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Seah THS, Coifman KG. Effects of scaffolding emotion language use on emotion differentiation and psychological health: an experience-sampling study. Cogn Emot 2024:1-18. [PMID: 39048111 DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2024.2382334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2023] [Revised: 06/26/2024] [Accepted: 07/05/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
Emotion differentiation (ED) - complexity in the mental representation and description of one's emotional experiences - is important for mental health. However, less is known whether ED can be enhanced in adults. We investigated if scaffolding emotion language use during affect labelling - initial provision of emotion word prompts (close-ended) followed by free response (open-ended) - impacts ED and psychological health. Utilising a crossover design, 92 college students completed questionnaires assessing psychological health at three time-points and ecological momentary assessment of emotions, affect valence and emotional self-efficacy for 14 days. Participants were randomised to the "scaffolding" group, where they reported emotions using the close-ended (7 days) followed by open-ended (7 days) approach, or the reverse sequence (control group). We extracted two ED indices: traditional intraclass correlation coefficient from close-ended reports and novel specificity index from open-ended reports. Primary analyses examined group differences across weeks while exploratory analyses examined moment-to-moment differences using multilevel modelling. Relative to controls, the scaffolding group demonstrated greater ED during open-ended emotion reporting of negative emotions and associated shifts in negative affect and emotional self-efficacy. There were no significant group differences in psychological symptoms. Results provide preliminary evidence that scaffolding may enhance ED and have implications for psychological intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- T H Stanley Seah
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA
| | - Karin G Coifman
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA
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Schmitt MC, Vogelsmeier LVDE, Erbas Y, Stuber S, Lischetzke T. Exploring Within-Person Variability in Qualitative Negative and Positive Emotional Granularity by Means of Latent Markov Factor Analysis. MULTIVARIATE BEHAVIORAL RESEARCH 2024; 59:781-800. [PMID: 38600826 DOI: 10.1080/00273171.2024.2328381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
Emotional granularity (EG) is an individual's ability to describe their emotional experiences in a nuanced and specific way. In this paper, we propose that researchers adopt latent Markov factor analysis (LMFA) to investigate within-person variability in qualitative EG (i.e., variability in distinct granularity patterns between specific emotions across time). LMFA clusters measurement occasions into latent states according to state-specific measurement models. We argue that state-specific measurement models of repeatedly assessed emotion items can provide information about qualitative EG at a given point in time. Applying LMFA to the area of EG for negative and positive emotions separately by using data from an experience sampling study with 11,662 measurement occasions across 139 participants, we found three latent EG states for the negative emotions and three for the positive emotions. Momentary stress significantly predicted transitions between the EG states for both the negative and positive emotions. We further identified two and three latent classes of individuals who differed in state trajectories for negative and positive emotions, respectively. Neuroticism and dispositional mood regulation predicted latent class membership for negative (but not for positive) emotions. We conclude that LMFA may enrich EG research by enabling more fine-grained insights into variability in qualitative EG patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcel C Schmitt
- Department of Psychology, RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau, Landau, Germany
| | | | - Yasemin Erbas
- Department of Developmental Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands
- Department of Quantitative Psychology and Individual Differences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Simon Stuber
- Department of Psychology, RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau, Landau, Germany
| | - Tanja Lischetzke
- Department of Psychology, RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau, Landau, Germany
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Racine SE, Bicaker E, Trolio V, Lane SP. Acting impulsively when "upset": Examining associations among negative urgency, undifferentiated negative affect, and impulsivity using momentary and experimental methods. J Pers 2024. [PMID: 38429250 DOI: 10.1111/jopy.12918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Revised: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Negative urgency is a personality pathway toward impulsive behavior that increases risk for transdiagnostic psychopathology. Limited research supports the core tenant of urgency theory, that is, that individuals with high trait negative urgency act more impulsive when experiencing increased negative emotion. We hypothesized that it may not be negative emotion intensity, but difficulty in differentiating among negative emotions, that prompts impulsive behavior among individuals with elevated negative urgency. METHODS We tested this hypothesis in 200 undergraduates using both ecological momentary assessment (measured momentary undifferentiated negative affect and impulsivity) and experimental methods (manipulated emotion differentiation and measured behavioral impulsivity). RESULTS Momentary undifferentiated negative affect predicted impulsivity in the specific domains of work/school and exercise, but interactions between momentary undifferentiated negative affect and negative urgency were not supported. Manipulated emotion differentiation did not impact behavioral impulsivity regardless of negative urgency scores. CONCLUSION Inconsistent with theory, the impulsive behavior of individuals with negative urgency may not be conditional on elevated or undifferentiated negative affect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E Racine
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Ege Bicaker
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Vittoria Trolio
