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Liao L, Zhang K, Zhou Y, Liu J. The association between negative emotion differentiation and emotion regulation flexibility in daily life. Cogn Emot 2024:1-13. [PMID: 39034767 DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2024.2381079] [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: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024]
Abstract
Emotion differentiation emphasises labelling emotional experiences in a precise and context-sensitive way. Negative emotion differentiation (NED) has been found to be associated with mental health, where emotion regulation (ER) may act as a pathway. The current study aims to explore the association between NED and flexible ER implementation in daily life. Specifically, we examined how NED was associated with two aspects of ER flexibility: contextual synchrony and temporal ER variability. 101 college students (54% female; Mage = 20.24 years) reported their momentary emotions via a 7-day experience sampling protocol, and the intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated to reflect NED. In 10-day daily diaries, they also reported information about the most negative event during the day (i.e. event type, event intensity and ER goal) and how they regulated their emotions. The results revealed that individuals with high NED showed higher levels of synchrony between change in ER use and change in event type and ER goal. In addition, NED was positively associated with both within- and between-strategy variability in ER use. The results demonstrated that the ability to differentiate between negative emotions was related to higher ER flexibility, which shed new light on understanding the role of emotion differentiation in well-being.
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Affiliation(s)
- Longyue Liao
- School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Keqin Zhang
- Department of Human Development and Family Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Ying Zhou
- China Executive Leadership Academy Pudong, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Junsheng Liu
- School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Changning Mental Health Center, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
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2
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Yue P, An Z, Lin R. How do "words poorly expressed emotion" affect mental health? The mediating role of affect labelling effect. Cogn Emot 2024:1-16. [PMID: 38837896 DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2024.2362377] [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: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/27/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
Previous studies have found that people with high negative emotional granularity(NEG) tend to have better health levels. It is generally believed that this is due to the selection and application of explicit emotion regulation strategies that affect mental health. However, no research has yet examined a more fundamental process, the role of affect labelling, an implicit emotion regulation strategy. This study focuses on the aforementioned issues and uses the experience sampling method to categorise participants into groups with high and low NEG. Using an affect labelling paradigm with ERP(event-related potential) technology, the study measures the effects of affect labelling in participants. Furthermore, it assesses the mental health levels of the participants through questionnaires to explore whether the affect labelling effect serves as a mediator between NEG and mental health. The results show that: (1) The high-NEG group exhibited significantly lower LPP wave amplitudes under affect labelling compared to under non-affect labelling, whereas the low-NEG group did not show significant differences. The results indicate that only the high-NEG group can produce the affect labelling effect. (2) The affect labelling effect mediates the relationship between NEG and mental health, meaning that NEG predicts mental health through the affect labelling effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengfei Yue
- School of Education Science, Hubei Normal University, Huangshi, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhou An
- School of Education Science, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang, People's Republic of China
| | - Ruxin Lin
- School of Education Science, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang, People's Republic of China
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3
