Exploring two models of emotion regulation: how strategy use, abilities, and flexibility relate to well-being and mental illness

Research on self-control has increasingly acknowledged the importance of self-regulatory strategies, with strategies in earlier stages of the developing tempting impulse thought to be more effective than strategies in later stages. However, recent research on emotion regulation has moved away from assuming that some strategies are per se and across situations more adaptive than others. Instead, strategy use that is variable to fit situational demands is considered more adaptive. In the present research, we transfer this dynamic process perspective to self-regulatory strategies in the context of persistence conflicts. We investigated eight indicators of strategy use (i.e., strategy intensity, instability, inertia, predictability, differentiation, diversity, and within- and between-strategy variability) in an experience sampling study ( N = 264 participants with 1,923 observations). We found that variability between strategies was significantly associated with self-regulatory success above and beyond mean levels of self-regulatory strategy use. Moreover, the association between trait self-control on one hand and everyday self-regulatory success and affective well-being on the other hand was partially mediated by between-strategy variability. Our results do not only show the benefits of variable strategy use for individual’s self-regulatory success but also the benefits of more strongly connecting the fields of emotion regulation and self-control research.

Download Full-text

Age and Context Effects in Daily Emotion Regulation and Well-Being at Work

Work Aging and Retirement ◽

10.1093/workar/waz014 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Susanne Scheibe ◽

Darya Moghimi

Keyword(s):

Emotion Regulation ◽

Indirect Effects ◽

Older Workers ◽

Well Being ◽

Strategy Use ◽

Emotion Regulation Strategies ◽

Negative Work ◽

Age Related ◽

Regulation Strategies ◽

Work Events

Abstract With aging, emotion regulation competence is thought to improve, which benefits occupational well-being. Past research on aging and emotion regulation at work has mainly focused on one-time measurements of habitual strategy use. Yet, emotion regulation is a response to changing situational requirements. Using an event-based daily diary approach, we examined whether age moderates the extent to which three characteristics of negative work events (intensity, controllability, and interpersonal nature) predict the adoption of four emotion-regulation strategies (positive reappraisal, distraction, emotion acceptance, and expressive suppression) and subsequent well-being outcomes (job satisfaction and fatigue). Employees (N = 199) aged between 18 and 62 years and of diverse occupational backgrounds reported 1,321 daily negative work events and their emotion-regulatory responses. Results suggest that the emotion-regulation strategies that employees spontaneously use are a function of the intensity and interpersonal nature of events (less so of controllability) and that event characteristics have indirect effects on daily well-being through acceptance and suppression. Younger and older workers responded overall similarly to variations in event characteristics. However, we found age differences in the relationship between event intensity and strategy use. Contrary to predictions of stronger tailoring of strategies to context with age, older workers were more stable in strategy use at higher levels of event intensity, increasing less in suppression and decreasing less in acceptance. Indirect effects of event intensity on well-being point at the adaptive nature of these age-related shifts in strategy use. Findings shed light on adaptive emotion-regulation in daily work life and the role of employee age.

Download Full-text

Between‐Individual Differences in Baseline Well‐Being and Emotion Regulation Strategy Use Moderate the Effect of a Self‐Help Cognitive‐Behavioral Intervention for Typical Adults

Applied Psychology Health and Well-Being ◽

10.1111/aphw.12189 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 411-431

Author(s):

Jean‐Baptiste Pavani ◽

Guillaume Berna ◽

Eva Andreotti ◽

Theo Guiller ◽

Pascal Antoine ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Emotion Regulation ◽

Individual Differences ◽

Behavioral Intervention ◽

Well Being ◽

Strategy Use ◽

Cognitive Behavioral ◽

Cognitive Behavioral Intervention ◽

Self Help ◽

Emotion Regulation Strategy

Download Full-text

Emotion regulation in autism: Reappraisal and suppression interactions

Autism ◽

10.1177/1362361318774558 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 23 (3) ◽

pp. 737-749 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Ru Ying Cai ◽

Amanda L Richdale ◽

Cheryl Dissanayake ◽

Julian Trollor ◽

Mirko Uljarević

Keyword(s):

Emotion Regulation ◽

Well Being ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Strategy Use ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

Autism Spectrum Quotient ◽

Psychological Well Being ◽

Patient Health ◽

Emotion Regulation Strategy ◽

The Individual

Emotion regulation has been proposed to be a transdiagnostic factor in the development and maintenance of psychopathology in the general population, yet the nature of the relationships between emotion regulation strategy use and psychological well-being has not been comprehensively explored in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The aim of this study was to assess how the individual differences in self-reported emotion regulation strategy use relate to levels of both positive and negative psychological well-being. In total, 56 individuals with ASD aged 14–24 years (Mage = 18.15; SDage = 2.30) completed Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 Generalized Anxiety Disorder Dimensional Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale and Autism-Spectrum Quotient – Short. Individuals were grouped into four clusters based on their Emotion Regulation Questionnaire subscale scores. Individuals in the high suppression and low reappraisal group expressed higher depressive symptoms and lower positive well-being when compared with the low suppression and high reappraisal group. Interestingly, individuals who self-reported using both high suppression and reappraisal expressed relatively high positive well-being and low depression symptoms. We suggest that the maladaptive effect of habitual suppression usage may be buffered by the habitual use of reappraisal, and this interaction between adaptive and maladaptive emotion regulation strategy use has clinical implications.

