Regulating for a reason: Emotion regulation goals are linked to spontaneous strategy use

Investigation of emotion regulation skills, salivary apelin, and serotonin levels in children in Türkiye: a cross-sectional study

PURPOSE

Little is known about the relationship between apelin and serotonin in emotion regulation. This study aimed to examine children's emotional regulation skills and salivary apelin and serotonin levels.

METHODS

This is a cross-sectional study performed in Türkiye. The research was completed with the participation of 146 children, 8-10 years old, from the general population. Emotion Regulation Skills Scale for Children (CERS) was used to assess children's levels of emotion regulation skills. Apelin and serotonin levels were examined by ELISA technique in saliva samples obtained from children.

RESULTS

A statistically significant correlation was found between the mean total score of the CERS and the mean apelin and serotonin levels (p ˂ .01). We found that females had higher emotion regulation skills compared to males, older higher than younger ones (p ˂ .01). The regression analysis results show that age and gender together explain 50.5% of the variance in CERS scores, while apelin and serotonin together explain 35.8% of the variance. When all four variables (age, gender, apelin, and serotonin) are included in the model, they explain 51.3% of the variance in CERS scores.

CONCLUSION

Older age and female gender explained most of emotion regulations skills.Key pointsIt was determined that the average salivary apelin and serotonin levels increased with increased age, and with increased age ERS also increased.More research is needed as this is the first time that the relationship between emotion regulation skills and serotonin and apelin levels has been examined.

Factor structure of the Chinese version of Emotion Regulation Goals Scale

Recent studies in Western cultures suggested emotion regulation goals have important implications for mental health. This study aimed to test the factor structure of Emotion Regulation Goals Scale (ERGS) in a Chinese cultural context. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were first used to examine the factor structure of the ERGS, and then reliability and validity tests were conducted to examine the psychometric properties of the ERGS. Results showed that the original five-factor model demonstrated fit during both EFA and CFA, and was thus adopted for further psychometric analyses. Most of the five factors were significantly associated with emotion regulation tendencies and negative emotional outcomes (e.g., depression), except for the non-significant associations between pro-hedonic goals and expressive suppression, and pro-social and impression management goals with depression. The ERGS also showed good internal consistency and split-half reliability. However, the test-retest reliabilities varied substantially across the five factors. The pro-hedonic goal had a higher test-retest reliability, whereas the contra-hedonic, performance, pro-social, and impression management goals showed lower values, especially the latter two. In brief, the ERGS showed a promising five-factor structure in assessing emotion regulation goals in Chinese cultural context.

Simultaneous maintenance of emotions in affective working memory

Affective Working Memory (AWM) is the ability to maintain an emotion after the emotion-eliciting stimulus is no longer present. Emotions are dynamic, and emotion-eliciting stimuli are encountered simultaneously and sequentially. Therefore, this research aimed to examine AWM when more than one emotion is being maintained. We aimed to re-examine previous findings, that people are better at maintaining positive than negative emotions in the context of dynamic presentations of multiple stimuli. We introduce a modified maintenance task, and present a novel metric that models the latent maintenance processes to acquire an accurate measure of AWM. Participants (N = 49) were asked to complete the study online. On each trial, participants were presented with a sequence of three images, and were asked to compare the intensity of the emotion elicited by image 1 to image 3, whilst maintaining the emotion elicited by image 2 to rate it at the end of the trial. The results showed that people are successful at simultaneously maintaining two emotions in AWM, and they replicate previous findings concerning the advantage of maintaining positive compared to negative emotions. Overall, the study highlights the complexity of AWM and provides insight into the processes involved in maintaining multiple emotions simultaneously.

Emotion regulation goals and strategies among individuals with varying levels of sensory processing sensitivity: a latent profile analysis

Background

Emotion regulation (ER) has emerged as a significant factor influencing the well-being of individuals with high sensory processing sensitivity (SPS). However, the interaction between SPS and the underlying mechanisms of ER remains largely unexplored.

Objective

This study aimed to (a) identify profiles of SPS and ER competency using a latent profile analysis (LPA), and (b) investigate the ER goals and strategy use among each profile to better understand ER patterns in highly sensitive individuals with lower ER proficiency.

