Use Of Emotion Regulation Strategies Research Articles

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.

Relationships between emotion regulation strategies and executive functions in adolescence: Exploring the effects of discrete emotions and age.

Emotion regulation (ER) develops during adolescence and contributes to psychosocial adjustment. Individual differences in the development of ER strategies may be related to cognitive processes responsible for managing goal-directed behaviors, namely executive functions (EFs). This study examined (1) examined how difficulties in specific EFs (i.e., inhibition, flexibility and working memory) predict the use of ER strategies (i.e., reappraisal, distraction, expressive suppression, rumination, support-seeking) in an emotion-specific approach and (2) investigated these links across three different age groups (corresponding to early, middle and late adolescence), considering the nonlinear evolution of the relationships between EF and ER strategies during adolescence. The sample was composed of 1076 adolescents aged from 12 to 19 years old who completed questionnaires on EF difficulties (i.e., inhibition, flexibility, and working memory) and ER strategies (i.e., distraction, reappraisal, expressive suppression, social support-seeking, and rumination). Results showed various complex relationships between EFs and ER. Flexibility issues were related to rumination at all ages, while inhibition and flexibility difficulties were negatively linked to reappraisal in mid- to late adolescence. Many relationships were emotion- and age-dependent. These findings support the link between cognitive and emotional regulatory processes. Its complex evolution during adolescence opens a new avenue for future research.

Emotion Regulation and Mentalization in Patients With Depression and Anxiety

ABSTRACTObjectiveTheoretical conceptualizations of emotion and affect regulation have a considerable common ground. However, mentalization theory considers the ability to regulate affects as being contingent on the ability to mentalize. The aim of the present study is to examine the association between emotion regulation and mentalization, operationalized as reflective functioning, in a sample of patients with depression and/or anxiety.MethodsThe study used data from the TRAns‐diagnostic Cognitive behavioural Therapy versus standard cognitive behavioural therapy (TRACT‐RCT) trial. Patients with depression and/or anxiety (N = 291; 64.4% female; Mage = 32.2; SD = 11.0) completed the Emotion Regulation Strategies Questionnaire (ERSQ) and the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (RFQ‐6). Correlation and regression analyses were performed to determine associations of the measures of ERSQ and RFQ‐6 in relation to the outcome variables, global well‐being (World Health Organization Well‐being Index; WHO‐5) and social functioning (Work and Social Adjustment Scale; WSAS).ResultsOverall, the patients had a reduced level of emotion regulation (MERSQ_Total = 1.77; SD = 0.59). However, only mildly impaired reflective functioning was found (MRFQ‐6 = 3.57; SD = 1.26). ERSQ correlated significantly with RFQ‐6 (r = −0.31), that is, more frequent use of emotion regulation strategies was associated with less hypomentalization. ERSQ was a stronger predictor of well‐being and social function than RFQ‐6.ConclusionIn patients with anxiety and/or depression, hypomentalization as measured by the RFQ‐6 is not a major problem, but emotion regulation is. It seems that these two, theoretically related constructs, do not necessarily co‐occur. Alternatively, the RFQ‐6 scale might not capture the mentalization construct in a valid way. Emotion regulation strategies are highly related to symptomatology; therefore, they are likely to be an important target for psychotherapy.

Regulating others' emotions: An exploratory study of everyday extrinsic emotion regulation in university students

Emotion regulation predicts important life outcomes including psychopathology, social outcomes, work performance, and academic achievement. Extrinsic emotion regulation strategies (the strategies used to influence others' emotions) are under-studied relative to intrinsic regulation strategies (the strategies used to regulate one's own emotions). In the current study, we used experience sampling to examine participants' extrinsic emotion regulation strategies. Participants (165 university students) reported the strategies they used to regulate others' emotions on 30 occasions over 5 days. The findings suggest that participants frequently report regulating others' emotions and report using receptive listening and reframing more than humor and distraction. Empathy, conscientiousness and agreeableness were associated with differences in the use of extrinsic emotion regulation strategies. These findings help characterize everyday extrinsic emotion regulation strategies and how these strategies relate to other individual differences.

Links Between Daily Life and Laboratory Emotion Regulation Processes: The Role of Age and Cognitive Status.