Download Full-text

Direct and indirect effects of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and emotion regulation strategy use on mental health during Covid-19

10.31234/osf.io/bmgt9 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Plamina Dimanova ◽

Réka Borbás ◽

Cilly Bernardette Schnider ◽

Lynn V. Fehlbaum ◽

Nora Maria Raschle

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Emotion Regulation ◽

Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Well Being ◽

Strategy Use ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Cognitive Emotion Regulation ◽

Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽

Emotion Regulation Strategy ◽

Regulation Strategies

Background. Covid-19 and associated restrictions have been linked to negative mental health outcomes across the globe. Cognitive emotion regulation strategies constitute means to mitigating negative affect and are associated with prefrontal and limbic brain regions. Methods. Variations in cognitive emotion regulation strategy use, anxiety and depression in 43 adults (31♀, average age=35.14±9.20y) and emotional and behavioral problems in 26 children (10♀, average age=10.69±2.52y) were tested seven times following Covid-19 onset (March-December 2020). Relationships between pre-pandemic brain structure, use of cognitive emotion regulation strategies and mental well-being were tested using multiple regression and mediation models. Results. Covid-19 and associated restrictions were linked to heightened, but varying levels of anxiety and depression across 2020. While adaptive strategies were most employed, maladaptive strategies explained the highest variation in negative mental health outcomes (i.e., anxiety and depression). Adaptive strategies had a positive, maladaptive strategies a negative effect, however, this direction varied for some strategies when considering long-term effects. Emotion regulation strategy use mediated the association between pre-pandemic brain structure (i.e., cortical thickness) in right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and well-being, with prefrontal-amygdala coupling as a possible driving factor. Additionally, early well-being measures were crucial for later well-being. Conclusion. Our findings support the use of early intervention strategies for mental health consequences due to the pandemic. Due to substantial personal and societal costs associated with mental health disorders, such as anxiety and depression, an early identification of risk factors for the development and treatment response are of utmost importance.

Download Full-text

The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS)

Swiss Journal of Psychology ◽

10.1024/1421-0185/a000093 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 72 (1) ◽

pp. 5-11 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Elise S. Dan-Glauser ◽

Klaus R. Scherer

Keyword(s):

Emotion Regulation ◽

Well Being ◽

French Translation ◽

French Version ◽

Inappropriate Behaviors ◽

Initial Validation ◽

Difficulties In Emotion Regulation ◽

Instrument Measuring ◽

Highly Correlated ◽

Psychopathological Disorders

Successful emotion regulation is a key aspect of efficient social functioning and personal well-being. Difficulties in emotion regulation lead to relationship impairments and are presumed to be involved in the onset and maintenance of some psychopathological disorders as well as inappropriate behaviors. Gratz and Roemer (2004 ) developed the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), a comprehensive instrument measuring emotion regulation problems that encompasses several dimensions on which difficulties can occur. The aim of the present work was to develop a French translation of this scale and to provide an initial validation of this instrument. The French version was created using translation and backtranslation procedures and was tested on 455 healthy students. Congruence between the original and the translated scales was .98 (Tucker’s phi) and internal consistency of the translation reached .92 (Cronbach’s α). Moreover, test-retest scores were highly correlated. Altogether, the initial validation of the French version of the DERS (DERS-F) offers satisfactory results and permits the use of this instrument to map difficulties in emotion regulation in both clinical and research contexts.

Download Full-text

Assessment of health related issues in individuals’, couples’, and families’ daily life

Zeitschrift für Gesundheitspsychologie ◽

10.1026/0943-8149.16.3.146 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 16 (3) ◽

pp. 146-149 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Meinrad Perrez ◽

Michael Reicherts ◽

Yves Hänggi ◽

Andrea B. Horn ◽

Gisela Michel ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Emotion Regulation ◽

Daily Life ◽

Ecological Validity ◽

Reliability And Validity ◽

Well Being ◽

Computer Assisted ◽

Emotional States ◽

Self Reports ◽

Health Related ◽

Lower Variability

Abstract. Most research in health psychology is based on retrospective self reports, which are distorted by recall biases and have low ecological validity. To overcome such limitations we developed computer assisted diary approaches to assess health related behaviours in individuals’, couples’ and families’ daily life. The event- and time-sampling-based instruments serve to assess appraisals of the current situation, feelings of physical discomfort, current emotional states, conflict and emotion regulation in daily life. They have proved sufficient reliability and validity in the context of individual, couple and family research with respect to issues like emotion regulation and health. As examples: Regarding symptom reporting curvilinear pattern of frequencies over the day could be identified by parents and adolescents; or psychological well-being is associated with lower variability in basic affect dimensions. In addition, we report on preventive studies to improve parental skills and enhance their empathic competences towards their baby, and towards their partner.

Download Full-text