Methods

A total of 813 Chinese college students (mean age = 21.53 ± 2.48; 74.41% female) completed the Highly Sensitive Person Scale, 16-item Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, Emotion Regulation Goals Scale, Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, and the rumination subscale from the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire.

Results

The LPA identified three profiles: "Low SPS - High ER Competency" (41%), "Moderate SPS - ER Competency" (41%), and "High SPS - Low ER Competency" (18%). ER goals varied significantly among these groups. The "High SPS - Low ER Competency" group predominantly pursued contra-hedonic goals and impression management goals, while the "Low SPS - High ER Competency" group focused on pro-hedonic goals. In terms of strategies, the "Low SPS - High ER Competency" group mainly used cognitive reappraisal, the "Moderate SPS - ER Competency" group leaned towards suppression, and the "High SPS - Low ER Competency" group preferred rumination and suppression.

Conclusion

These findings indicate that higher SPS combined with lower ER proficiency is linked to an increased pursuit of contra-hedonic goals and impression management goals, and a reliance on response-focused strategies. This pattern offers new insights for developing psychological support strategies for highly sensitive individuals experiencing mental distress.

Relationships among teacher enjoyment, emotional labor, and perceived student engagement: A daily diary approach

The present daily diary study among 587 Canadian primary and secondary school teachers assessed teachers' genuine expression, faking, hiding of happiness and enthusiasm, and their daily associations with perceived student emotional and behavioral engagement. Moreover, we measured teachers' trait enjoyment before and after the diary study to examine whether teacher trait enjoyment predicted the use of emotional labor strategies that, in turn, were related to teachers' perceptions of their students' engagement. In addition, we examined whether perceived student engagement predicted future levels of teacher trait enjoyment. Results from multilevel structural equation modeling showed that, at the between-person level, teachers who had higher levels of trait enjoyment tended to spontaneously show their positive feelings to their students (β = 0.381, p < .001), which was further positively related to student engagement (β = 0.257, p < .001). In turn, teachers' perceptions of heightened student engagement led to even greater enjoyment in the future (β = 0.134, p < .05). In contrast, teacher trait enjoyment was negatively related to faking (β = -0.297, p < .001) and hiding positive emotions (β = -0.130, p < .05), but was further unrelated to student engagement or future enjoyment. At the within-person level, genuine expression of positive emotions was positively related to student engagement (β = 0.219, p < .001), faking was negatively related to student engagement (β = -0.134, p < .001), and hiding was unrelated to student engagement.

Do targets of ostracism truthfully communicate their emotional reactions to sources?

Ostracism triggers negative emotions such as sadness, anger, and hurt feelings. Do targets of ostracism truthfully share their emotions with the sources of ostracism? Drawing on past research on social-functional accounts of emotions and interpersonal emotion regulation, we investigated the possibility that targets may misrepresent their emotions (i.e., gaming emotions). We conducted three experiments (N = 1058; two pre-registered) using an online ball-tossing game, in which participants were randomly assigned to be included or ostracized. Consistent with the literature, we found that ostracized individuals were more hurt, sad, and angry than included individuals. However, we found little and inconsistent evidence that ostracized (vs included) individuals misrepresented their emotional reactions to the sources. Further, Bayesian analyses offered more support against misrepresentation of emotions. These findings suggest that targets of ostracism truthfully communicated their social pain to the sources.

Reappraisal affordances: a replication of Suri et al. (2018) and investigation of alternate predictors of reappraisal choice

Reappraisal affordances have recently emerged as an important predictor of emotion regulation choice . In a pre-registered replication of study 4 of Suri et al., 2018, we assessed the role of affordances and several other predictors of regulation choice. Participants (N = 315) read one of eight vignettes that varied in reappraisal affordance (high or low) and intensity (high or low). For each vignette, they rated hedonic and instrumental motives, affordances, intensity, importance, and long-term implications. One week later, participants re-read the vignette, chose between reappraisal and distraction, and rated their likelihood of using each strategy. Unexpectedly, participants rated predicted high affordance vignettes as lower in affordance than predicted low affordance vignettes. This difference from the original study may be due to sample differences: in the original study, participants were employees in a specific workplace and several vignettes targeted workplace activities. Nonetheless, we replicated the original finding that reappraisal affordances predicted reappraisal choice. The result held even when controlling for other contextual variables, which played a limited role in predicting emotion regulation. The results highlight the need to consider multiple aspects of context, including the research setting, when examining predictors of emotion regulation choice.

