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Weiss NH, Thomas ED, Schick MR, Reyes ME, Contractor AA. Racial and ethnic differences in emotion regulation: A systematic review. J Clin Psychol 2021; 78:785-808. [PMID: 34841522 PMCID: PMC9035029 DOI: 10.1002/jclp.23284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2021] [Revised: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Emotion regulation is a transdiagnostic mechanism with relevance to the etiology, maintenance, and treatment of a wide range of clinically relevant outcomes. This study applied systematic review methods to summarize the existing literature examining racial and ethnic differences in emotion regulation. METHODS We systematically searched four electronic databases (PsycINFO, Embase, MEDLINE, and CINAHL Plus) using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. RESULTS Of the initial 1253 articles, 25 met the inclusion criteria. Findings for emotion regulation strategies generally provide evidence for racial/ethnic differences (71% of reviewed studies), with ethnoracial minorities largely exhibiting greater use of emotion regulation strategies. Whereas the results for emotion regulation potential were slightly more mixed (63% of reviewed studies found racial/ethnic differences), ethnoracial minorities were also largely found to report lower emotion regulation potential. CONCLUSION This review advances the literature by providing additional support for racial and ethnic differences in emotion regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole H Weiss
- Department of Psychology, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Emmanuel D Thomas
- Department of Psychology, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Melissa R Schick
- Department of Psychology, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Miranda E Reyes
- Department of Psychology, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA
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Blanc J, Seixas A, Donley T, Bubu OM, Williams N, Jean-Louis G. Resilience factors, race/ethnicity and sleep disturbance among diverse older females with hypertension. J Affect Disord 2020; 271:255-261. [PMID: 32479324 PMCID: PMC7266829 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.03.148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2019] [Revised: 02/15/2020] [Accepted: 03/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND This study examined the relationships between resilience and sleep disturbance in a diverse sample of older women with a history of hypertension and whether this relationship is moderated by individuals' race/ethnicity. METHODS Sample includes 700 females from a community-based study in Brooklyn, New York with a mean age of 60.7 years (SD=6.52). Of the participants, 28.1% were born in the U.S.; 71% were African-descent, 17.4% were European and 11.6% were Hispanics descents. Data were gathered on demographics and sleep disturbance using the Comprehensive Assessment and Referral Evaluation (CARE) and the Stress Index Scale (SIS). Resilience Factors were assessed with both the Index of Self-Regulation of Emotion (ISE) and religious health beliefs. Chi-Square, Anova, Student t-tests, and multilinear regression analysis were conducted to explore associations between resilience factors and sleep disturbance. Associations between resilience factors and sleep disturbance were examined using stratified multilinear regression analysis in three models by race/ethnicity. Regression models was conducted examining the interaction between resilience factors and stress RESULTS: Resilience factor, ISE emerged as the strongest independent predictor of sleep disturbance [B(SE) = -0.368(0.008); p < .001] for African descents. ISE was not a significant predictor of sleep disturbance among Hispanic participants [B(SE) = -0.218(0.022);p = .052], however interaction effect analysis revealed that stress level moderates significantly the relationship between ISE, and their sleep disturbance [B(SE) = 0.243(0.001);p = .036]. CONCLUSIONS Results of our study suggest that resilience factors might be a more important protective factor for sleep disturbance among diverse older females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judite Blanc
- Department of Population Health, Center for Healthful Behavior Change, New York University Langone Health, 180 Madison Avenue, 7th Floor,7-23C, New York, NY 10016, United States.
