Emotion regulation involves changing the emotions that one experiences and expresses. Many studies have shown that culture influences emotion regulation and that regulating emotions can have positive or negative effects on relationship quality (English & John, 2013; Impett et al., 2011; Kalokerinos, Greenaway, & Denson, 2014; Regan, Lakhanpal, Anguiano, 2012; Su, Wei, & Tsai, 2014; Yelsma & Athappilly, 1988). Although research has studied culture, emotion regulation, and relationship quality separately, essentially no studies have combined the three factors to see how they are related. Specifically, there is very little information on whether emotion regulation plays a similar role in relationship quality across different cultures. The present study looks at daily associations between emotion regulation strategies (reappraisal, suppression, avoidance, and taking action) and emotions felt due to the partner, moderated by marriage type (American, Indian-arranged, Indian-love). I compare 128 heterosexual couples from the United States and India (in love and arranged marriages). These couples completed daily diaries once a day for seven days and reported the types of emotion regulation they used, as well as their positive or negative emotions due to their partner. I found that for Indian love and arranged couples, taking action was associated with increased positive partner induced emotions and reduced negative emotions. In contrast, taking action for U.S. couples had the opposite effect and was associated with increased negative emotions due to the partner, with no effect on positive emotions. In the U.S. couples, I also found that suppression and avoidance were associated with decreased positive partner induced emotions, but there was no effect for the Indian couples. With reappraisal, I found that high levels were associated with decreased negative partner induced emotions for all couples. Overall, results suggest that effective regulation of negative partner induced emotions can protect relationship quality, but that what constitutes effective regulation depends on cultural context.

Previous research has shown that cognitive reappraisal, an emotion regulation strategy, has beneficial effects on emotion experience during strategy engagement. The present study extends this work by investigating whether cognitive reappraisal impacts the anticipation of an aversive event during, and five days following, strategy engagement. Emotion profiles, including psychophysiological and self-report indices, were also examined to assess whether reappraisal inhibits affective responses. Participants underwent habituation and simple discriminatory fear conditioning. Stimuli were pictures of a snake and a spider. Two days later participants returned to the laboratory and were either i) cued to engage in cognitive reappraisal while imagining the stimuli ii) exposed to the stimuli with no reappraisal instructions iii) exposed to the stimuli while engaging in cognitive reappraisal or iv) had an experience unrelated to the stimuli (control condition). Participants returned to the lab five days later and were exposed to both pictures paralleling initial habituation and conditioning protocols. It was found that cognitive reappraisal during exposure reduced expectancy of the UCS faster than exposure alone and resulted in lower mean skin conductance response (SCR) for those low, but not high, in fear of snakes. Five days later participants in the intervention conditions, compared to the control condition, demonstrated less anticipation of the UCS and smaller emotion-modulated startle magnitudes to the UCS. These findings suggest that cognitive reappraisal may be an effective tool for reducing anticipation of an aversive event and can result in enduring fear inhibition. This may have important implications for the treatment of individuals with anxiety disorders. The present study also examined the relationship between cardiac vagal control, indexed by respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), and subsequent sympathetic arousal during fear conditioning, indexed by SCR. Results demonstrate that participants with low, compared to high, resting RSA had larger SCRs during habituation and conditioning trials. In addition, participants with lower RSA showed greater SCR reactivity following UCS presentation to both conditioned stimuli, suggesting that those with the lower RSA initially differentiated less between the UCS paired and unpaired images. These findings are consistent with theories that associate faster recovery from emotionally demanding situations with greater cardiac vagal control.

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a complex and dangerous set of behaviours that has been gaining increased research attention in recent years. Although existing research indicates that NSSI is prevalent among both adolescent and young adult clinical and community samples, few studies have empirically examined models of factors involved in the etiology and maintenance of these behaviours, particularly the role of social factors. Further, although existing research supports the use of NSSI for emotion regulation purposes, less research attention has focused on the impact of emotion reactivity. The focus of the current project was to examine the role of emotional, interpersonal, and subcultural factors in NSSI. Utilizing a sample of 397 university students, Study 1 presents a psychometric re-evaluation of the Emotion Reactivity Scale (ERS; Nock et al., 2008), used to inform the most appropriate use of the measure in the subsequent studies. Results supported the reliability and validity of the ERS and suggested that the ERS is best utilized as a unidimensional measure of emotion reactivity. Study 2 examined an intra- and inter-personal model of NSSI among the same sample of 397 university students. Support was obtained for the Experiential Avoidance Model of NSSI (Chapman et al., 2006) as well as for the mediational influence of interpersonal relationships on NSSI via emotion regulation. Preliminary support was also provided for the influence of identification with more deviant subcultures, including Goth and Emo groups. Finally, Study 3 aimed to replicate support for the model among a sample of 178 members of self-injury internet forums. Contrary to hypotheses, little support was demonstrated for the model, and fewer significant associations were demonstrated for the influence of subcultural identification. Examination of the characteristics of the sample suggested that the online forum members represent a unique group in regard to the severity of their NSSI experiences that has been understudied in the existing literature. Alternative hypotheses to account for the observed findings are presented. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.