Childhood maltreatment and emotion regulation in everyday life: an experience sampling study

Childhood maltreatment is a major risk factor for psychopathology, and increasing evidence suggests that emotion regulation is one of the underlying mechanisms. However, most of this evidence comes from single assessments of habitual emotion regulation, which may not overlap with spontaneous emotion regulation in daily life and which fail to account for within-individual variability in emotion regulation across multiple contexts. In the present study, we investigated the relation between history of childhood maltreatment, positive and negative affect, and multiple dimensions of spontaneous emotion regulation (strategy use, emotion regulation goals, emotion regulation success and effort) in everyday life, using experience sampling method (3 assessments/day, for 10 consecutive days), in a sample of healthy volunteers (N = 118). Multilevel modeling results indicated that childhood maltreatment was associated with lower positive affect and higher negative affect. Childhood maltreatment was also related to lower use of reappraisal and savoring (but not suppression, rumination and distraction), reduced emotion regulation success (but not effort), as well as lower levels of and higher within-individual variability of hedonic (but not instrumental) emotion regulation goals. These results provide ecological evidence for multiple differences in emotion regulation in individuals with a history of childhood maltreatment.

Interoceptive attention facilitates emotion regulation strategy use

Background

Method

Results

Conclusions

Decoding the Regulator: Accuracy and Bias in Emotion Regulation Judgments

Accurately judging emotion regulation (ER) may help facilitate and maintain social relationships. We investigated the accuracy and bias of ER judgments and their social correlates in a two-part study with 136 married couples (ages 23-85 years). Couples completed trait measures of their own and their partner's suppression, reappraisal, and situation selection. On a separate day, they discussed a conflict, then rated their own and their partner's suppression during the discussion. Couples accurately judged their partner's trait level use of all ER strategies, but they were most accurate for suppression. In contrast, they did not accurately judge state suppression; they showed a similarity bias, such that their own use of state suppression predicted judgments of their partner's suppression. Greater relationship satisfaction predicted positive biases at the trait level (e.g., overestimating reappraisal, underestimating suppression), but not the state level. Relationship length did not predict ER accuracy or bias. Findings suggest ER is more detectable at the trait level than state level and for strategies with more behavioral cues. Greater relationship satisfaction may signal positive perceptions of partners' ER patterns.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42761-022-00144-3.

Momentary Emotion Goals and Spontaneous Emotion Regulation in Daily Life: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study of Desire for High Versus Low Arousal Positive Emotion

Recent research has highlighted that emotion regulation strategy use varies both between and within people, and specific individual and contextual differences shape strategy use. Further, use of specific emotion regulation strategies relates to a wide array of differential outcomes, including mental health and behavior. Emotion goals (desire for a given emotion state) are thought to play a particularly important role in shaping people’s use of emotion regulation strategies; yet, surprisingly little is known about whether and how momentary emotion goals predict spontaneous strategy use in daily life. In the present investigation, we examined whether ideal desire for high versus low arousal positive affect was associated with subsequent use of specific emotion regulation strategies. Undergraduate participants (final N = 101) completed ecological momentary assessments (final ks = 1,932 for contemporaneous analyses, 1,386 for time-lagged analyses) of their momentary experienced affect, momentary desire for high versus low arousal positive affect, and emotion regulation. Desire for higher arousal predicted greater use of three disengagement strategies: distraction, expressive suppression, and experiential suppression. None of these strategies, though, were associated with sustained enhancement of high arousal (or low arousal) positive affect. These findings point to a possible disconnect between the strategies that people tend to use when they want to feel more arousal and the affective outcomes associated with use of those strategies.