This study investigates how daily use of emotion regulation (ER) strategies predicts ER processes in the laboratory among young adults and cognitively diverse older adults. Young adults (aged 21-34, n=66), cognitively normal older adults (CN; aged 70-83, n=87), and older adults with researcher-defined mild cognitive impairment (MCI; aged 70-84; n=58) completed an experience sampling procedure (7x/day for 9 days) reporting their distraction and reappraisal use in daily life. In a laboratory task inducing high-arousal negative emotion, they reported their (a) distraction and reappraisal use when instructed to reduce negative emotion and (b) ER success and perceptions when randomly assigned to regulate using distraction or reappraisal. Among CN older adults, higher frequency of using a strategy in daily life predicted greater success deploying the strategy when instructed to do so but was unrelated to spontaneous strategy use in the laboratory. In contrast, among older adults with researcher-defined MCI, greater daily life strategy use predicted greater laboratory use, but not greater success. Daily strategy use in younger adults was unrelated to strategy use and success in the laboratory. Older adults with researcher-defined MCI experienced ER as more demanding but did not differ from non-impaired individuals in terms of perceived ER effort. Cognitively normal older adults may be better able to leverage their ER experience in novel contexts than younger adults. Older adults with MCI may be motivated to manage their emotions but experience more ER difficulty, perhaps in part due to reliance on default strategies.

Emotion regulation unveiled through the categorical lens of attachment

BackgroundEmotion regulation, the process by which individuals manage and modify their emotional experiences, expressions, and responses to adaptively navigate and cope with various situations, plays a crucial role in daily life. Our study investigates the variations in emotion regulation strategies among individuals with different attachment styles (AS). Specifically, we examine how individuals with secure, anxious, avoidant, and fearful attachment styles effectively utilize cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression to regulate their emotions.MethodsA total of n = 98 adults were instructed to attend, reappraise, or suppress their emotions while viewing negative and neutral images from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS) in an experimental emotion regulation task. After completing the task, participants rated the valence and arousal elicited by the images. Attachment styles were measured using the ECR-12 questionnaire and then categorized into four AS.ResultsOur study revealed that individuals with secure AS (n = 39) effectively reduced displeasure through cognitive reappraisal but experienced levels of displeasure with expressive suppression. Anxious AS (n = 16) individuals successfully reduced displeasure using cognitive reappraisal but struggled to regulate arousal and effectively use expressive suppression. Avoidant AS (n = 24) individuals could reduce displeasure with both strategies but experienced high arousal during suppression attempts. Fearful AS (n = 19) individuals effectively regulated both displeasure and arousal using either strategy. However, Secure AS individuals showed superior reappraisal efficacy, significantly reducing arousal levels compared to the Fearful AS group. Both Secure and Avoidant AS groups experienced higher valence during reappraisal relative to a baseline, indicating a decrease in displeasure.ConclusionsIndividuals with different AS exhibit variations in the effectiveness of their use of emotion regulation strategies. Our findings reinforce the significance of AS in shaping emotion regulation processes and emphasize the need for tailored approaches to support individuals with different attachment orientations.

The Moderating Role of Poverty on Parenting, Family Climate, and Early Adolescent Emotion Regulation

Among infants and children, family climate (e.g., warmth, cohesion, support) and parent emotion regulation (ER) modeling are found to shape ER development. Few studies have attended to this process during early adolescence, and most have neglected to examine the role of poverty, which creates additional challenges for parents and families. The current study examined the relationship between parent ER strategy use, family climate, and participation in a family intervention on adolescent ER and the moderating role of poverty among early adolescent males ( N = 119; 23% Latino; 55% White). After controlling for baseline adolescent ER difficulties and socio-cultural factors, analyses revealed that poverty moderated the relationship between family emotional climate and adolescent ER. Among early adolescent males, findings suggest that a positive family climate, among those not living in poverty, is key to facilitating adolescent emotion regulation abilities. This relationship warrants further evaluation among adolescent males living in poverty.

The Mask of Sanity? Leader Primary Psychopathy and the Effects of Leader Emotion Regulation Strategies on Followers

Individuals with psychopathic tendencies are sometimes quite capable of acquiring and maintaining leadership positions. One explanation could be that leaders with psychopathic personality profiles “hide behind the mask of sanity” by managing the public display of their emotions so that it positively affects other people's perceptions. We conducted a multisource team study (N = 306 teams) to investigate how leader primary psychopathy and emotion regulation strategies are related to follower perceptions of leader authenticity and follower trust in the leader. We found that leaders with stronger primary psychopathic tendencies would do better to adhere to a strategy of surface acting and refrain from deep acting in order to affect follower trust positively. Perceived authenticity explains the interactive effect of leader emotion regulation and psychopathy on follower trust. We also found that for leaders with higher levels of primary psychopathy deep acting is a less fruitful strategy because they lack the necessary empathic concern, and that the display of naturally felt emotions is a good strategy because it is positively associated with follower trust. We discuss whether the differential use of emotion regulation strategies might explain primary psychopaths’ upward mobility and how their use of emotion regulation strategies could help them to be perceived positively.

The Effects of a Single-Session Virtual Rumination Intervention to Enhance Cognitive Functioning in Veterans With Subjective Cognitive Symptoms: Multimethod Pilot Study.

