Self-Reported Emotion Reactivity Among Early-Adolescent Girls: Evidence for Convergent and Discriminant Validity in an Urban Community Sample

Sleep, Affect, and Emotion Reactivity in First-Year College Students: A Daily Diary Study

BACKGROUND

Sleep is an important factor in well-being, especially during the transition to college when academic and social commitments increase. Identifying factors that contribute to poor sleep (including short duration and increased variability in duration) can support development of interventions. Affect and emotion reactivity are factors that could contribute to sleep, and have not been studied in relation to sleep variables among first-year college students during their adjustment to the college environment. This adjustment might be difficult for some students, and therefore elicit affect fluctuations that contribute to poor sleep. Alternatively, sleep could contribute to daily affect. The present daily diary study examined bidirectional relations between daily sleep and affect, as well as between emotion reactivity and sleep (duration and variability) and affect (daily and overall variability) in first-year college students.

METHOD

First-year college students (n = 244; 86.1% female) completed a baseline survey including measures of emotion reactivity and anxiety and depressive symptoms, followed by 7 days of a once-per-day diary, reporting on their affect and sleep duration.

RESULTS

On days when individuals reported increased sleep duration, they also tended to experience greater positive affect the following day (p = .01). Those who experienced high levels of emotion reactivity also experienced more negative affect (p < .001) and negative affect variability (p < .001).

CONCLUSION

Emotion reactivity might identify college students who experience more negative affect and are possibly at risk to develop mental health disorders. The importance of sleep health should continue to be emphasized to students as they transition to college.

The Prospective Association between Emotional Reactivity and Adolescent Suicidal Ideation

Despite the importance of emotions in our daily lives, less is known about the role of emotional reactivity in suicidal risk. This brief study investigated whether emotional reactivity is associated with adolescent suicidal ideation six months later. Participants were 139 adolescents (55% female; Mage = 12.79, SDage = 0.73) who completed baseline assessments, a 10-day daily diary protocol, and six-month follow-up assessments. Results showed that higher emotional reactivity indicated by increased negative emotions and decreased positive emotions was associated with a greater risk for suicidal ideation. The findings suggest that adolescents with greater emotional reactivity to daily school problems had elevated risks for suicidal ideation. This study supports the importance of emotional reactivity in daily life for preventing adolescent suicidal ideation.

Sensation seeking predicts risky driving behavior: The mediating role of difficulties in emotion regulation

The purpose of this study was to explore the mediating effect of difficulties in emotion regulation on the relationship between sensation seeking and driving behavior based on the dual-process model of aberrant driving behavior. A sample of 299 drivers in China completed the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, the Driver Behavior Questionnaire, and the Sensation Seeking Scale V (SSS). The relationships among sensation seeking, difficulties in emotion regulation, and driving behavior were investigated using pathway analysis. The results showed that (1) disinhibition and boredom susceptibility are positively and significantly related to difficulties in emotion regulation and risky driving behaviors; (2) difficulties in emotion regulation are positively and significantly associated with risky driving behaviors; (3) difficulties in emotion regulation mediate the effect of sensation seeking on driving behaviors, supporting the dual-process model of driving behavior; and (4) professional drivers score higher in terms of difficulties in emotion regulation and risky driving behaviors than nonprofessional drivers. The findings of this study could provide valuable insights into the selection of suitable drivers and the development of certain programs that benefit road safety.

Negative and Positive Emotional Reactivity in Women With and Without a History of Self-Injury

