite the salutary effects of mask wearing broadly recognized during the COVID-19 pandemic, little is known about the consequences of wearing masks in the workplace. The current research raises the question of whether and how mask wearing may impact employees' emotional well-being at work. Drawing on emotion regulation theory (e.g., Gross, 1998, 2015), we propose that mask wearing enables employees to adopt more authentic emotional displays, which in turn decreases emotional exhaustion. Furthermore, guided by the social interaction model of emotion regulation (Coté, 2005), we further posit that for employees whose work requires more frequent face-to-face interaction, the positive impact of mask wearing on emotional exhaustion becomes more significant. Across a pilot study and a three-wave field survey, we find support for this hypothesized model. Implications of these findings for future theorizing and research on mask wearing are discussed.

Effect of acute stress on working memory in pilots: Investigating the modulatory role of memory load.

Many practitioners, such as pilots, frequently face working memory (WM) demands under acute stress environments, while the effect of acute stress on WM has not been conclusively studied because it is moderated by a variety of factors. The current study investigated how acute stress affects pilots' WM under different memory load conditions. There are 42 pilots conducting the experiments, consisting of 21 stress group participants experiencing the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) and 21 control group participants experiencing the controlled TSST (C-TSST). Subsequently, both groups performed N-back tasks under three memory load conditions (0-back, 1-back, and 2-back). State Anxiety Inventory (S-AI), heart rate (HR), and salivary cortisol concentrations (SCC) were collected to analyze acute stress induction. The results revealed that (1) the TSST could effectively induce acute stress with higher S-AI, HR, and SCC; (2) higher memory load reduces WM accuracy (ACC) and delays response times (RT); (3) acute stress increases WM ACC under moderate load conditions (1-back task). These results suggest that acute stress may not necessarily impair WM and even improve WM performance under certain memory load conditions. Potential mechanisms of acute stress effects on WM and alternative explanations for the modulatory role of memory load consistent with the emotion and motivation regulation theory are discussed. These findings not only provide insight into the field of acute stress and WM but are also beneficial for pilot training and the development of stress management strategies.

Breaking boredom: Interrupting the residual effect of state boredom on future productivity.

Boredom is an emotion that constantly fluctuates in employees of all ages and occupations. Here, we draw on functional theories of boredom and theories of emotion regulation to develop an episodic model of how boredom shapes employee attention and productivity over time. We argue that employees often suppress boredom at work to "power through" boring tasks and objectives, resulting in residual bouts of mind-wandering-and thus productivity deficits-during future performance episodes. However, following boredom on an initial task, the commencement of a subsequent task that employees perceive to be meaningful creates an attentional pull that breaks the link between boredom and future mind-wandering, preventing the effects of boredom from spilling over to inhibit future productivity. Study 1 draws on archival experience sampling data to test our hypotheses and examine whether boredom exhibits reciprocal relationships with mind-wandering and productivity over time. Study 2 uses an experimental design to determine whether boredom and task meaningfulness interact to exert a causal effect on future mind-wandering. Study 3 uses a time-separated single-day design to replicate Studies 1 and 2 and examine our contention that employees often suppress boredom at work which, rather than preventing the effects of boredom, puts them "on hold" until a later point in time. Our findings provide insight into how to mitigate the far-reaching effects of boredom at work; they also advance episodic accounts of emotions, attention, and performance in organizations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

“It’s essential”: practicum supervisees’ emotion regulation challenges and their doctoral supervisors’ responses

ABSTRACT Novice supervisees inevitably experience intense emotional challenges during their practicum experience. Their supervisors often must help them manage their emotional reactions, suggesting the relevance of emotion regulation (ER) theory to supervision practice. Five doctoral supervisors described examples of their counseling practicum supervisees’ client-based (e.g. countertransference, trauma-related responses) and supervision-based (e.g. constructive feedback) ER challenges and how they responded. Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) analysis revealed supervisors responded in line with process model of ER, including individualized other-focused and interpersonal emotion regulation (IER) strategies. Findings suggest further investigations could advance supervision research and practice as well as inform ER theory.