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Hochreuter J, Dreher T, Hasler CC, Canonica S, Locher C, Held U, Rabbitts J, Koechlin H. Longitudinal Resilience and Risk Factors in Pediatric Postoperative Pain (LORRIS): Protocol for a Prospective Longitudinal Swiss University Children's Hospitals-Based Study. BMJ Open 2024; 14:e080174. [PMID: 38548365 PMCID: PMC10982766 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-080174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) is defined as pain that persists after a surgical procedure and has a significant impact on quality of life. Previous studies show the importance of psychological factors in CPSP, yet the majority of studies focused solely on negative emotions. This longitudinal observational study aims to broaden this knowledge base by examining the role of emotional state, emotion variability, emotion regulation and emotion differentiation on the child and the parent level for the development CPSP, and to describe pain and emotion-related trajectories following surgery. METHODS AND ANALYSIS We intend to include 280 children and adolescents aged 8-18 years with a planned orthopaedic surgery and their parents. A total of five assessment time points is planned: 3 weeks before surgery (baseline), 2 weeks after surgery (post) and 3 months (follow-up (FU) 1), 6 months and 12 months after surgery. At baseline and post only, children and parents are asked to complete a daily diary thrice a day for a week where they rate their current emotional state and their pain severity (children only). Emotional state ratings will be used to calculate indices of emotion variability, emotion regulation and emotion differentiation. Children and parents will complete questionnaires at each time point, including measures on quality of life, social support, sleep, and symptoms of anxiety and depression.To predict development of CPSP, generalised linear regression models will be used, resulting in ORs and 95% CIs. Pearson product-moment correlations between predictors and outcomes will be evaluated at each time point. The primary outcome of the prediction model is CPSP at FU1. For the trajectory analysis, the classification method K-means for longitudinal data will be used to determine clusters in the data. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION The Ethics Committee of the Canton of Zurich, Switzerland, has approved the study (ID: 2023-01475). Participants will be compensated, and a dissemination workshop will be held. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER NCT05816174.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Hochreuter
- Department of Psychosomatics and Psychiatry, University Children's Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Division of Child and Adolescent Health Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Children's Research Centre University Children's Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Thomas Dreher
- Department of Pediatric Orthopedics and Traumatology, University Children's Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Pediatric Orthopedics, Orthopedic University Hospital Balgrist, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Sandro Canonica
- Department of Pediatric Orthopedics and Traumatology, University Children's Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Pediatric Orthopedics, Orthopedic University Hospital Balgrist, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Cosima Locher
- Department of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Faculty of Health, Plymouth University, Plymouth, UK
| | - Ulrike Held
- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jennifer Rabbitts
- Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Pediatric Anesthesiology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Helen Koechlin
- Department of Psychosomatics and Psychiatry, University Children's Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Division of Child and Adolescent Health Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Children's Research Centre University Children's Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Keating CT, Cook JL. The inside out model of emotion recognition: how the shape of one's internal emotional landscape influences the recognition of others' emotions. Sci Rep 2023; 13:21490. [PMID: 38057460 PMCID: PMC10700588 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-48469-8] [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: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Some people are exceptional at reading emotional expressions, while others struggle. Here we ask whether the way we experience emotion "on the inside" influences the way we expect emotions to be expressed in the "outside world" and subsequently our ability to read others' emotional expressions. Across multiple experiments, incorporating discovery and replication samples, we develop EmoMap (N = 20; N = 271) and ExpressionMap (N = 98; replication N = 193) to map adults' experiences of emotions and visual representations of others' emotions. Some individuals have modular maps, wherein emotional experiences and visual representations are consistent and distinct-anger looks and feels different from happiness, which looks and feels different from sadness. In contrast, others have experiences and representations that are variable and overlapping-anger, happiness, and sadness look and feel similar and are easily confused for one another. Here we illustrate an association between these maps: those with consistent and distinct experiences of emotion also have consistent and distinct visual representations of emotion. Finally (N = 193), we construct the Inside Out Model of Emotion Recognition, which explains 60.8% of the variance in emotion recognition and illuminates multiple pathways to emotion recognition difficulties. These findings have important implications for understanding the emotion recognition difficulties documented in numerous clinical populations.