| | - Azizi Seixas
- Department of Population Health, Center for Healthful Behavior Change, New York University Langone Health
| | - Tiffany Donley
- Department of Population Health, Center for Healthful Behavior Change, New York University Langone Health
| | - Omonigho Michael Bubu
- Department of Population Health, Center for Healthful Behavior Change, New York University Langone Health
| | - Natasha Williams
- Department of Population Health, Center for Healthful Behavior Change, New York University Langone Health
| | - Girardin Jean-Louis
- Department of Population Health, Center for Healthful Behavior Change, New York University Langone Health
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Psychosocial Profile in Portuguese Adolescents with Chronic Disease Attending an Outpatient Department in a Hospital Setting. Int J Pediatr 2019; 2018:9382648. [PMID: 30643522 PMCID: PMC6311261 DOI: 10.1155/2018/9382648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2018] [Revised: 10/10/2018] [Accepted: 11/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Living with a chronic disease (CD) in adolescence involves new multifaceted challenges. This study aims to conduct a psychosocial characterization of a group of adolescents with chronic diseases in a hospital setting and to compare such dimensions for the total group and for different diseases. A cross-sectional study included 135 adolescents with chronic diseases (51.9% boys; 48.1% girls), having an average age of 14±1.5 years (SD=1.5) and attending a paediatric outpatient department in a hospital setting. Statistically significant differences were found among the different chronic diseases for the variables self-regulation (adolescents with diabetes had significantly higher competencies) and multiple psychosomatic symptoms (adolescents with neurologic diseases reported significantly more complaints). Boys presented both better health-related quality of life and psychosomatic health when compared to girls. No statistically significant differences were observed for health-related quality of life, psychosomatic health, resilience, and social support. These findings bring important suggestions especially while planning interventions, which must take into account the promotion of a healthy psychosocial development, through an inclusive perspective (covering different chronic diseases), that take into consideration specific and gendered approaches. Such suggestions might help healthcare professionals to better plan interventions in order to increase their effectiveness.
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Mohiyeddini C. Repressive coping among British college women: A potential protective factor against body image concerns, drive for thinness, and bulimia symptoms. Body Image 2017; 22:39-47. [PMID: 28601701 DOI: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2017.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2015] [Revised: 04/04/2017] [Accepted: 04/06/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Repressive coping, as a means of preserving a positive self-image, has been widely explored in the context of dealing with self-evaluative cues. The current study extends this research by exploring whether repressive coping is associated with lower levels of body image concerns, drive for thinness, bulimic symptoms, and higher positive rational acceptance. A sample of 229 female college students was recruited in South London. Repressive coping was measured via the interaction between trait anxiety and defensiveness. The results of moderated regression analysis with simple slope analysis show that compared to non-repressors, repressors reported lower levels of body image concerns, drive for thinness, and bulimic symptoms while exhibiting a higher use of positive rational acceptance. These findings, in line with previous evidence, suggest that repressive coping may be adaptive particularly in the context of body image.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changiz Mohiyeddini
- Department of Applied Psychology, Northeastern University, 413 International Village, 360 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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Cardone D, Merla A. New Frontiers for Applications of Thermal Infrared Imaging Devices: Computational Psychopshysiology in the Neurosciences. SENSORS 2017; 17:s17051042. [PMID: 28475155 PMCID: PMC5469647 DOI: 10.3390/s17051042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2017] [Revised: 04/27/2017] [Accepted: 04/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Thermal infrared imaging has been proposed, and is now used, as a tool for the non-contact and non-invasive computational assessment of human autonomic nervous activity and psychophysiological states. Thanks to a new generation of high sensitivity infrared thermal detectors and the development of computational models of the autonomic control of the facial cutaneous temperature, several autonomic variables can be computed through thermal infrared imaging, including localized blood perfusion rate, cardiac pulse rate, breath rate, sudomotor and stress responses. In fact, all of these parameters impact on the control of the cutaneous temperature. The physiological information obtained through this approach, could then be used to infer about a variety of psychophysiological or emotional states, as proved by the increasing number of psychophysiology or neurosciences studies that use thermal infrared imaging. This paper presents a review of the principal achievements of thermal infrared imaging in computational psychophysiology, focusing on the capability of the technique for providing ubiquitous and unwired monitoring of psychophysiological activity and affective states. It also presents a summary on the modern, up-to-date infrared sensors technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Cardone
- Infrared Imaging Lab, ITAB Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti 66100, Italy.
| | - Arcangelo Merla
- Infrared Imaging Lab, ITAB Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti 66100, Italy.