Subjective cognitive concerns (SCCs) entail perceived difficulties in thinking or memory, often reported without substantial objective evidence of cognitive impairment. These concerns are prevalent among individuals with a history of brain injuries, neurological conditions, or chronic illnesses, contributing to both psychological distress and functional limitations. They are increasingly considered to be a risk factor for future objective decline. A considerable number of individuals reporting SCCs also exhibit mental health symptoms, such as a history of trauma, depression, or anxiety. Interventions that address modifiable emotional and cognitive factors related to SCC could improve functioning and quality of life. Therefore, the use of emotion regulation strategies, especially those directed at minimizing rumination, could serve as a promising focus for interventions aimed at mitigating subjective cognitive concerns in veteran populations. This pilot study explored the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a brief, 1-session emotion regulation intervention called "Worry Less, Remember More." The Worry Less, Remember More intervention was designed to reduce rumination and improve subjective cognitive functioning in veterans with subjective cognitive changes (N=15). We randomized 15 veterans to either the active telehealth condition or waitlist control and completed the intervention. Participants were aged between 31 and 67 (mean 49.5, SD 10.1) years, and the sample was primarily male (12/15, 83%) and White (10/15, 67%). The most common diagnoses were posttraumatic stress disorder and depression. Following the intervention, veteran input was sought through semistructured interviews with a subset of 12 participants, examining feasibility, acceptability, and perceived efficacy. Preliminary efficacy was also measured using pre- and postintervention self-report measures. Veterans reported that this intervention was acceptable, with 92% (11/12) of the sample reporting that they benefited from the intervention and would recommend the intervention to others with similar difficulties. Semistructured interviews revealed difficulties with feasibility, including problems with the remote consenting process, forgetting appointments, and needing additional strategies to remember to consistently use the interventions. The intervention improved self-reported cognitive symptoms on quantitative measures but did not improve self-reported rumination. This pilot study establishes the preliminary feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of the Worry Less, Remember More intervention for veterans with subjective cognitive symptoms. Future iterations of the intervention may benefit from simplifying the electronic consent process, providing reminders for appointments, and incorporating compensatory cognitive strategies to assist with using the telehealth system, as well as applying the strategies learned in the intervention. While future research is needed with larger samples, including nonveteran populations, the intervention may also be a useful clinical tool to bridge care between neuropsychology clinics and mental health treatment.

The Association of Emotion Regulation and Somatic Symptoms.

People with functional somatic symptoms have difficulties in various stages of the emotion regulation (ER) process (1). As an adaptive and flexible use of ER strategies is a core tenet of emotional health, having difficulties in this area is often assumed to be the key mechanism behind functional somatic symptoms. Following a dimensional population-based sampling approach, we investigated emotion regulation abilities across a broad range of people and tested possible associations with somatic symptom reporting, habitual ER use as well as various subclinical constructs (such as alexithymia and anxiety). In a sample of N = 254 persons, somatic symptom distress (PHQ-15, HiTOP somatoform spectrum), trait emotion regulation facets (ERQ, ERS) as well as the emotion regulation abilities (suppression and reappraisal) were assessed. Correlations (frequentist and Bayesian), ANOVAs, and Structural Equation Models were used to analyze the data. Correlational and SEM analyses revealed that general symptom severity (both on the somatoform HiTOP and PHQ-15) was not significantly associated with emotion regulation effectiveness, general arousal, or general valence. The sensory component of pain symptoms (r = - .708, p = .023), as well as health anxiety (r = - .443, p = .028) were significantly negatively associated with effective emotion regulation. Emotion regulation effectiveness appears independent of general somatic symptom distress. We make recommendations for clinical interventions in light of these complex findings.

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.

Emotion malleability beliefs matter in emotion regulation: a comprehensive review and meta-analysis

ABSTRACT Individuals’ beliefs about the malleability of emotions have been theorised to play a role in their psychological distress by influencing emotion regulation processes, such as the use of emotion regulation strategies. We conducted a meta-analysis to test this idea across studies with a focus on the relationships between emotion malleability beliefs and five distinct emotion regulation strategies: cognitive reappraisal, suppression, avoidance, rumination, and acceptance. Further, using two-stage meta-analytic structural equation modelling (TSSEM), we examined whether the emotion regulation strategies mediate the cross-sectional relationship between emotion malleability beliefs and psychological distress across studies. Thirty-seven studies were included in the meta-analyses and 55 cross-sectional studies were included in the TSSEM. Results demonstrated that, across studies, emotion malleability beliefs were significantly associated with greater use of putatively helpful strategies (particularly with cognitive reappraisal) and less use of putatively unhelpful strategies (particularly with avoidance). The use of cognitive reappraisal and avoidance partially mediated the relationship between emotion malleability beliefs and psychological distress. These results highlight the importance of considering beliefs about the malleability of emotions in the context of emotion regulation. These findings suggest the potential role of emotion malleability beliefs in interventions for individuals with emotion regulation-related difficulties and psychological distress.