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Nook EC. The Promise of Affective Language for Identifying and Intervening on Psychopathology. AFFECTIVE SCIENCE 2023; 4:517-521. [PMID: 37744981 PMCID: PMC10514006 DOI: 10.1007/s42761-023-00199-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
We are in dire need of innovative tools for reducing the global burden of psychopathology. Emerging evidence suggests that analyzing language (i.e., the words people use) can grant insight into an individual's emotional experiences, their ability to regulate their emotions, and even their current experiences of psychopathology. As such, linguistic analyses of people's everyday word use may be a diagnostic marker of emotional well-being, and manipulating the words people use could foster adaptive emotion regulation and mental health. Given the ubiquity of language in everyday life, such language-based tools for measuring and intervening in emotion and mental health can advance how we identify and treat mental illnesses at a large scale. In this paper, I outline the promise of this approach and identify key problems we must solve if we are to make it a reality. In particular, I summarize evidence connecting language, emotion, and mental health for three key constructs: sentiment (i.e., the valence of one's language), linguistic distancing (i.e., using language to separate oneself from distressing stimuli), and emotion differentiation (i.e., using words to specifically identify one's emotions). I also identify open questions in need of attention for each of these constructs and this area of research as a whole. Overall, I believe the future is bright for the application of psycholinguistic approaches to mental health detection and intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik C. Nook
- Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Peretsman Scully Hall, Washington Rd, Princeton, NJ 08540 USA
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6
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Thomas D, Bonnaire C. Relationship Between Non-Suicidal Self-Injury and Emotion Dysregulation Among Male and Female Young Adults. Psychol Rep 2023:332941231183336. [PMID: 37300551 DOI: 10.1177/00332941231183336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Over recent years, non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) has been associated with emotion dysregulation. However, only a few quantitative studies have empirically investigated differences in emotion dysregulation among people who self-harm, while none have explored gender differences in this regard. Thus, this research study aimed to further examine the association between NSSI and emotion regulation deficits and strategies in young adults. A total of 201 participants (mean age = 21.82 years) were recruited from different support groups dedicated to NSSI and from health care centres and were divided into two groups: a control group (CG, n = 100, mean age = 21.92 years, comprised of 30% males) and an NSSI group (NSSIG, n = 101, mean age = 21.72 years, comprised of 16% males). All participants completed the Deliberate Self-Harm Inventory, the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire. The results showed that compared to the CG participants, those from the NSSIG had increased emotion regulation deficits, higher expressive suppression scores, and lower cognitive re-evaluation scores. Within the NSSIG, females had higher impulse control difficulties and limited access to emotion regulation strategies, while males had higher expressive suppression scores. Factors associated with NSSI also differed by gender. These results indicate the necessity to take gender into account when planning treatment, since treatment protocols must be adapted to the specific emotion regulation difficulties concerned.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Céline Bonnaire
- Laboratoire de Psychopathologie et Processus de Santé, Université Paris Cité, Boulogne Billancourt, France
- Centre de Soins d'Accompagnement et de Prévention en Addictologie Pierre Nicole, Paris, France
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7
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Walters KJ, Gray KM, Gex KS, McClure EA. The Role of Emotion Differentiation in the Association Between Momentary Affect and Tobacco/Nicotine Craving in Young Adults. Nicotine Tob Res 2023; 25:1261-1268. [PMID: 36610804 PMCID: PMC10256884 DOI: 10.1093/ntr/ntad001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Revised: 11/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Tobacco/nicotine use is commonly initiated during adolescence or young adulthood, which increases the likelihood of continued use into adulthood and related adverse health outcomes. Despite interest in cessation, achieving and maintaining abstinence is difficult among this population. Cravings are often a barrier to abstinence, which have been associated with intensity of affect at the moment level. Emotion differentiation involves the ability to distinguish between discrete emotion states, and previous work suggests it may moderate the effect of momentary affect on craving, which has never been explored among young adults who are smoking or vaping nicotine. AIMS AND METHODS In a sample of young adults (N = 37, observations = 2020, ages 18-25, 51% female, and 78% white) interested in quitting smoking or vaping, we used real-time, naturalistic data capture via mobile phones to examine the interaction of momentary affect and trait emotion differentiation on nicotine craving. Participants were prompted with four surveys per day for 35 days and asked to make a 48-h quit attempt on day 7. RESULTS Multilevel models showed moments of higher-than-average momentary negative affect (NA; b = 0.39, p < .001), and positive affect (PA; b = 0.26, p = .001) were associated with greater levels of craving. NA emotion differentiation significantly moderated the associations between PA and craving (b = -0.63, p = .031) and NA and craving (b = -0.67, p = .003). CONCLUSIONS Findings from this exploratory analysis suggest that for young adults engaging in a nicotine quit attempt, greater ability to differentiate NA weakens the momentary association between intense affect and craving. IMPLICATIONS Results of this study show that the ability to differentiate between discrete emotional experiences may protect young adults against nicotine craving during moments of intense affective experience. These preliminary findings suggest that emotion differentiation, a modifiable construct, could be an important treatment target for individuals engaged in treatment for nicotine dependence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle J Walters