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Raes F, Hermans D, Williams JMG, Eelen P. Reduced autobiographical memory specificity and affect regulation. Cogn Emot 2015; 20:402-29. [PMID: 26529213 DOI: 10.1080/02699930500341003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
The effect of specificity of autobiographical memory (AM) retrieval on the affective impact of an emotional event was examined. In Study 1 (N = 90) the impact of a negative and positive experience was compared between student participants who habitually retrieve autobiographical memories (AMs) in a specific way and participants who generally retrieve less specific memories. In Study 2 (N = 48) the effect of an experimentally induced (specific vs. overgeneral) retrieval style on the impact of a negative experience was studied in student participants who habitually retrieve less specific memories. Study 1 replicated the finding of Raes, Hermans, de Decker, Eelen, & Williams ( 2003 ) that a negative event leads to less subjective distress in low-specific participants as compared with high-specific participants. However, both groups did not differ in their affective reaction to a positive event. Important, reduced memory specificity was associated with "repressive coping", providing further evidence for the idea that reduced memory specificity is used as an avoidant or repressive-defensive mechanism to regulate negative affect ( Williams, 1996 ). In Study 2, participants who were induced to retrieve memories in an overgeneral way experienced more distress following a negative event as compared with participants who were induced to retrieve memories in a specific way. Results are discussed in the context of recent findings concerning AM specificity and emotion regulation ( Philippot, Schaefer, & Herbette, 2003 ). Directions for further research are suggested.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filip Raes
- a University of Leuven , Belgium.,b University of Oxford , UK.,c University of Leuven , Belgium
| | - Dirk Hermans
- a University of Leuven , Belgium.,b University of Oxford , UK.,c University of Leuven , Belgium
| | - J Mark G Williams
- a University of Leuven , Belgium.,b University of Oxford , UK.,c University of Leuven , Belgium
| | - Paul Eelen
- a University of Leuven , Belgium.,b University of Oxford , UK.,c University of Leuven , Belgium
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Thermal Infrared Imaging-Based Computational Psychophysiology for Psychometrics. COMPUTATIONAL AND MATHEMATICAL METHODS IN MEDICINE 2015; 2015:984353. [PMID: 26339284 PMCID: PMC4538766 DOI: 10.1155/2015/984353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2014] [Revised: 01/05/2015] [Accepted: 01/27/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Thermal infrared imaging has been proposed as a potential system for the computational assessment of human autonomic nervous activity and psychophysiological states in a contactless and noninvasive way. Through bioheat modeling of facial thermal imagery, several vital signs can be extracted, including localized blood perfusion, cardiac pulse, breath rate, and sudomotor response, since all these parameters impact the cutaneous temperature. The obtained physiological information could then be used to draw inferences about a variety of psychophysiological or affective states, as proved by the increasing number of psychophysiological studies using thermal infrared imaging. This paper presents therefore a review of the principal achievements of thermal infrared imaging in computational physiology with regard to its capability of monitoring psychophysiological activity.