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Sean P Lane
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA
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Knapp KS, Bradizza CM, Zhao J, Linn BK, Wilding GE, LaBarre C, Stasiewicz PR. Emotion differentiation among individuals in a randomized clinical trial for alcohol use disorder: Within- and between-person associations with affect, craving, and alcohol use in daily life. Behav Res Ther 2024; 173:104474. [PMID: 38237447 PMCID: PMC10947467 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2024.104474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/02/2024]
Abstract
Emotion differentiation refers to cognitively distinguishing among discrete, same-valenced emotions. Negative emotion differentiation (NED) is a transdiagnostic indicator of emotional functioning. The role of positive emotion differentiation (PED) in clinical disorders, including alcohol use disorder (AUD), is less understood. Further, despite consensus that emotions are highly variable, little is known about within-person fluctuations in NED/PED. The current study leveraged 84 consecutive daily smartphone surveys from participants (N = 181) in a clinical trial of cognitive behavioral therapy for AUD to investigate whether between-person differences in overall NED/PED, or within-person variability in daily NED/PED, were associated with affect intensity, craving, drinking, and heavy drinking in daily life. Subsequent analyses explored whether associations were moderated by baseline alexithymia. At the between-persons level, greater average PED, but not NED, was associated with lower heavy drinking odds. At the within-persons level, higher-than-usual PED was associated with lower negative affect and odds of any drinking. Individuals with baseline alexithymia had stronger negative within-person associations between daily NED and both any and heavy drinking. PED is a skill linked to less alcohol use between- and within-persons irrespective of baseline alexithymia, whereas greater daily NED appears especially important for reduced alcohol use among individuals with co-morbid AUD and alexithymia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyler S Knapp
- School of Social Work, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14214, United States.
| | - Clara M Bradizza
- School of Social Work, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14214, United States
| | - Junru Zhao
- School of Social Work, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14214, United States
| | - Braden K Linn
- School of Social Work, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14214, United States
| | - Gregory E Wilding
- Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health and Health Professions, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14214, United States
| | - Charles LaBarre
- School of Social Work, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14214, United States
| | - Paul R Stasiewicz
- School of Social Work, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14214, United States
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Liang S, Huang Z, Wang Y, Wu Y, Chen Z, Zhang Y, Guo W, Zhao Z, Ford SD, Palaniyappan L, Li T. Using a longitudinal network structure to subgroup depressive symptoms among adolescents. BMC Psychol 2024; 12:46. [PMID: 38268052 PMCID: PMC10807250 DOI: 10.1186/s40359-024-01537-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 01/26/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Network modeling has been proposed as an effective approach to examine complex associations among antecedents, mediators and symptoms. This study aimed to investigate whether the severity of depressive symptoms affects the multivariate relationships among symptoms and mediating factors over a 2-year longitudinal follow-up. METHODS We recruited a school-based cohort of 1480 primary and secondary school students over four semesters from January 2020 to December 2021. The participants (n = 1145) were assessed at four time points (ages 10-13 years old at baseline). Based on a cut-off score of 5 on the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire at each time point, the participants were categorized into the non-depressive symptom (NDS) and depressive symptom (DS) groups. We conducted network analysis to investigate the symptom-to-symptom influences in these two groups over time. RESULTS The global network metrics did not differ statistically between the NDS and DS groups at four time points. However, network connection strength varied with symptom severity. The edge weights between learning anxiety and social anxiety were prominently in the NDS group over time. The central factors for NDS and DS were oversensitivity and impulsivity (3 out of 4 time points), respectively. Moreover, both node strength and closeness were stable over time in both groups. CONCLUSIONS Our study suggests that interrelationships among symptoms and contributing factors are generally stable in adolescents, but a higher severity of depressive symptoms may lead to increased stability in these relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sugai Liang
- Affiliated Mental Health Centre & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 305 Tianmushan Road, 310013, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zejun Huang
- Hangzhou Institute of Educational Science, 310003, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yiquan Wang
- Affiliated Mental Health Centre & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 305 Tianmushan Road, 310013, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yue Wu
- Affiliated Mental Health Centre & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 305 Tianmushan Road, 310013, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zhiyu Chen
- Affiliated Mental Health Centre & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 305 Tianmushan Road, 310013, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yamin Zhang
- Affiliated Mental Health Centre & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 305 Tianmushan Road, 310013, Hangzhou, China
| | - Wanjun Guo
- Affiliated Mental Health Centre & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 305 Tianmushan Road, 310013, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zhenqing Zhao
- Hangzhou Vocational & Technical College, 310018, Hangzhou, China
| | - Sabrina D Ford
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, H4H1R3, Montreal, Canada
| | - Lena Palaniyappan
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, H4H1R3, Montreal, Canada.