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Kevin M Gray
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Kathryn S Gex
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Erin A McClure
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
- Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
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Díaz R, Prinz J. The role of emotional awareness in evaluative judgment: evidence from alexithymia. Sci Rep 2023; 13:5183. [PMID: 36997616 PMCID: PMC10063600 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-32242-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023] Open
Abstract
AbstractEvaluative judgments imply positive or negative regard. But there are different ways in which something can be positive or negative. How do we tell them apart? According to Evaluative Sentimentalism, different evaluations (e.g., dangerousness vs. offensiveness) are grounded on different emotions (e.g., fear vs. anger). If this is the case, evaluation differentiation requires emotional awareness. Here, we test this hypothesis by looking at alexithymia, a deficit in emotional awareness consisting of problems identifying, describing, and thinking about emotions. The results of Study 1 suggest that high alexithymia is not only related to problems distinguishing emotions, but also to problems distinguishing evaluations. Study 2 replicated this latter effect after controlling for individual differences in attentional impulsiveness and reflective reasoning, and found that reasoning makes an independent contribution to evaluation differentiation. These results suggest that emotional sensibilities play an irreducible role in evaluative judgment while affording a role for reasoning.
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Caballero C, Nook EC, Gee DG. Managing fear and anxiety in development: A framework for understanding the neurodevelopment of emotion regulation capacity and tendency. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 145:105002. [PMID: 36529313 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.105002] [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: 07/21/2022] [Revised: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
How we manage emotional responses to environmental threats is central to mental health, as difficulties regulating threat-related distress can blossom into symptoms of anxiety disorders. Given that anxiety disorders emerge early in the lifespan, it is crucial we understand the multi-level processes that support effective regulation of distress. Scholars have given increased attention to behavioral and neural development of emotion regulation abilities, particularly cognitive reappraisal capacity (i.e., how strongly one can down-regulate negative affect by reinterpreting a situation to change one's emotions). However, this work has not been well integrated with research on regulatory tendency (i.e., how often one spontaneously regulates emotion in daily life). Here, we review research on the development of both emotion regulation capacity and tendency. We then propose a framework for testing hypotheses and eventually constructing a neurodevelopmental model of both dimensions of emotion regulation. Clarifying how the brain supports both effective and frequent regulation of threat-related distress across development is crucial to identifying multi-level signs of dysregulation and developing interventions that support youth mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camila Caballero
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, Kirtland Hall, 2 Hillhouse Ave, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Erik C Nook
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, Kirtland Hall, 2 Hillhouse Ave, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Dylan G Gee
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, Kirtland Hall, 2 Hillhouse Ave, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.
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Halamová J, Greškovičová K, Baránková M, Strnádelová B, Krizova K. There must be a way out: The consensual qualitative analysis of best coping practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. Front Psychol 2022; 13:917048. [PMID: 36237689 PMCID: PMC9551608 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.917048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the continuous efforts to understand coping processes, very little is known about the utilization of best coping strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, we aimed to analyze the coping strategies of individuals who scored high on an adaptive coping questionnaire in order to understand the most adaptive coping strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic. We used consensual qualitative analysis in a team of four researchers and one auditor. The convenience sample from which we identified the high scorers comprised 1,683 participants (67% women, 32.35% men, and 0.65% did not report their gender) with a mean age of 31.02 years (SD = 11.99) ranging between 18 and 77 years old. Based on their scoring in the COPE Inventory, nine participants were selected from the sample with the highest scores in coping skills in at least two out of its 15 subscales. In-depth repeated interviews with six participants for the main analysis were conducted, and three were added to check the data saturation. The results showed that the most adaptive coping strategies used during the COVID-19 pandemic could be categorized into four main domains: self-compassion, compassion to others, compassion from others, and mutual compassion. The most frequently mentioned and the most elaborated upon by our respondents was the domain of self-compassion. The most interesting finding was the emergence of the fourth type of compassion, labeled mutual compassion, which referred to deliberate attempts to take care of oneself and others while suffering together in order to elevate the suffering for both. This kind of compassion might arise in the situations of collective suffering, such as a catastrophe or a pandemic and might have the additional benefit of bringing people closer to each other in difficult times.