Selective attention may be an effective strategy for regulating emotions. The current study measured selective attention to emotional pictures in healthy adults using a novel computerized task. Participants saw pictorial cues on the right or left of the screen, followed by target words on the same or opposite side. Participants were divided into two groups. The suppress group had to avoid looking at pictures (cues), whereas the attend group had to look at them. Both groups categorized targets as indoor or outdoor words. Subsequent cue/target recognition tests were administered. Performance on both tasks was assessed by picture valence, revealing reduced inhibitory control to negative picture and difficulties reorienting to negatively cued locations. These findings contribute to our understanding of affective-attentional interactions in healthy adults. Moreover, the apparent inability to avoid looking at negative items may highlight a need to explore other emotion regulation techniques.

Selective attention may be an effective strategy for regulating emotions. The current study measured selective attention to emotional pictures in healthy adults using a novel computerized task. Participants saw pictorial cues on the right or left of the screen, followed by target words on the same or opposite side. Participants were divided into two groups. The suppress group had to avoid looking at pictures (cues), whereas the attend group had to look at them. Both groups categorized targets as indoor or outdoor words. Subsequent cue/target recognition tests were administered. Performance on both tasks was assessed by picture valence, revealing reduced inhibitory control to negative picture and difficulties reorienting to negatively cued locations. These findings contribute to our understanding of affective-attentional interactions in healthy adults. Moreover, the apparent inability to avoid looking at negative items may highlight a need to explore other emotion regulation techniques.

The current research, across three studies, examined two social practices that involve processing and responding to others’ emotions, theory of mind (ToM) and empathy, and how they relate to dysphoria and the social impairments associated with dysphoria over time. Mildly depressed, or dysphoric, individuals, have been found to have heightened ToM when identifying others’ emotions, despite reporting widespread social impairments (Harkness et al., 2005). The first study (Chapter 2) examined if and how ToM is a mediator in the relationship between dysphoria and social functioning. Attribution style, specifically the internalizing attribution bias, was hypothesized to play a role. The interaction between ToM and internalizing attribution bias was independently associated with social functioning. For internalizing attributors, higher ToM was related to better social functioning, but no relationship was observed between ToM and social functioning among non-internalizing attributors. The second study (Chapter 3) examined the relationship between ToM and empathy, addressing the debate surrounding cognitive and affective aspects of ToM and empathy. Affective ToM and cognitive empathy both have been described as processes involving cognitive inferences about others’ emotions. Current results supported this link, showing that a specific component of empathy, perspective-taking, was related to ToM. Although ToM was associated with some aspects of empathy, empathy remained a separate construct that includes both cognitive and emotional responding to others’ emotions. Chapter 4 shifted focus to empathy to examine how this social practice relates to dysphoria and social functioning. The last study first examined how empathy relates to dysphoria. Results showed that only personal distress, one component of empathy, was associated with greater dysphoria. The final study also examined if the empathy x emotion regulation interaction mediates the relationship between dysphoria and social functioning. Different patterns were observed for different emotion regulation types. The interaction between maladaptive, but not adaptive, emotion regulation strategies and empathy was correlated directly with social functioning. For individuals with negative cognitive emotion regulation strategies, greater empathy was associated with better social functioning, a relationship not present for individuals who do not use negative cognitive emotion regulation. Finally maladaptive, but not adaptive, emotion regulation significantly predicted social functioning after controlling for dysphoria. / Thesis (Master, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2008-10-22 15:25:33.573

Background Beliefs about voices, their origin, intent and powerfulness can all impact on the voice hearer, their level of distress and their need for help. Interpersonal difficulties can exacerbate distress and be reflected in the person’s relationship with their voices. Emotion regulation strategies, which may be functional or dysfunctional help the person manage their reaction. This study aims to investigate beliefs about voices, symptoms and interpersonal issues as well as how well these areas predict emotion regulation strategies Methods Two groups of participants (18 with low and 16 with high omnipotence scores) were recruited through their mental health workers. The participants completed six self-report measures that assessed beliefs, emotion regulation strategies, interpersonal difficulties, dimensions of voice hearing and symptoms. Results Omnipotence scores differentiated some of the interpersonal issues and only one symptom subscale (phobic anxiety); those who scored high on the omnipotence subscale experienced more difficulties. For the emotion regulation subscales, lower omnipotence scorers differed significantly from the higher omnipotence scorers, using more external functional and dysfunctional strategies. Regression analysis showed that ‘distress’ incorporating the PSYRATS emotion subscale, the BSI grand total and the IIP-32 total predicted the use of dysfunctional emotion regulation strategies, but omnipotence beliefs did not add much to this. Conclusions Overall voice hearers experience a range of beliefs about their voices. Those with higher omnipotence beliefs find it difficult to socialise, be involved with other people, and are too dependent and caring with reference to other people. Omnipotent beliefs did not, in general, differentiate symptoms or emotion regulation strategies. This would suggest that beliefs may not be what determines distress and subsequent help seeking. Distress and interpersonal issues predict the use of emotion regulation strategies with little being added to the prediction by omnipotent beliefs; this suggests that there may be an alternative to the single symptom approach. Further research is required to assess the contribution made by emotion regulation to the development, maintenance and course of voice hearing. Assessment and interventions with reference to emotion regulation also require investigation.