- Robarts Research Institute, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, N6A5K8, London, Canada.
- Department of Medical Biophysics, Western University, N6A5K8, London, Canada.
| | - Tao Li
- Affiliated Mental Health Centre & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 305 Tianmushan Road, 310013, Hangzhou, China.
- Liangzhu Laboratory, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-machine Integration, State Key Laboratory of Brain-machine Intelligence, Zhejiang University, 310000, Hangzhou, China.
- NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Zhejiang University, 310063, Hangzhou, China.
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Walukevich-Dienst K, Piccirillo ML, Calhoun BH, Bedard-Gilligan M, Larimer ME, Patrick ME, Lee CM. Daily-level relationships between negative affect, negative emotion differentiation, and cannabis behaviors among a high-risk sample of young adults. J Affect Disord 2023; 335:392-400. [PMID: 37211055 PMCID: PMC10330630 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.05.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Prior research suggests that higher trait negative emotion differentiation (NED; one's ability to make subtle distinctions between different negative emotional states) is associated with consuming less alcohol when experiencing high negative affect (NA) in daily life. Yet, whether these findings extend to cannabis use behaviors is unclear. The present study used intensive daily data to test whether NED moderated the relationship between NA and cannabis behaviors. A community sample of 409 young adults who used alcohol and cannabis completed a baseline survey and five 2-week bursts of online surveys across two years. Multilevel models tested cross-level interactions between trait NED (person-level) and daily NA (daily-level) predicting cannabis use, hours high, negative consequences, craving, and coping motives. In contrast to expectations, on days with higher reported NA, people with higher NED (compared to those with lower NED) had a greater likelihood of experiencing any cannabis craving, experienced more intense craving, and reported higher cannabis coping motives. NED x NA interaction was not significant for likelihood of cannabis use, hours high, or negative consequences. Post-hoc descriptive analyses suggest notable person-specific heterogeneity in these findings. Individuals with higher ability to differentiate between negative emotions reported higher coping motives and craving when experiencing higher NA. However, these associations were variable for individuals within the sample. It may be that high NED individuals crave and purposefully use cannabis to reduce NA states. Findings are inconsistent with the alcohol literature and have important implications for intervention efforts aimed at reducing coping-motivated cannabis use among young adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine Walukevich-Dienst
- Center for the Study of Health and Risk Behaviors, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Box 357238, Seattle, WA 98195-7238, USA.
| | - Marilyn L Piccirillo
- Center for the Study of Health and Risk Behaviors, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Box 357238, Seattle, WA 98195-7238, USA
| | - Brian H Calhoun
- Center for the Study of Health and Risk Behaviors, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Box 357238, Seattle, WA 98195-7238, USA
| | - Michele Bedard-Gilligan
- Center for the Study of Health and Risk Behaviors, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Box 357238, Seattle, WA 98195-7238, USA
| | - Mary E Larimer
- Center for the Study of Health and Risk Behaviors, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Box 357238, Seattle, WA 98195-7238, USA
| | - Megan E Patrick
- Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, P.O. Box 1248, 426 Thompson St., Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1248, USA
| | - Christine M Lee
- Center for the Study of Health and Risk Behaviors, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Box 357238, Seattle, WA 98195-7238, USA
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Lane SP, Trull TJ. Operationalizing undifferentiated affect: Validity and utility in clinical samples. Front Psychol 2022; 13:690030. [PMID: 36438368 PMCID: PMC9686340 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.690030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Emotion differentiation is conceptualized as the process of categorizing one's general affective experiences into discrete emotions. The experience of undifferentiated affect or the inability to distinguish the particular emotion or combination of emotions that one is experiencing is often considered a hallmark of emotion dysregulation. Some past research has attempted to operationalize the general tendency to experience undifferentiated affect at the trait level using explicit questionnaire measures. More recently, indirect measures using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) to estimate the consistency between simultaneous measures of different in-the-moment emotional experiences have become the favored method of quantifying undifferentiated affect. While the ICC method constitutes an advancement in estimating undifferentiated affect, which is theorized to be a dynamic process that occurs at a very granular level, prior investigations have used aggregate ICC measures or momentary ICC derivations that ignore multiple sources of dynamic variability to make inferences about in-the-moment experiences. We introduce a new, flexible method of calculating ICC measures of undifferentiated affect at different levels of experience that takes full advantage of time-intensive data measurement and more closely maps onto the theorized process. This method provides more refined estimates of undifferentiated affect and its associations with various behavioral outcomes, as well as uncovers more nuanced associations regarding the temporal process of emotional differentiation. It also elucidates potential conceptual issues in mapping empirical estimates of emotion undifferentiation onto their underlying theoretical interpretations.