Parental Attachment and Emotional Regulation among High School Students in Kikuyu Sub County, Kenya

This study investigated the relationship between parenting attachment style and emotional regulation of secondary school students in public and private schools in Kikuyu County, Kenya. The study employed a quantitative method study design by combining correlational survey and phenomenological research designs. The study was guided by attachment theory and the process model of emotional regulation theory. The target population was 5003 high school students. A sample of 384 students was selected using simple random sampling. The study used questionnaires, and document analyses to collect data. Quantitative data were analyzed using Pearson’s product-moment correlation analysis The findings revealed that. The study found that secure attachment negatively correlated with catastrophizing and other blame, while insecure attachment was positively correlated with rumination, catastrophizing, and other blame. Avoidant attachment was positively correlated with self-blame, while insecure attachment was negatively correlated with refocusing on planning. The study suggests that schools should establish a comprehensive emotional support system, involving teachers, counselors, and parents. Regular parent-teacher meetings, resources, targeted interventions, and a safe space for students to calm down can help identify struggling students and promote academic and social development.

Long-term aging trajectories of the accumulation of disease burden as predictors of daily affect dynamics and stressor reactivity.

Multiple-timescale studies provide new opportunities to examine how developmental processes that evolve at different cadences are intertwined. Developmental theories of emotion regulation suggest that the long-term, slowly evolving age-related accumulation of disease burden should shape short-term, faster evolving (daily) affective experiences. To empirically examine this proposition, we combined data from 123 old adults (65-69 years, 47% women) and 32 very old adults (85-88 years, 59% women) who provided 20 + year within-person longitudinal data on physician-rated morbidity and subsequently also completed repeated daily-life assessments of stress and affect six times a day over 7 consecutive days as they were going about their daily-life routines. Results from models that simultaneously articulate growth and intraindividual variability processes (in a dynamic structural equation modeling framework) revealed that individual differences in long-term aging trajectories of the accumulation of disease burden were indeed predictive of differences in three facets of affective dynamics that manifest in everyday life. In particular-over and above mean levels of disease burden-older adults whose disease burden had increased more over the past 20 years had higher base level of negative affect in their daily lives, more emotional reactivity to the experience of daily stressors, and more moment-to-moment fluctuations in negative affect that was unrelated to stressors (affective systemic noise). We highlight that developmental processes evolving over vastly different timescales are intertwined, and speculate how new knowledge about those relations can inform developmental theories of emotion regulation and daily-life functioning. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Microstructural abnormalities of white matter in the cingulum bundle of adolescents with major depression and non-suicidal self-injury.

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is prevalent in major depressive disorder (MDD) during adolescence, but the underlying neural mechanisms are unclear. This study aimed to investigate microstructural abnormalities in the cingulum bundle associated with NSSI and its clinical characteristics. 130 individuals completed the study, including 35 healthy controls, 47 MDD patients with NSSI, and 48 MDD patients without NSSI. We used tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) with a region of interest (ROI) analysis to compare the fractional anisotropy (FA) of the cingulum bundle across the three groups. receiver-operating characteristics (ROC) analysis was employed to evaluate the ability of the difficulties with emotion regulation (DERS) score and mean FA of the cingulum to differentiate between the groups. MDD patients with NSSI showed reduced cingulum integrity in the left dorsal cingulum compared to MDD patients without NSSI and healthy controls. The severity of NSSI was negatively associated with cingulum integrity (r = -0.344, p = 0.005). Combining cingulum integrity and DERS scores allowed for successful differentiation between MDD patients with and without NSSI, achieving a sensitivity of 70% and specificity of 83%. Our study highlights the role of the cingulum bundle in the development of NSSI in adolescents with MDD. The findings support a frontolimbic theory of emotion regulation and suggest that cingulum integrity and DERS scores may serve as potential early diagnostic tools for identifying MDD patients with NSSI.

Smartphone addiction and internalized and externalized aggression among adolescents: Evidence from longitudinal study and weekly diary study

Smartphone addiction is a global issue, especially among adolescents and it is closely tied to problematic behaviors, including aggression. However, the dynamic association and underlying mechanisms between smartphone addiction and aggression have rarely been explored by previous studies. Based on emotion regulation theory and the frustration-aggression hypothesis, the study examined the relationship between smartphone addiction, depression and internalized/externalized aggression. Study 1 adopted a longitudinal design at the trait level and Study 2 utilized a weekly diary at the state level to examine the associations between these variables. Study 1 revealed that smartphone addiction at time point 1 (T1) did not significantly predict internalized or externalized aggression at time point 2 (T2). Study 2 indicated that smartphone addiction in the previous week could predict internalized/externalized aggression in the following week. Additionally, Study 1 and Study 2 both showed that depression has indirect an effect on the relationship between smartphone addiction and internalized aggression, but not on smartphone addiction and externalized aggression. These findings not only enhance our comprehension of the underlying connections between smartphone addiction and internalized/externalized aggression but also offer valuable theoretical insights for developing future prevention and intervention measures aimed at addressing problematic behavior among adolescents.