A domain-differentiated approach to everyday emotion regulation from adolescence to older age

Flexibly using different emotion-regulation (ER) strategies in different situational contexts, such as domains, has been argued to promote effective emotion regulation. Additionally, emotion regulation processes may change with age as narrowing time horizons shift emotion-regulation preferences. The purpose of the present study was to examine the occurrence and effectiveness of flexible emotion regulation in response to daily hassles from different domains within the age range from adolescence to old age. Participants, ranging from 14 to 88 years old (N = 325), completed an experience-sampling study of approximately 9 days over a 3-week period. At each momentary assessment, participants reported on their hassles, emotion-regulation strategies, and affect. As expected, strategy use varied across individuals and domains. For example, emotion expression and suppression were typical responses to interpersonal hassles, whereas social sharing was often used in response to work/school hassles. In situations wherein hassles included multiple life domains, participants reported the use of more emotion-regulation strategies than for single-domain hassles. Although flexible emotion regulation was evident in participants' responses to hassles, the expectation that it would be associated with lower hassle reactivity was not confirmed. These patterns were, for the most part, consistent across ages. This study contributes new insights into situational characteristics that are associated with emotion-regulation flexibility, showing that hassles domains are important for strategy selection, and that this holds from adolescence to old age. It also suggests that such defined emotion-regulation flexibility is not as strongly linked to emotion-regulation effectiveness as has been previously suggested. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

The Emotion Regulation Goals Scale: Advancing its psychometric properties using item response theory analysis

OBJECTIVE

Emotion goals are considered paramount for influencing the initiation, maintenance, and cessation of emotion regulation. Recently, some authors developed an instrument to assess emotion goals-the Emotion Regulation Goals Scale (ERGS).

METHOD

This study included two studies aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the ERGS in two Portuguese samples: 400 adults from the community (76% women; M age = 37.10) (Study 1) and 205 university students (80% women; M age = 21.72) (Study 2).

RESULTS

Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and item response theory (IRT) analysis were used to examine the psychometric properties of the ERGS in the two samples. The CFA confirmed the five-factor structure of the 18-item ERGS, but the analyses of both studies suggested the elimination of two items given their lower loadings/low discrimination.

CONCLUSIONS

A five-factor structure with 16 items was proposed, with good reliability and with evidence of construct validity with relevant constructs.

Mothers' parenting stress, depression, marital conflict, and marital satisfaction: The moderating effect of fathers' empathy tendency

BACKGROUND

The decreased marriage satisfaction has become one of the main reasons for the rising divorce rate. However, few studies have focused on the relationship between mother's parenting stress, mental health, and marriage satisfaction. This study addressed this research gap by examining the direct influence of mothers' parental stress on their marital satisfaction, and the indirect influence of depression and marital conflict. Additionally, we explored the moderating effect of fathers' empathy tendency.

METHODS

Using a sample of parenting couples in Southwest China (n = 2,979) to conduct a questionnaire survey, a moderated mediation analysis was performed to simultaneously analyze the chain mediation of depression and marital conflict, and the moderating role of fathers'' empathy.

RESULTS

The mother's childcare pressure was negatively correlated with marital satisfaction (β = -0.478, p < 0.001). Depression and marital conflict have a chain mediating effect in explaining the relationship between mothers'' parenting stress and marital satisfaction (b = -0.064, 95% CI [-0.075, -0.053]). It is important to note that fathers with cognitive empathy can alleviate depression and marital conflict caused by the mothers' parental stress and a decrease in marital satisfaction, while fathers with high empathy can exacerbate these negative effects.

CONCLUSION

The study's findings identify the serious impact of contemporary female parenting pressure on marital satisfaction and confirm the important role of husbands' empathy.

LIMITATIONS

The scope of the survey is single, the parenting period is not staged, and there may be limitations such as overlapping stressors, which can be corrected in future research.

Are Acute Increases and Variability in Emotion Regulation Strategies Related to Negative Affect and Paranoid Thoughts in Daily Life?

Background

Negative affect reliably predicts paranoid thoughts. Previous studies point to the importance of emotion regulation for paranoid thoughts but have not yet focused on effects of acute increases and variability in strategy use.

Methods

We conducted an experience-sampling study for one week in a subclinical sample. Acute increases in the intensity of strategy use from one measurement point until the next, between-strategy variability (i.e., standard deviation between all strategies at one measurement point), and within-strategy variability (i.e., standard deviation of each strategy over one day) were analyzed for effects on negative affect and paranoid thoughts.