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8
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Emery NN, Walters KJ, Njeim L, Barr M, Gelman D, Eddie D. Emotion differentiation in early recovery from alcohol use disorder: Associations with in-the-moment affect and 3-month drinking outcomes. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2022; 46:1294-1305. [PMID: 35614525 PMCID: PMC9357131 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Revised: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Background Early recovery from alcohol use disorder (AUD) is commonly associated with high levels of negative affect, stress, and emotional vulnerability, which confer significant relapse risk. Emotion differentiation—the ability to distinguish between discrete emotions—has been shown to predict relapse after treatment for a drug use disorder, but this relationship has not been explored in individuals recovering from AUD. Methods The current study used thrice daily random and up to thrice daily self‐initiated ecological momentary assessment surveys (N = 42, observations = 915) to examine whether 1) moments of high affective arousal are characterized by momentary differences in emotion differentiation among individuals in the first year of a current AUD recovery attempt, and 2) individuals’ average emotion differentiation would predict subsequent alcohol use measured by the timeline follow‐back over a 3‐month follow‐up period. Results Multilevel models showed that moments (Level 1) of higher‐than‐average negative affect (p < 0.001) and/or stress (p = 0.033) were characterized by less negative emotion differentiation, while moments of higher‐than‐average positive affect were characterized by greater positive emotion differentiation (p < 0.001). At the between‐person level (Level 2), participants with higher stress overall had lower negative emotion differentiation (p = 0.009). Linear regression showed that average negative, but not positive, emotion differentiation was inversely associated with percent drinking days over the subsequent 3‐month follow‐up period (p = 0.042). Neither form of average emotion differentiation was associated with drinking quantity. Conclusions We found that for individuals in early AUD recovery, affective states are associated with acute shifts in the capacity for emotion differentiation. Further, we found that average negative emotion differentiation prospectively predicts subsequent alcohol use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noah N Emery
- Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Kyle J Walters
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA.,Department of Psychology, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, South Dakota, USA
| | - Lili Njeim
- School of Public Health, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Maya Barr
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Daniella Gelman
- Emma Pendleton Bradley Hospital, Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Riverside, Rhode Island, USA
| | - David Eddie
- Recovery Research Institute, Center for Addiction Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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9
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The structure of affect: A network analytic moderation approach. MOTIVATION AND EMOTION 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s11031-021-09916-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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10
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Thompson RJ, Liu DY, Sudit E, Boden M. Emotion Differentiation in Current and Remitted Major Depressive Disorder. Front Psychol 2021; 12:685851. [PMID: 34539489 PMCID: PMC8440990 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.685851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
People with current major depressive disorder (MDD) experience diminished emotion differentiation. We tested the hypothesis that this emotional disturbance is chronic and also characterizes those whose MDD has remitted. As our main aim, we examined emotion differentiation in conjunction with elevated negative and diminished positive emotional intensity, which are both cardinal symptoms of MDD. As an exploratory aim, we examined the predominant theoretical conceptualization that people low in emotion differentiation use more general state terms (e.g., bad) and fewer emotion terms (e.g., anger) to describe their emotional experience. Participants (assessed via diagnostic interview) included individuals who had current MDD (current depressed; n = 48), individuals whose MDD was in full remission (remitted depressed; n = 80), and healthy controls (n = 87). Participants also completed two self-report measures of depressive symptoms and reported momentary emotion repeatedly for 14 days via experience sampling, from which we computed emotion differentiation (i.e., intraclass correlation coefficient) and emotional intensity (i.e., average of the mean emotion ratings across surveys). Finally, participants described a momentary emotional experience via an open-response format, which was coded for the use of general state and emotion terms. Compared to the healthy control group, the current and remitted depressed groups showed similarly low levels of negative and positive emotion differentiation. These findings suggest that diminished emotion differentiation may be a stable characteristic of depressive disorders and a possible target for future prevention efforts. Diminished negative emotion differentiation was significantly associated with higher depressive symptoms as assessed by only one of the depression measures, though this finding did not hold after adjusting for negative emotional intensity. Finally, participants’ emotion differentiation was not associated with use of general state and emotion terms, and groups did not use general state and emotion terms in ways that were consistent with the predominant theoretical conceptualization of emotion differentiation, suggesting the need for clarification in this research domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renee J Thompson