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.

Reductions in Anxiety are Associated with Decreased Expressive Suppression and Increased Cognitive Reappraisal After Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment: A Naturalistic Study in Youth.

Broad deficits in emotion regulation skills have been observed in children with anxiety-related disorders. These deficits typically improve during cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), but few studies have examined changes in expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal in youth with anxiety disorders and/or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) during CBT, especially in real-world settings. In a naturalistic treatment-seeking sample, 123 youth completed measures of anxiety, depression, and emotion regulation strategy use before and after 15 sessions of CBT. For anxious youth, anxiety and expressive suppression decreased over treatment, while cognitive reappraisal increased. Reductions in expressive suppression and increases in cognitive reappraisal were significantly associated with improvements in anxiety and remained significantly associated with post-treatment anxiety after accounting for baseline anxiety and depression. Changes in expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal over the course of treatment were not found for youth with primary OCD. Thus, CBT improves emotion regulation abilities in anxious youth, and these improvements are associated with anxiety reduction; improvements in emotion regulation do not appear to drive changes in OCD symptoms. Further research is needed to determine whether changes in emotion regulation strategies mediate changes in anxiety among youth receiving CBT.

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.

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.

Three facets of emotion regulation in old and very old age: Strategy use, effectiveness, and variability.

The ability to regulate emotions in stressful situations is an important building block for high well-being across the lifespan. Yet, very little is known about how old and very old adults regulate their emotions. In this study, 123 young old adults (Mage = 67.18, SD = 0.94) and 47 very old adults (Mage = 86.70, SD = 1.46) were prompted 6 times a day for 7 consecutive days to report both their stressors and 10 emotion regulation strategies. Overall, there was little indication of age differences in the use of emotion regulation strategies during exposure to stressors, but very old, as compared with young old, individuals used three of the 10 strategies considered here more intensively. The 10 emotion regulation strategies were similarly effective across age groups based on their association with perceived overall emotion regulation success. We also did not find age group differences in within-strategy variability, defined as the variation in using a given strategy across stressor situations. By contrast, between-strategy variability, defined as the selective use of fewer rather than many strategies across stressor situations, was lower for very old participants. Only between-strategy, and not within-strategy, variability contributed to overall emotion regulation success. There was no age group difference in this regard. Taken together, the evidence suggests small age differences in emotion regulation if at all. This is noteworthy given the advanced age of the very old subsample in this study and the deficits in multiple domains of functioning reported in the literature for this advanced age. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Relationship Between Habitual Use and Degree of Emotion Regulation: Age Differences in Cognitive Reappraisal and Expressive Suppression.

The present study examined age differences in and the relationship between two indices of cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression: the degree of emotion regulation and the habitual use of emotion-regulation strategies. In total, 101 younger and 99 older participants were included in this study. The degree of emotion regulation was measured using an experimental task in which participants were presented with negative or positive pictures and required to regulate their emotions. Habitual use of emotion regulation strategies was measured using an emotion regulation questionnaire. The results showed that younger adults regulated their emotions to a greater extent than older adults in both reappraisal and suppression. Younger adults were more likely to use reappraisal than were older adults, although there were no age differences in the use of suppression. No significant correlations were found between the degree of emotion regulation and the habitual use of emotion regulation strategies. These results suggest that age differences in emotion regulation depend on the regulation strategy and that the degree of emotion regulation and habitual use of emotion regulation strategies are independent and quite different indicators in nature.

Emotion Regulation Use Varies Across Socioecological Levels of Pandemic Stress in Older Adults

ABSTRACT Objectives COVID-19 escalated stress within family/neighborhood (local) and national/cultural (global) levels. However, the impact of socioecological levels of stress on pandemic emotion regulation remains largely unexplored. Methods Thirty older adults from the Northeast US (63–92 years) reported on pandemic stress and emotion regulation in semi-structured interviews. Responses were coded into socioecological sources of local and global stress, and associated use of cognitive emotion regulation strategies from the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire was explored. Results Older adults experienced significant distress at global levels, and perception of lacking top-down safety governance may have exacerbated local distress of engaging in daily activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants endorsed coping with local stressors via perspective-taking, acceptance, and other adaptive strategies, while global sources of stress were associated with greater use of maladaptive strategies, including other-blame and rumination. Conclusion Quantitative assessments may underestimate significant older adult distress and maladaptive coping toward global stressors. Findings should be replicated with more diverse populations beyond the COVID-19 context.