Results

Multi-level-models indicated that acute increases in acceptance and reappraisal are associated with less negative affect. Acute increases in acceptance, but not in reappraisal, were related to less paranoid thoughts. In contrast, acute increases in rumination and suppression were associated with more negative affect and paranoid thoughts. Between- and within-strategy variability were no significant predictors.

Conclusions

Acute increases in the intensity of but not variability in emotion regulation strategies are related to negative affect and paranoid thoughts in daily life. Future studies are needed to examine whether improving emotion regulation leads to sustainable reductions in symptoms.

Situation selection and modification in social inhibition: a person-centered approach

OBJECTIVES

The current study aimed to identify patterns of situation selection and modification behaviors using a person-centered approach, and to examine to what extent the trait social inhibition (SI) is associated with these patterns of situation-targeted emotion regulation.

METHODS

The sample comprised 504 participants (M_age= 21.5, SD = 8.2; 82% women), who completed questionnaires on situation selection and modification behaviors, and the social inhibition questionnaire (SIQ15). A three-step latent profile analysis (LPA) was performed to (A) identify existing latent profiles of situation avoidance and approach and situation modification behaviors, and (B) to examine the association of SI and facets with the latent class posteriors.

RESULTS

LPA revealed the presence of four profiles that differed in how situation selection and modification were applied. SI, behavioral inhibition, and social withdrawal were significantly associated with a higher odds of belonging to the profile characterized by avoidance selection and modification. Interpersonal sensitivity was associated with using more conversational modification behaviors, which may illustrate that interpersonal sensitive individuals are motivated to approach, but use avoidance behaviors to prevent confrontation.

CONCLUSIONS

SI individuals particularly rely on avoidance selection and modification behaviors, which may be considered maladaptive emotion regulation.

Always look on the bright side of life? Exploring the between-variance and within-variance of emotion regulation goals

Currently, emotion regulation goals are being perceived as highly situational. This assumption might be wrong, though, as the preeminent measure [the intraclass coefficient (1), ICC(1)] overestimates the proportion of within-variance under the condition of measurement error. We therefore empirically test whether emotion regulation goals represent more of a between-person or a within-person phenomenon, using the reliability-adjusted ICC(1). A total of 305 students participated in a daily diary study and answered a questionnaire about their emotion regulation goals in the most negative event of the day over the course of 9 days. Multilevel analyses suggest that emotion regulation goals vary more between persons than heretofore assumed, especially for hedonic goals, but also for social goals. Besides, we show substantial differences in the within-variance across individuals. We conclude by discussing theoretical implications for general and clinical psychology.

Individual Differences in Negative Emotion Differentiation Predict Resting-State Spontaneous Emotional Regulatory Processes

Negative emotion differentiation facilitates emotion regulation. However, whether individual differences in negative emotion differentiation is associated with resting-state spontaneous emotion regulation remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the effect of individual differences in negative emotion differentiation on spontaneous emotional regulatory processes as indexed by resting electroencephalogram (EEG) indicators (e.g., frontal alpha asymmetry and theta/beta ratio). Participants (n = 40, M_age = 21.74 years, 62% women) completed a negative emotion differentiation task. Afterward, 4 min of resting EEG data were recorded. Multiple regression results showed that negative emotion differentiation significantly predicted the alpha asymmetry at electrode pairs (F4–F3 and FP2–FP1) and the theta/beta ratio at the F3 and FZ electrode sites. Individuals with high negative emotion differentiation presented more left-lateralized activations and a lower theta/beta ratio. Taken together, these results suggest that individuals with high negative emotion differentiation show enhanced spontaneous emotional regulatory functioning. Thus, we provided the first resting-state neural evidence on emotion differentiation of spontaneous emotional regulatory functioning.