- Emotion and Mental Health Lab, Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Daphne Y Liu
- Emotion and Mental Health Lab, Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Ella Sudit
- Emotion and Mental Health Lab, Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Matt Boden
- VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA, United States
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Wenzel M, Bürgler S, Rowland Z, Hennecke M. Self-Control Dynamics in Daily Life: The Importance of Variability Between Self-Regulatory Strategies and Strategy Differentiation. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY 2021. [DOI: 10.1177/08902070211043023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Research on self-control has increasingly acknowledged the importance of self-regulatory strategies, with strategies in earlier stages of the developing tempting impulse thought to be more effective than strategies in later stages. However, recent research on emotion regulation has moved away from assuming that some strategies are per se and across situations more adaptive than others. Instead, strategy use that is variable to fit situational demands is considered more adaptive. In the present research, we transfer this dynamic process perspective to self-regulatory strategies in the context of persistence conflicts. We investigated eight indicators of strategy use (i.e., strategy intensity, instability, inertia, predictability, differentiation, diversity, and within- and between-strategy variability) in an experience sampling study ( N = 264 participants with 1,923 observations). We found that variability between strategies was significantly associated with self-regulatory success above and beyond mean levels of self-regulatory strategy use. Moreover, the association between trait self-control on one hand and everyday self-regulatory success and affective well-being on the other hand was partially mediated by between-strategy variability. Our results do not only show the benefits of variable strategy use for individual’s self-regulatory success but also the benefits of more strongly connecting the fields of emotion regulation and self-control research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Wenzel
- Department of Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | | | - Zarah Rowland
- Department of Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Marie Hennecke
- Department of Psychology, Universität Siegen, Siegen, Germany
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12
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Lischetzke T, Schemer L, Glombiewski JA, In-Albon T, Karbach J, Könen T. Negative Emotion Differentiation Attenuates the Within-Person Indirect Effect of Daily Stress on Nightly Sleep Quality Through Calmness. Front Psychol 2021; 12:684117. [PMID: 34456798 PMCID: PMC8385208 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.684117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to differentiate between negative emotional states [negative emotion differentiation (NED)] has been conceptualized as a trait that facilitates effective emotion regulation and buffers stress reactivity. In the present research, we investigated the role of NED in within-person processes of daily affect regulation and coping during times of stress (the first COVID-19-related pandemic lockdown in April 2020). Using intensive longitudinal data, we analyzed whether daily stress had an indirect effect on sleep quality through calmness in the evening, and we tested whether NED moderated this within-person indirect effect by buffering the link between daily stress and calmness in the evening. A non-representative community sample (n = 313, 15–82 years old) participated in a 21-day ambulatory assessment with twice-daily surveys. The results of multilevel mediation models showed that higher daily stress was related to within-day change in calmness from morning to evening, resulting in less calmness in the evening within persons. Less calmness in the evening, in turn, was related to poorer nightly sleep quality within persons. As expected, higher NED predicted a less negative within-person link between daily stress and calmness in the evening, thereby attenuating the indirect effect of daily stress on nightly sleep quality through calmness. This effect held when we controlled for mean negative emotions and depression. The results provide support for a diathesis-stress model of NED, and hence, for NED as a protective factor that helps to explain why some individuals remain more resilient during times of stress than others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanja Lischetzke
- Department of Psychology, University of Koblenz-Landau, Landau, Germany
| | - Lea Schemer
- Department of Psychology, University of Koblenz-Landau, Landau, Germany
| | | | - Tina In-Albon
- Department of Psychology, University of Koblenz-Landau, Landau, Germany
| | - Julia Karbach
- Department of Psychology, University of Koblenz-Landau, Landau, Germany
| | - Tanja Könen
- Department of Psychology, University of Koblenz-Landau, Landau, Germany
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13
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Nook EC. Emotion Differentiation and Youth Mental Health: Current Understanding and Open Questions. Front Psychol 2021; 12:700298. [PMID: 34421752 PMCID: PMC8377228 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.700298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