Despite having fewer cognitive resources, older adults regulate their emotions as well as, if not better than, younger adults. This study aimed to (1) test the limits of older adults’ emotion regulation capacity and (2) gain a better understanding of how older adults use their more limited resources to regulate their emotions. Participants included 48 healthy older adults aged 65-85 from the community and 50 healthy younger adults aged 18-25 from the student population. They were randomly assigned to one of four experimental groups involving an initial activity that was high or low in self-regulatory demand followed by a test task of emotion regulation or attention regulation. As expected, older adults performed equally as well as younger adults on the emotion regulation test task, though worse on the attention regulation test task. Using resting heart rate variability (HRV) as a physiological measure of self-regulatory capacity, older adults appeared to allocate more resources toward the emotion regulation task compared to the attention regulation task, and relative to younger adults. The results suggest that older adults maintain their emotion regulation capacity in part by allocating more resources toward emotion regulation goals.

The daughters of women with a history of depression are at heightened risk for a range of mental health problems. The present study investigated emotion regulation, cortisol reactivity to stress, and interpersonal competence as potential indicators of risk in adolescent girls at high versus low risk for depression. Participants were a community sample of 47 girls and their mothers (27 high risk and 20 low risk). Mothers and daughters had been interviewed to assess diagnostic history as part of a previous longitudinal study. In the current study, daughters completed the Trier Social Stress Test for Children (TSST-C) and cortisol samples were collected before and after exposure to this psychosocial stressor. Both mothers and daughters completed self-report questionnaires and daughters were re-assessed using the Depressive Disorders module of the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia. High risk mothers were also interviewed to assess the timing and chronicity of their depressive episodes during their daughters’ lifetime. High and low risk girls had equivalent ratings of self-reported stress following the TSST-C, but different physiological responses. Girls at high risk for depression showed a blunted cortisol response to the TSST-C whereas low risk girls showed a normal cortisol response. High risk status for depression predicted a blunted cortisol response to stress, which predicted difficulties with emotion regulation; difficulties with emotion regulation in turn predicted a greater number of self-reported depressive symptoms. These results suggest that maternal depression may act as a stressor that compromises stress-response system functioning in daughters and produces related difficulties with emotion regulation.

Relational aggression encompasses behaviour meant to hurt others by destroying their friendships and reputation (Crick & Grotpeter, 1995). As peer relationships take on greater importance in early adolescence, relational aggression becomes more accepted and prevalent, yet perceived as equally or more harmful to its targets than physical aggression. The present study explored whether reactive and proactive subtypes of relational aggression were associated with an inability to empathize with others, regulate emotional states, and hold attitudes that it is acceptable to manipulate and harm others. Empathy, emotion regulation, and Machiavellianism’s roles in predicting reactive and proactive relational aggression was examined using Crick and Dodge’s (1994) reformulated Social Information-Processing Theory’s framework. Reactive relational aggression was expected to be associated with low empathy and high emotion dysreglation. Proactive relational aggression was expected to be predicted by high empathy, low emotion dysregulation, and high Machiavellianism. Low empathy was expected to predict overt aggression indices. One hundred and thirty-three children (73 females, 60 males, Mage = 12.84 years) in grades 6 through 8 from five schools in a public Ontario schoolboard were recruited. Caregivers completed a measure of their child’s emotions and behaviours (The Emotion Regulation Checklist; Shields & Cicchetti, 1995). Participating students completed four self-report measures assessing relational and overt aggression (Children’s Social Behaviour Scale – Self-Report; Crick & Grotpeter, 1995), proactive and reactive subtypes of aggression (Little, Jones, Henrich, & Hawley, 2003), empathy (Interpersonal Reactivity Index; Davis, 1980), and Machiavellianism (Kiddie Mach Scale; Christie & Geis, 1970) during one 60 minute session. Empathy, Machiavellianism, and emotion dysregulation scores were associated with total, reactive, and proactive relational aggression scores. When contrasting subtypes of aggression were controlled, however, these emotional and cognitive variables did not predict total and reactive relational aggression. There was a non-significant trend for higher levels of empathy to predict proactive relational aggression. Low empathy significantly predicted total and reactive overt aggression indices. Machiavellianism predicted reactive and proactive overt aggression. Emotion regulation was not a significant predictor in analyses. Results provide support for the role of Machiavellianism and empathy in relational aggression, particularly proactive or goal-oriented instances.