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Mendolia M. Repressors benefit from reappraising a threatening emotional event. ANXIETY STRESS AND COPING 2015; 29:80-99. [DOI: 10.1080/10615806.2015.1015423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Ros L, Ricarte JJ, Serrano JP, Nieto M, Aguilar MJ, Latorre JM. Overgeneral Autobiographical Memories: Gender Differences in Depression. APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2014. [DOI: 10.1002/acp.3013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Ros
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine; University of Castilla La Mancha; Albacete Spain
- Research Institute of Neurological Disabilities; University of Castilla La Mancha; Albacete Spain
| | - Jorge J. Ricarte
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine; University of Castilla La Mancha; Albacete Spain
- Research Institute of Neurological Disabilities; University of Castilla La Mancha; Albacete Spain
| | - Juan P. Serrano
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine; University of Castilla La Mancha; Albacete Spain
- Research Institute of Neurological Disabilities; University of Castilla La Mancha; Albacete Spain
| | - Marta Nieto
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine; University of Castilla La Mancha; Albacete Spain
- Research Institute of Neurological Disabilities; University of Castilla La Mancha; Albacete Spain
| | - Maria J. Aguilar
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine; University of Castilla La Mancha; Albacete Spain
- Research Institute of Neurological Disabilities; University of Castilla La Mancha; Albacete Spain
| | - Jose M. Latorre
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine; University of Castilla La Mancha; Albacete Spain
- Research Institute of Neurological Disabilities; University of Castilla La Mancha; Albacete Spain
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Alston LL, Kratchmer C, Jeznach A, Bartlett NT, Davidson PSR, Fujiwara E. Self-serving episodic memory biases: findings in the repressive coping style. Front Behav Neurosci 2013; 7:117. [PMID: 24027505 PMCID: PMC3759793 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2013.00117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2013] [Accepted: 08/19/2013] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Individuals with a repressive coping style self-report low anxiety, but show high defensiveness and high physiological arousal. Repressors have impoverished negative autobiographical memories and are better able to suppress memory for negatively valenced and self-related laboratory materials when asked to do so. Research on spontaneous forgetting of negative information in repressors suggests that they show significant forgetting of negative items, but only after a delay. Unknown is whether increased forgetting after a delay is potentiated by self-relevance. Here we asked in three experiments whether repressors would show reduced episodic memories for negative self-relevant information when tested immediately versus after a 2-day delay. We predicted that repressors would show an exaggerated reduction in recall of negative self-relevant memories after a delay, at least without anew priming of this information. We tested a total of 300 participants (experiment 1: N = 95, experiment 2: N = 106; experiment 3: N = 99) of four types: repressors, high-anxious (HA), low-anxious, and defensive HA individuals. Participants judged positive and negative adjectives with regard to self-descriptiveness, serving as incidental encoding. Surprise free-recall was conducted immediately after encoding (experiment 1), after a 2-day delay (experiment 2), or after a 2-day delay following priming via a lexical decision task (experiment 3). In experiment 1, repressors showed a bias against negative self-relevant words in immediate recall. Such a bias was neither observed in delayed recall without priming nor in delayed recall with priming. Thus, counter to our hypothesis, negative information that was initially judged as self-relevant was not forgotten at a higher rate after a delay in repressors. We suggest that repressors may reinterpret initially negative information in a more positive light after a delay, and therefore no longer experience the need to bias their recall after a delay.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren L Alston
- Centre for Neuroscience, University of Alberta , Edmonton, AB , Canada
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11
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Li Q, Qi Y, Liu X, Luo J. Can the memory of an object be enhanced by imagining its loss? CHINESE SCIENCE BULLETIN-CHINESE 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s11434-012-5659-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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12
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Gebhardt C, Rose N, Mitte K. Fact or artefact: an item response theory analysis of median split based repressor classification. Br J Health Psychol 2013; 19:36-51. [PMID: 23379417 DOI: 10.1111/bjhp.12029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2012] [Revised: 01/08/2012] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Many studies have investigated the phenomenon of repression. Repressors are defined as individuals who deny or avoid the experience of negative affect. A common method for the identification of repressors is a median split approach using questionnaires that measure anxiety and social desirability. The present study aimed to evaluate this most frequently used procedure using a psychometric model. DESIGN We applied item response theory using model assumptions comparable with those of the median split approach to detect repressors and examine the appropriateness of the median split procedure. METHODS A mixed sample of 655 students and members of the general public completed the two scales usually used to identify repressors, namely the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale. RESULTS Employing item response theory mixture-model analyses, we were unable to replicate the median split solution on a latent level. CONCLUSIONS Our results did not support the identification of repressors via dichotomization of the two scales. The median split approach does not appear to detect repressors satisfactorily. The implications of the results for the conceptualization and assessment of repressors are discussed.