In trying to better understand why certain individuals self-injure, researchers have proposed high emotional reactivity for negative emotions may influence vulnerabilities and predispose individuals to react to stressful situations in a dysregulated manner, thus engaging in non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). However, the role of emotional reactivity for positive emotions in those with a history of NSSI is still unclear. Thus, the present study sought to examine group differences in the reactivity of (a) negative and (b) positive emotions in young adults with and without a history of NSSI engagement, and (c) to evaluate whether the reactivity of positive emotions could predict NSSI engagement when controlling for reactivity of negative emotions. The sample consisted of 96 female students who reported engaging in NSSI within the past 2 years (M_age = 20.28 years, SD = 1.65) and an age-matched female comparison group with no NSSI history (M_age = 20.43 years, SD = 1.76). Results from separate MANOVAs indicated individuals with a history of NSSI reported higher negative reactivity across all aspects (emotional intensity, sensitivity, and persistence) than the comparison group, Wilk's λ = .86, F (3,188) = 10.65, p < .001, partial η² = .145; however, no significant differences emerged for positive reactivity, Wilk's λ = .99, F (3,188) = 0.52, p = .669. Moreover, a logistic regression revealed that persistence of negative emotions was the only significant predictor of NSSI, Wald χ² (1) = 4.54, p = .03. The present results highlight the importance of the persistence of negative emotions for individuals who engage in NSSI. Furthermore, the current study provides the first suggestion of no significant differences in positive emotional reactivity between individuals with and without NSSI; underlining the importance of focusing on negative emotional reactivity in clinical practice as well as using positive emotions to "undo" the effect of negative emotions.

A Study on Intergenerational Transmission of Dark Triad and Emotion Reactivity

Introduction

Moderate emotion reactivity in the face of daily stress is of positive significance regarding individuals’ psychological well-being and environmental adaptation. The study on intergenerational transmission of Dark Triad and emotion reactivity has confirmed the existence of higher levels of Dark Triad and emotion reactivity in college students in the Chinese sample, which may provide a reference for future related studies.

Purpose

The study examined the intergenerational transmission effects of Dark Triad and Emotion Reactivity in families. And based on this, it further analyzed the mediating role of parental emotion reactivity and children’s Dark Triad in the influence of parental Dark Triad on children’s emotion reactivity.

Methods

The questionnaire was administered to 486 families inclusive of fathers, mothers, and children utilizing the Emotion Reactivity Scale (ERS) and the Dirty Dozen (DD).

Results

1) The intergenerational transmission was presented in the three Dark Triad traits and emotion reactivity. 2) The level of Dark Triad and emotion reactivity of children was remarkably higher than that of their parents. 3) The Dark Triad scores of males were considerably higher than those of females, while there were no significant differences in the scores of emotion reactivity between them. 4) The actor and partner effects of Dark Triad and emotion reactivity between father and mother were established. 5) Parental emotion reactivity and children’s Dark Triad exerted mediating effects on the impact of parental Dark Triad on children’s emotion reactivity.

Conclusion

The effect of parental three Dark Triad on their children’s emotion reactivity as well as its mediation mechanism were examined respectively by the present study in the light of APIM and intergenerational transmission analysis. It was concluded that the findings carried both theoretical and reference value for developing moderate emotion reactive ability toward college students.

Associations between emotion reactivity and eating disorder symptoms in a transdiagnostic treatment-seeking sample

OBJECTIVE

Individuals with eating disorders (EDs) demonstrate difficulties with emotion regulation, and these difficulties have been associated with severity and maintenance of ED symptoms. Although emotion reactivity (i.e., the strength and duration of emotional experiences) is distinct from emotion regulation, few studies have examined emotion reactivity in the context of EDs. The purpose of the current study was to examine longitudinal associations between emotion reactivity and ED symptoms and impairment in individuals with EDs.

METHOD

Individuals seeking outpatient ED treatment (N = 265) completed questionnaires assessing ED symptoms and severity, emotion reactivity, and emotion regulation difficulties at treatment intake and bi-monthly during treatment.

RESULTS

Individuals with anorexia nervosa or binge eating or purging presentations had higher emotion reactivity scores than a non-ED comparison group. Controlling for age, diagnosis, and emotion regulation difficulties, emotion reactivity was positively associated with ED severity, ED-related impairment, and loss of control eating severity. Moreover, emotion reactivity, but not emotion regulation difficulties, was associated with change in ED symptoms during treatment.

DISCUSSION

Findings support that emotion reactivity may differ based on ED presentations and may be an important correlate of ED symptom severity.

PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE

Emotion reactivity refers to the strength and duration of an emotional experience. This study found that higher emotion reactivity was related to greater eating disorder symptom severity and eating disorder-related impairment. It may be beneficial to consider the role of emotion reactivity in conceptualizations of eating disorders, particularly those characterized by binge eating or purging.

Between- versus within-person emotional and cognitive reactivity in relation to depressive symptoms

BACKGROUND

Theories connecting depression to emotional reactivity (ER) or cognitive reactivity (CR) have not clearly indicated whether ER and CR are between-person or within-person constructs. Most empirical tests of these theories have focused on either between- or within-person operationalizations of these constructs, but not both. Between- and within-person studies address qualitatively different questions and often generate very different results. Consequently, the goals of the current study were to examine the relation of depressive symptoms to both between- and within-person operationalizations of both ER and CR.

METHODS

Participants were 160 undergraduate students who completed daily diary measures (assessing stress, negative emotions, and negative cognitions) and measures of depressive symptoms. Multilevel modeling (MLM) enabled examination of depressive symptoms to the within- and between-person components of ER and CR.

RESULTS

Depressive symptoms were positively related to within-person ER and CR but not to between-person operationalizations of ER and CR.

LIMITATIONS

The sample only included college students and only assessed depressive symptoms, not clinical diagnoses of major depression.

CONCLUSIONS

Important implications emerge for theory, practice, and future research. We recommend distinguishing between-person from within-person dimensions of ER and CR in future research.

Emotional Linkage as a Moderator of Emotional Reactivity Effect on Partners' Depressive Symptoms

Introduction: Romantic partners’ emotions show a degree of interdependence, a process that is often described as emotional linkage. The current study sought to test the effects of emotional linkage in emotionally reactive individuals (i.e., those who easily become emotionally aroused and find it hard to regulate their emotions) and their partners. Specifically, we examined the interplay between emotional linkage and reactivity in predicting partners’ depressive symptoms over time. Method: To assess emotional linkage and reactivity, we collected daily diary data from two samples of cohabiting couples (Ncouples=76 and 84 in samples 1 and 2, respectively). Partners’ depressive symptoms were assessed before and after the diary. Results: In dyads with low emotional linkage men's emotional reactivity predicted their greater depressive symptoms in Sample 1, and women's greater depressive symptoms in Sample 2. Discussion: The study's results suggest that dyads’ emotional linkage can moderate the negative effects of men's emotional reactivity on their and their partners’ psychological distress.

Emotion Reactivity and Suicide Ideation Among Chinese Adolescents: A Longitudinal Serial Mediation Model

OBJECTIVE

Previous studies have indicated that emotion reactivity is an important predictive factor for suicide ideation. However, the mechanism underlying their association has remained largely unexplored. The current study aims to investigate a serial mediation model to examine the potential mechanism in the relationship between emotion reactivity and suicide ideation.

METHOD

A total of 5,423 Chinese adolescents (52.7% females, M_age = 14.63 years, SD = 1.25) completed self-report questionnaires regarding emotion reactivity, suicide ideation, distress intolerance, and depressive symptoms. Assessment was conducted for two waves, 6 months apart.

RESULTS

In descriptive analyses, the prevalence of suicide ideation in this study was 15.3% for Wave 1 and 14.3% for Wave 2. Emotion reactivity, distress intolerance, and depressive symptoms were positively related to suicide ideation. In serial mediation analyses, there was a significant total effect of emotion reactivity on suicide ideation. After controlling for baseline variables, distress intolerance and depressive symptoms played serial mediating roles in the relation between emotion reactivity and suicide ideation, with emotion reactivity influencing suicide ideation through three mediation pathways.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates a potential mechanism underlying the path from emotion reactivity to suicide ideation. Interventions that target emotion reactivity may be an effective way to reduce the risk of developing suicide ideation. HIGHLIGHTSEmotion reactivity was positively related to suicide ideation.Distress intolerance and depressive symptoms mediated the relationship between emotion reactivity and suicide ideation.Emotion reactivity also exerted an influence on suicide ideation through serial mediation of distress intolerance and depressive symptoms, after controlling for baseline variables.

