EMOTION REGULATION DIFFICULTIES IN DEPRESSION

Patients diagnosed with depression often experience difficulty in regulating their emotions due to non-adaptive regulatory strategies (e.g., avoidance, suppression, rumination). Adaptive emotion regulation skills (e.g., awareness, acceptance, self-support) can be trained and improved through psychological treatment. The objective of this study was to identify differences in emotion regulation skills between a clinical group of patients with depression (n=56) and a non-clinical group (n=56), adults without symptoms of depression. Methods. The study was based on socio-demographic survey and three self-report questionnaires adapted for use in Latvia: Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS; Gratz & Roemer, 2004), Emotion Regulation Skills Questionnaire (ERSQ; Berking & Znoj, 2008) and Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ; Gross & John, 2003). Results. Compared to the non-clinical group, the clinical group presented significantly decreased scores in several scales of ERSQ: Understanding, Self-support, Tolerance, Acceptance, Modification (p<.001) and increased scores in four scales of DERS: Lack of emotional clarity, Difficulty engaging in goal-directed behaviour, Non-acceptance of emotional responses and Limited access to effective emotion regulation strategies (p<.001). Conclusions. This study helps to identify the main emotion regulation difficulties for depression patients in Latvia – the ability to understand, accept, tolerate and modify emotions.

Two-dimensional classification of psychological defense mechanisms

The paper proposes the author’s classification of psychological defense mechanisms, consisting of 20 mechanisms and representing a two-dimensional model. The idea of this model is that these mechanisms have a cross-relationship between 4 levels of the hierarchy (psychotic, infantile, neurotic, and adaptive groups) and 5 types of overcoming frustration which are the basis for the formation and functioning of the defense mechanism. The novelty of the article is the idea that each of the 20 defense mechanisms belongs to one of the 5 types of overcoming frustration — distracting type (mechanisms of regression, action out, compensation, sublimation), «guilty» type (mechanisms of hypochondria, passive-aggressive behavior, reactive formation, altruism), avoiding type (mechanisms of repression, denial, avoidance, suppression), rationalizing type (mechanisms of dissociation, displacement/transfer, rationalization, humor), controlling type (mechanisms of isolation, projection, omnipotence, anticipation). The paper provides description of the defense mechanisms, examples of their manifestation, and possible reasons for their formation. The substantiation of the defense mechanisms’ belonging to the particular groups and types of classification is given. The classification is proposed as a convenient diagnostic tool for counseling psychologists, because it has an optimal number of defense mechanisms, fairly clear criteria for their determination, their location in the structure of psychological defense and the basis for their functioning. The article also provides an overview of current classifications of defense mechanisms and voices problems related to the identification and streamlining of defense mechanisms. These problems are the subtlety of semantic difference and blurring of borders between defense mechanisms, different interpretations in terminology due to difficulties in translation from foreign languages, differences in approaches to hierarchy of defense mechanisms.

Integrative emotion regulation: Process and development from a self-determination theory perspective

Grounded in self-determination theory's (SDT; Ryan & Deci, 2017) organismic perspective, we present a process view of integrative emotion regulation. SDT describes three general types of emotion regulation: integrative emotion regulation, which focuses on emotions as carrying information that is brought to awareness; controlled emotion regulation, which is focused on diminishing emotions through avoidance, suppression, or enforced expression or reappraisal; and amotivated emotion regulation, in which emotions are uncontrolled or dysregulated. We review survey and experimental research contrasting these emotion regulation styles, providing evidence for the benefits of integrative emotion regulation for volitional functioning, personal well-being, and high-quality relationships, and for the costs of controlled emotion regulation and dysregulation. The development of emotion regulation styles is discussed, especially the role of autonomy-supportive parenting in fostering more integrative emotion regulation, and the role of controlling parenting in contributing to controlled or dysregulated emotion processing. Overall, integrative emotion regulation represents a beneficial style of processing emotions, which develops most effectively in a nonjudgmental and autonomy-supportive environment, an issue relevant to both development and psychotherapy.

Reinforcement attenuation as a behavioral technique to suppress conditioned avoidance response in rats: A comparative study with olanzapine

Background: Antipsychotic treatment is effective in the treatment of psychosis, although it also brings with it some unwanted side effects and is associated with low compliance. Finding a non-pharmacological alternative for antipsychotic treatment is highly desirable. Aims: This preclinical study examined the ‘antipsychotic’ efficacy of such a behavioral technique using a conditioned avoidance response model. This technique, termed reinforcement attenuation (RA), is to administer a brief footshock (0.1–2.0 s, 0.8 mA) at the end of each trial regardless of whether a well-trained rat makes an avoidance response or not. Results: RA achieved the same avoidance suppressing effect as olanzapine (an atypical antipsychotic drug), including both acute suppression and sensitized suppression of avoidance response in well-trained Sprague–Dawley adult male rats. Interestingly, the RA-induced sensitization (an enhanced disruption of avoidance responding) enhanced subsequent olanzapine sensitivity, whereas the olanzapine (1.0 mg/kg)-induced sensitization had little impact on later RA treatment. When RA and olanzapine (0.5 mg/kg, subcutaneously) were used together, the RA-induced sensitization was still detectable in the RA challenge test, although its magnitude was reduced by olanzapine. Finally, we showed that the RA-induced sensitization in avoidance suppression persisted from adolescence into adulthood, long after such a treatment was terminated. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that the RA is functionally equivalent (if not superior) to antipsychotic treatment in the avoidance suppression effect (both acute and sensitization effects) in both adolescent and adult animals. Behavioral therapies that specifically target the reinforcer of psychotic thoughts might be a viable strategy for the treatment of psychosis.