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Lardi C, Ghisletta P, Van der Linden M. What is the Nature of the Self-defining Memories of Repression-prone Individuals? SELF AND IDENTITY 2012. [DOI: 10.1080/15298868.2011.603902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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Winer ES, Cervone D, Newman LS, Snodgrass M. Subchance perception: Anxious, non-defensive individuals identify subliminally-presented positive words at below-chance levels. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2011. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2011.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Abstract
Despite generally more challenging developmental, environmental, economic, health, and social contexts, minority populations in the United States often report a lower frequency of many negative affects. In some views, such findings reflect a reporting or response bias among minority groups. However, an alternate view suggests that reports of negative emotion differ because minorities do not consciously experience certain discrete emotions as frequently. A study of 1,364 women from six ethnic subpopulations tested this thesis using trait anger as an exemplar. As expected, linear regressions demonstrated that while social desirability explained some ethnic variance in anger reports, a measure of repressive coping explained additional variance in trait anger and eliminated ethnic effects; social desirability no longer predicted trait anger once repressive coping was controlled. Results are discussed in terms how of how developmentally oriented, emotion regulation theories may supplement reporting bias conceptualizations of affective differences across ethnic groups. Implications and directions for future research are given.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan S. Consedine
- Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Carol Magai
- Psychology Department, Long Island University, Brooklyn, New York, USA
| | - David Horton
- Intercultural Institute on Human Development & Aging, Brooklyn, New York, USA
| | - William M. Brown
- School of Psychology, University of East London / Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
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Hertel P, McDaniel L. The suppressive power of positive thinking: Aiding suppression-induced forgetting in repressive coping. Cogn Emot 2010. [DOI: 10.1080/02699930903172377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Smeets T, Giesbrecht T, Raymaekers L, Shaw J, Merckelbach H. Autobiographical integration of trauma memories and repressive coping predict post-traumatic stress symptoms in undergraduate students. Clin Psychol Psychother 2010; 17:211-8. [PMID: 19701880 DOI: 10.1002/cpp.644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
What differentiates those who are able to adapt well to adverse life events (i.e., persons who are resilient) from those who are not (e.g., persons who develop post-traumatic stress symptoms)? Previous work suggests that enhanced autobiographical integration of trauma memories is associated with more severe post-traumatic stress symptoms. Extending this line of work, the present study looked at whether the integration of trauma memories, repressive coping and cognitive reactivity are related to post-traumatic stress symptomatology following negative life events among otherwise healthy young adults (N = 213). Results show that while enhanced integration of trauma memories and high levels of dissociation are related to elevated levels of post-traumatic stress, people who generally engage in repressive coping report fewer post-traumatic stress symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom Smeets
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
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Myers LB. The importance of the repressive coping style: findings from 30 years of research. ANXIETY STRESS AND COPING 2010; 23:3-17. [PMID: 19859847 DOI: 10.1080/10615800903366945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
During the last three decades there has been substantial research exploring the repressive coping style as defined by Weinberger, Schwartz, and Davidson. As "repressors," who score low on trait anxiety and high on defensiveness, account for up to 50% of certain populations, they are an essential group for psychologists to study. However, there are methodological issues in identifying repressors as well as considerable evidence that repressors avoid negative self-relevant information. Possible methods of addressing these difficulties are discussed in this review. Importantly, there is a body of evidence linking repressive coping and poor physical health, including heart disease and cancer. However, some preliminary findings suggest that repressors compared to non-repressors may be better at health behaviors that they perceive as under their personal control. This needs more extensive investigation as such behaviors are only one aspect of health and other factors may contribute to repressors' poor physical health. Possible future directions of research are discussed including: the need for systematic empirical research of a new theory of repressive coping--the Vigilance-Avoidance Theory--more longitudinal health studies, and an in-depth exploration of the physiological mechanisms which may underlie repressive coping.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lynn B Myers
- Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Brunel University, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UK.