Dual Pathways from Reactive Aggression to Depressive Symptoms in Children: Further Examination of the Failure Model

The failure model posits that peer rejection and poor academic performance are dual pathways in the association between early aggressive behavior and subsequent depressive symptoms. We examined this model using an accelerated longitudinal design while also incorporating proactive and reactive aggression and gender moderation. Children in 1st, 3rd, and 5th grades (n = 912; ages 6-12; 48% female) were rated three times annually by their primary teachers on measures of proactive and reactive aggression, peer rejection, academic performance, and depressive symptoms. Using Bayesian cross-classified estimation to account for nested and planned-missing data, path models were estimated to examine whether early reactive aggression predicted subsequent peer rejection and academic performance, and whether these, in turn, predicted subsequent depressive symptoms. From 1st to 3rd grade, reactive aggression predicted peer rejection (not academic performance), proactive aggression predicted academic performance (not peer rejection), and academic performance and peer rejection both predicted depressive symptoms. From 3rd to 5th grade, however, neither peer rejection nor academic performance predicted subsequent depressive symptoms. Results were not moderated by gender. Overall, these findings provide mixed and limited support for the failure model among school-age children. Early reactive aggression may be a key risk factor for social problems, whereas proactive aggression may be linked to improved academic functioning. The "dual pathways" of peer rejection and academic performance may operate during early but not later elementary school. Limitations and implications are discussed.

Understanding the effects of emotional reactivity on depression and suicidal thoughts and behaviors: Moderating effects of childhood adversity and resilience

BACKGROUND

Early adulthood is a period of increased risk for depression and suicide. Emotional reactivity (a tendency to react to stress with increases in negative affect and maladaptive interpretations of events) is an important risk factor for these outcomes that has been under-studied. We hypothesized that elevated emotional reactivity would be associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Further, we hypothesized that experiences of childhood maltreatment would amplify this relationship, whereas the presence of resilience would act as a buffer.

METHODS

1703 young adults (Mean Age = 19.56 years), 71% female) completed well-validated self-report questionnaires at a single time point.

RESULTS

Higher emotional reactivity was directly associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Further, resilience levels significantly moderated the relationships between emotional reactivity and depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Finally, childhood trauma significantly moderated the relationship between emotional reactivity and suicidal thoughts and behaviors only.

LIMITATIONS

This study was cross-sectional in design and relied upon self-report measures only.

CONCLUSIONS

The current study demonstrates an association between emotional reactivity, depressive symptoms, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors during emerging adulthood. Whereas a history of childhood maltreatment may amplify the relationship between emotional reactivity, depression, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors, certain qualities associated with resilience may buffer against the effects of emotional reactivity. Future studies can identify the resilience-promoting factors that are most protective and develop and test interventions that can potentially augment those factors.

The Work and Social Adjustment Scale for Youth: A Measure for Assessing Youth Psychosocial Impairment Regardless of Mental Health Status

A key component of delivering mental health services involves evaluating psychosocial impairments linked to mental health concerns. Youth may experience these impairments in various ways (e.g., dysfunctional family and/or peer relationships, poor school performance). Importantly, youth may display symptoms of mental illness without co-occurring psychosocial impairments, and the reverse may be true. However, all available instruments for assessing youth psychosocial impairments presume the presence of mental health concerns among those assessed. Consequently, key gaps exist in knowledge about the developmental psychopathology of psychosocial impairments; and thus how to understand impairments in the context of youth mental health. To address these issues we developed a modified version of a 5-item measure of adult psychosocial impairments (i.e., Work and Social Adjustment Scale for Youth [WSASY]) and tested its psychometric properties. A mixed clinical/community sample of adolescents and parents completed parallel versions of the WSASY, along with a multi-domain, multi-method battery of measures of adolescent internalizing and externalizing concerns, parent psychosocial functioning, adolescent-parent conflict, adolescent peer functioning, and observed social skills. On both versions of the WSASY, increased scores related to increased adolescent mental health concerns, adolescent-parent conflict, parent psychosocial dysfunction, and peer-related impairments. WSASY scores also distinguished adolescents who displayed co-occurring mental health concerns from those who did not, and related to observed social skills deficits within social interactions with unfamiliar peers. The WSASY opens doors to new areas of inquiry regarding the developmental psychopathology of impairment, including questions regarding the onset of impairments and their links to mental health.