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11
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Berman NC, Fang A, Hoeppner SS, Reese H, Siev J, Timpano KR, Wheaton MG. COVID-19 and obsessive-compulsive symptoms in a large multi-site college sample. J Obsessive Compuls Relat Disord 2022; 33:100727. [PMID: 35529829 PMCID: PMC9059345 DOI: 10.1016/j.jocrd.2022.100727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2021] [Revised: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic poses unique risks to college students' mental health, and specifically to symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). To better understand the relationship between COVID-19 impact and OC symptoms in this population, six colleges from across the US administered a battery of questionnaires and an emotion differentiation paradigm to eligible students (N = 841). We examined whether degree of pandemic-related disruption was associated with OC severity, and if so, whether this relationship was explained by trait (poor emotion regulation and differentiation) and state risk factors (poor sleep quality, less exercise frequency, less social support, thwarted sense of belongingness, and greater loneliness). Results indicated that the positive relationship between COVID-19 impact and OC severity was mediated by trait emotion-related processes (e.g., emotion regulation and differentiation), but no state risk factors emerged as significant mediators. Our findings contribute to the literature demonstrating a significant relationship between COVID-19 impact and OC severity, and highlight that emotion regulation difficulties may help explain this association. Our findings can inform evidence-based interventions on college campuses; however, the cross-sectional design precludes causal inferences. Future research should evaluate these relationships longitudinally and incorporate other psychosocial factors that may operate as mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Angela Fang
- University of Washington, Department of Psychology, USA
| | - Susanne S Hoeppner
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, OCD and Related Disorders, USA
| | | | | | | | - Michael G Wheaton
- Barnard College of Columbia University, Department of Psychology, USA
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12
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Ventura-Bort C, Wendt J, Weymar M. The Role of Interoceptive Sensibility and Emotional Conceptualization for the Experience of Emotions. Front Psychol 2021; 12:712418. [PMID: 34867591 PMCID: PMC8636600 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.712418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The theory of constructed emotions suggests that different psychological components, including core affect (mental and neural representations of bodily changes), and conceptualization (meaning-making based on prior experiences and semantic knowledge), are involved in the formation of emotions. However, little is known about their role in experiencing emotions. In the current study, we investigated how individual differences in interoceptive sensibility and emotional conceptualization (as potential correlates of these components) interact to moderate three important aspects of emotional experiences: emotional intensity (strength of emotion felt), arousal (degree of activation), and granularity (ability to differentiate emotions with precision). To this end, participants completed a series of questionnaires assessing interoceptive sensibility and emotional conceptualization and underwent two emotion experience tasks, which included standardized material (emotion differentiation task; ED task) and self-experienced episodes (day reconstruction method; DRM). Correlational analysis showed that individual differences in interoceptive sensibility and emotional conceptualization were related to each other. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed two independent factors that were referred to as sensibility and monitoring. The Sensibility factor, interpreted as beliefs about the accuracy of an individual in detecting internal physiological and emotional states, predicted higher granularity for negative words. The Monitoring factor, interpreted as the tendency to focus on the internal states of an individual, was negatively related to emotional granularity and intensity. Additionally, Sensibility scores were more strongly associated with greater well-being and adaptability measures than Monitoring scores. Our results indicate that independent processes underlying individual differences in interoceptive sensibility and emotional conceptualization contribute to emotion experiencing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Ventura-Bort
- Department of Biological Psychology and Affective Science, Faculty of Human Sciences, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Julia Wendt
- Department of Biological Psychology and Affective Science, Faculty of Human Sciences, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Mathias Weymar
- Department of Biological Psychology and Affective Science, Faculty of Human Sciences, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Brandenburg Medical School, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
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