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Klein R, Knäuper B. Predicting attention and avoidance: When do avoiders attend? Psychol Health 2009; 24:729-47. [DOI: 10.1080/08870440801947779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Intact implicit and reduced explicit memory for negative self-related information in repressive coping. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2008; 8:254-63. [PMID: 18814462 DOI: 10.3758/cabn.8.3.254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Voluntary emotional memory control has recently been shown to involve prefrontal down-regulation of medial temporal lobe activity during memory retrieval. However, little is known about instances of uninstructed, naturally occurring forgetting. In the present study, we examined whether memory suppression extends to involuntary, uninstructed down-regulation of memory in individuals thought to be experts in forgetting negative memories--those with a repressive coping style. We contrasted explicit and implicit memory for negative information in repressor and nonrepressor groups and examined whether self-relevance is a moderating variable. To delineate the specificity of repressors' selective memory reductions, we contrasted encoding and retrieval of emotional words as a function of self-reference, subjective self-relevance, and explicitness of the memory task in nonrepressors and repressors. Self-descriptiveness judgments, lexical decisions (implicit memory), and free recall (explicit memory) were investigated. Repressors had selectively lowered free recall only for negative, self-relevant information. Their implicit memory for the same information was unaffected. This pattern suggests that regulation of emotional memory in repressive individuals is a case of motivated forgetting, possibly sharing much of the neural underpinnings of voluntary memory suppression.
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Mendolia M, Baker GA. Attentional mechanisms associated with repressive distancing. JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN PERSONALITY 2008. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jrp.2007.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Derakshan N, Eysenck MW, Myers LB. Emotional information processing in repressors: The vigilance–avoidance theory. Cogn Emot 2007. [DOI: 10.1080/02699930701499857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Jean-Louis G, Magai C, Consedine NS, Pierre-Louis J, Zizi F, Casimir GJ, Belzie L. Insomnia symptoms and repressive coping in a sample of older Black and White women. BMC Womens Health 2007; 7:1. [PMID: 17261187 PMCID: PMC1793956 DOI: 10.1186/1472-6874-7-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2006] [Accepted: 01/29/2007] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND This study examined whether ethnic differences in insomnia symptoms are mediated by differences in repressive coping styles. METHODS A total of 1274 women (average age = 59.36 +/- 6.53 years) participated in the study; 28% were White and 72% were Black. Older women in Brooklyn, NY were recruited using a stratified, cluster-sampling technique. Trained staff conducted face-to-face interviews lasting 1.5 hours acquiring sociodemographic data, health characteristics, and risk factors. A sleep questionnaire was administered and individual repressive coping styles were assessed. Fisher's exact test and Spearman and Pearson analyses were used to analyze the data. RESULTS The rate of insomnia symptoms was greater among White women [74% vs. 46%; chi2 = 87.67, p < 0.0001]. Black women scored higher on the repressive coping scale than did White women [Black = 37.52 +/- 6.99, White = 29.78 +/- 7.38, F1,1272 = 304.75, p < 0.0001]. We observed stronger correlations between repressive coping and insomnia symptoms for Black [rs = -0.43, p < 0.0001] than for White women [rs = -0.18, p < 0.0001]. Controlling for variation in repressive coping, the magnitude of the correlation between ethnicity and insomnia symptoms was substantially reduced. Multivariate adjustment for differences in sociodemographics, health risk factors, physical health, and health beliefs and attitudes had little effect on the relationships. CONCLUSION Relationships between ethnicity and insomnia symptoms are jointly dependent on the degree of repressive coping, suggesting that Black women may be reporting fewer insomnia symptoms because of a greater ability to route negative emotions from consciousness. It may be that Blacks cope with sleep problems within a positive self-regulatory framework, which allows them to deal more effectively with sleep-interfering psychological processes to stressful life events and to curtail dysfunctional sleep-interpreting processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Girardin Jean-Louis