A growing body of research identifies emotion differentiation-the ability to specifically identify one's emotions-as a key skill for well-being. High emotion differentiation is associated with healthier and more effective regulation of one's emotions, and low emotion differentiation has been documented in several forms of psychopathology. However, the lion's share of this research has focused on adult samples, even though approximately 50% of mental disorders onset before age 18. This review curates what we know about the development of emotion differentiation and its implications for youth mental health. I first review published studies investigating how emotion differentiation develops across childhood and adolescence, as well as studies testing relations between emotion differentiation and mental health in youth samples. Emerging evidence suggests that emotion differentiation actually falls across childhood and adolescence, a counterintuitive pattern that merits further investigation. Additionally, several studies find relations between emotion differentiation and youth mental health, but some instability in results emerged. I then identify open questions that limit our current understanding of emotion differentiation, including (i) lack of clarity as to the valid measurement of emotion differentiation, (ii) potential third variables that could explain relations between emotion differentiation and mental-health (e.g., mean negative affect, IQ, personality, and circularity with outcomes), and (iii) lack of clear mechanistic models regarding the development of emotion differentiation and how it facilitates well-being. I conclude with a discussion of future directions that can address open questions and work toward interventions that treat (or even prevent) psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik C. Nook
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
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Hoemann K, Barrett LF, Quigley KS. Emotional Granularity Increases With Intensive Ambulatory Assessment: Methodological and Individual Factors Influence How Much. Front Psychol 2021; 12:704125. [PMID: 34393942 PMCID: PMC8355493 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.704125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Individuals differ in their ability to create instances of emotion that are precise and context-specific. This skill - referred to as emotional granularity or emotion differentiation - is associated with positive mental health outcomes. To date, however, little work has examined whether and how emotional granularity might be increased. Emotional granularity is typically measured using data from experience sampling studies, in which participants are prompted to report on their emotional experiences multiple times per day, across multiple days. This measurement approach allows researchers to examine patterns of responses over time using real-world events. Recent work suggests that experience sampling itself may facilitate increases in emotional granularity in depressed individuals, such that it may serve both empirical and interventional functions. We replicated and extended these findings in healthy adults, using data from an intensive ambulatory assessment study including experience sampling, peripheral physiological monitoring, and end-of-day diaries. We also identified factors that might distinguish individuals who showed larger increases over the course of experience sampling and examined the extent of the impact of these factors. We found that increases in emotional granularity over time were facilitated by methodological factors, such as number of experience sampling prompts responded to per day, as well as individual factors, such as resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia. These results provide support for the use of experience sampling methods to improve emotional granularity, raise questions about the boundary conditions of this effect, and have implications for the conceptualization of emotional granularity and its relationship with emotional health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie Hoemann
- Department of Psychology, Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Lisa Feldman Barrett
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard University, Boston, MA, United States
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, United States
| | - Karen S. Quigley
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
- Bedford VA Medical Center, Bedford, MA, United States
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15
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O'Toole MS, Elkjær E, Mikkelsen MB. Is Negative Emotion Differentiation Associated With Emotion Regulation Choice? Investigations at the Person and Day Level. Front Psychol 2021; 12:684377. [PMID: 34305737 PMCID: PMC8298904 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.684377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Negative emotion differentiation (ED) has been suggested to be important for adaptive emotion regulation (ER). However, knowledge concerning how ED may impact specific ER strategy choice remains surprisingly sparse. We therefore investigated (1) if person-level negative ED was associated with habitual use of individual ER strategies, (2) how person-level negative ED was associated with daily use of individual ER strategies, and finally (3) how within-person daily fluctuations in negative ED were associated with daily use of individual ER strategies. During a 10-day experience sampling study, 90 healthy participants rated their momentary emotions and their ER efforts in response to those emotions. ER strategies included four putatively adaptive strategies (reflection, distancing, non-reactivity, reappraisal) and four putatively maladaptive strategies (rumination, experiential avoidance, expressive suppression, worry). Results revealed that negative ED at the person level was neither associated with habitual nor daily ER strategy endorsement when controlling for negative emotions. Likewise, associations between within-individual daily variation in negative ED and daily ER did not remain statistically significant after controlling for negative emotions. The results thus point to no or weak associations between negative ED and ER choice above and beyond negative emotions. Future experimental studies addressing ED at the momentary level and teasing out the ED-ER causal timeline are needed to further evaluate ED-ER associations. Findings from such research may represent an important step toward refining psychotherapeutic interventions aimed at improving emotional problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mia S. O'Toole
- Department of Psychology and Behavioural Sciences, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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