Emotion Regulation in Everyday Life: The Role of Goals and Situational Factors

This study addresses three questions: How often and how consistently do predictors for emotion regulation choice occur in daily life? What predicts emotion regulation choice in daily life? How do predictors for emotion regulation choice interact in daily life? We examined emotion regulation goals (i.e., prohedonic and social goals), situational factors (i.e., perceived control, expected reoccurrence, and emotional intensity), and emotion regulation strategies (i.e., active coping, distraction, rumination, cognitive reappraisal, and expressive suppression) in negative emotion events. A total of 110 individuals (65% female) participated in an experience sampling study and received beeps, five times a day over the course of 9 days. We used a random intercept model to estimate our results. Emotion regulation goals and situational factors vary strongly in different events within the same person. Emotion regulation strategies, effective in changing the emotional experience, are crucial for prohedonic goals, whereas expressive suppression is important for social goals. Perceived control was positively associated with putatively adaptive strategies. Emotional intensity and expected reoccurrence were negatively associated with putatively adaptive strategies. Emotional intensity was positively associated with putatively maladaptive strategies. Emotion regulation strategies were not associated with the interaction of emotion regulation goals and situational factors. We conclude that emotion regulation goals and situational factors are extremely context-dependent, suggesting that they should be treated as states. Emotion regulation goals appear to have a functional association with strategies for prohedonic and social goals. The associations between situational factors and strategies in daily life appear to be largely different from the results found in the laboratory, emphasizing the importance of experience sampling studies.

Emotion Regulation Flexibility

Abstract. Emotion regulation (ER) flexibility, defined as shifting regulatory efforts based on contextual demands, has been proposed as central to well-being. However, it remains an elusive construct to capture. In this article, we highlight the promise and challenges of using ambulatory assessment to examine ER flexibility. We consider difficulties in assessing relevant contextual features and ER dynamics using ecological momentary assessment (EMA). The solutions offered include drawing on existing taxonomies of situational characteristics and ER strategies, adopting methods that passively track contextual features and enhance reliability, and leveraging the advantages of various sampling schemes based on target ER dynamics. Studying ER flexibility in vivo, as it naturally unfolds in daily life, is crucial for a comprehensive understanding of the contextual, dynamic nature of ER. Further work is needed developing theories to guide research on how and why specific aspects of the context might call for shifts in regulatory efforts.

Integrating Empathy and Interpersonal Emotion Regulation

When individuals experience empathy , they often seek to bolster others’ well-being. But what do empathizers want others to feel? Though psychologists have studied empathy and prosociality for decades, this question has yet to be clearly addressed. This is because virtually all existing research focuses on cases in which improving others’ well-being also comprises heightening their positive affect or decreasing their negative affect and helping them reach their own emotional goals. In this review, I argue that real-life empathic goals encompass a broader range—including sometimes worsening targets’ affect or contravening their wishes in order to improve their well-being—that can be productively integrated into the framework of interpersonal emotion regulation (IER). I review the empathic IER spectrum in a number of contexts, including close relationships, professional caregiving, and group-based emotions. Integrating empathy and IER provides a synthetic and generative way to ask new questions about how social emotions produce prosocial actions.

Individual differences in emotion regulation goals: Does personality predict the reasons why people regulate their emotions?

OBJECTIVE

We investigated how the Big Five traits predict individual differences in five theoretically important emotion regulation goals that are commonly pursued-pro-hedonic, contra-hedonic, performance, pro-social, and impression management.

METHOD

We conducted two studies: (a) a large survey study consisting of undergraduates (N = 394; 18-25 years; 69% female; 56% European American) and community adults (N = 302; 19-74 years; 50% female; 75% European American) who completed a newly developed global measure of individual differences in emotion regulation goals and (b) a 9-day daily diary study with community adults (N = 272; 23-85 years; 50% female; 84% European American) who completed daily reports of emotion regulation goals. In both studies, participants completed a measure of the Big Five.

RESULTS

Across global and daily measures, pro-hedonic goals and pro-social goals were positively associated with Agreeableness, performance goals were positively associated with Openness, and impression management goals were positively associated with Neuroticism. Globally, contra-hedonic goals were also negatively associated with Agreeableness and Conscientiousness.

CONCLUSIONS

The Big Five systematically predict the emotion regulation goals people typically pursue. These findings have important implications for understanding why people engage in certain forms of regulatory behavior and why personality has consequences for well-being.