- Department of Psychiatry and Ophthalmology, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, NY, USA
- Brooklyn Research Foundation on Minority Health, KJMC, NY, USA
- Brooklyn Center for Health Disparities, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, NY, USA
| | - Carol Magai
- Department of Psychology, Long Island University, NY, USA
| | | | | | - Ferdinand Zizi
- Department of Psychiatry and Ophthalmology, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, NY, USA
- Brooklyn Research Foundation on Minority Health, KJMC, NY, USA
- Brooklyn Center for Health Disparities, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, NY, USA
| | - Georges J Casimir
- Department of Psychiatry and Ophthalmology, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, NY, USA
- Brooklyn Research Foundation on Minority Health, KJMC, NY, USA
| | - Louis Belzie
- Brooklyn Research Foundation on Minority Health, KJMC, NY, USA
- Haitian American Psychiatric Association, NY, USA
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Distractibility and individual differences in the experience of involuntary memories. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2007. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2006.07.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Younger JW, Lawler-Row KA, Moe KA, Kratz AL, Keenum AJ. Effects of naltrexone on repressive coping and disclosure of emotional material: a test of the opioid-peptide hypothesis of repression and hypertension. Psychosom Med 2006; 68:734-41. [PMID: 17012527 DOI: 10.1097/01.psy.0000234029.38245.c9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The present study was designed to assess the role of endogenous opioids in the relationship of hypertension to repressive coping. METHODS Ten hypertensive and 8 normotensive males were given either the opioid antagonist naltrexone or placebo in a randomized, double-blind fashion over the course of four laboratory sessions. Measures of repression and disclosure were completed and blood pressure was assessed during a laboratory stressor protocol. RESULTS Opioid antagonism reduced repression and increased disclosure only in the hypertensive group. Also, opioid antagonism increased stress-related systolic blood pressure only in the hypertensive group. CONCLUSION The results support the hypothesis that endogenous opioid dysregulation underlies both hypertension and repressive phenomena.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jarred W Younger
- Stanford University School of Medicine, Department of Anesthesia, Pain Research, MC 5747, 780 Welch Rd., Suite 208, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA.
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Wong YJ, Pituch KA, Rochlen AB. Men's restrictive emotionality: An investigation of associations with other emotion-related constructs, anxiety, and underlying dimensions. PSYCHOLOGY OF MEN & MASCULINITY 2006. [DOI: 10.1037/1524-9220.7.2.113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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Consedine NS, Magai C, Horton D. Ethnic Variation in the Impact of Emotion and Emotion Regulation on Health: A Replication and Extension. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2005; 60:P165-73. [PMID: 15980283 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/60.4.p165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Although emotions and patterns of emotion regulation are central to models linking personality and health, the generalizability of these models to diverse populations of older adults remains untested. In this study, 1,364 community-dwelling women (aged 50-70 years) from six ethnic groups completed self-report measures of trait anger, inhibition, defensiveness, and health. As expected, reports of trait anger and emotion inhibition predicted poorer health (and defensiveness better health), even when demographics and health behaviors were controlled. However, these characteristics related to outcome differently across ethnic groups; greater anger was related to better health in all groups other than U.S-born European Americans, and increased emotion inhibition was associated with better health among immigrant Eastern European women. Results are discussed within a contextualistic model of emotions and health, and directions for future research are given.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan S Consedine
- Department of Psychology, Long Island University, 191 Willoughby Street, Suite 1A, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA.
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Repressive Coping Style and the Significance of Verbal-Autonomic Response Dissociations. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2004. [DOI: 10.1016/s0166-4115(04)80036-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register]
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