The Puzzle of Emotion Regulation: Development and Evaluation of the Tangram Emotion Coding Manual for Children

The ability to regulate one's emotions is crucial to engaging successfully in social contexts. Difficulties in emotion regulation are seen in multiple psychiatric disorders, prompting an increased interest in the concept. Suitable methods for assessing emotion regulation, however, are lacking. In this study, we investigated the interrater and intrarater reliability, construct validity, and content validity of a new observational method for evaluating children's emotion regulation abilities (a complex puzzle task) in a sample of 62 children without psychiatric disorders and 23 children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) aged 7-12, using intra-class correlation coefficients for the reliability analyses and Spearman's rank-order correlations for analyses of convergent and discriminant validity. A panel of experts examined the content validity of the test, and Mann-Whitney U-tests were used to investigate the ability of the test to differentiate the non-clinical group from the ADHD group. Results showed a high level of interrater and intrarater reliability of the test. There was mixed evidence for convergent and discriminant validity as expected due to the novelty and experimental nature of the test, making it difficult to compare with questionnaire-based measures. Content validity analysis was satisfactory, and the group comparison showed that the test differentiated the groups on the primary outcome measure. Overall, the measure demonstrated high feasibility and satisfactory psychometric properties. The generic nature of the test makes it suitable for use across psychiatric disorders and age groups with potential relevance in both research and clinical settings.

Predicting high school students' health-promoting lifestyle: a test of the information, motivation, behavioral skills model

Background and aim Expenditure on adolescents' health promotion is critical to enhancing quality of life and fundamental for the prosperity of countries. This study tried to investigate the relationships between information-motivation-behavioral skills (IMB) model constructs as predictors of high school student's health-promoting lifestyle (HPL) in Southwest Iran. Methods This cross-sectional descriptive-analytic study was conducted on 400 students in Southwest Iran. Sample size required for this study was obtained using Soper's structural equation modeling (SEM) calculator. The stratified random sampling method was used in this study. A path analysis was taken to evaluate the HPL main determinants utilizing SEM. Results Information only had a significant indirect relationship with adolescents' HPL. But, both motivation and behavioral skills constructs had significant direct and indirect relationship with adolescents' HPL. The behavioral skill construct was the most imperative predictor variable. In general, behavioral skills construct (75%), motivation (66%) and knowledge (50%) constructs had the highest impact on HPL. The IMB model was able to explain 71% of the variance in adolescents' HPL. Conclusion The findings of the study showed that the IMB model was appropriate for explaining adolescents' HPL. It is necessary that actions are taken to improve behavioral skills and promote adolescents' HPL.

Parent-Adolescent Acculturation Gap and Suicidal Ideation among Adolescents from an Emergency Department

The objective of this article is to examine the impact of parent-adolescent acculturation gap on vulnerability to suicidal ideation among adolescents presenting to an emergency department with suicidal behavior. A multiethnic sample of adolescents (n = 43) and their parents (n = 43) completed an acculturation measure, and adolescents reported on emotion reactivity, hopelessness, depressive symptoms, and suicidal ideation. The direction of the association between suicidal ideation and vulnerability variables varied depending on the size of the acculturation gap. Emotion reactivity was more negatively associated with suicidal ideation the larger the parent-adolescent acculturation gap, while hopelessness was more strongly associated with suicidal ideation the smaller the gap, adjusting for depressive symptoms. Assessments of racial/ethnic minority adolescents at risk for suicidal behavior should address parent-adolescent acculturation gaps.