Emotion Regulation Frequency and Self-Efficacy: Differential Associations with Affective Symptoms.

Successful emotion regulation is a critical component of mental health, and difficulties with emotion regulation have been associated with a wide range of disorders, including anxiety and depressive disorders. However, although much is known about commonly used forms of emotion regulation such as cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression, the relative contribution of two important facets of emotion regulation-frequency and self-efficacy-is not yet clearly established. To address this issue, we conducted two studies. Study 1 employed a community sample (cross-sectional N = 431; 4- to 5-month longitudinal N = 182). Study 2 employed a clinical sample (cross-sectional N = 132). Both assessed emotion regulation frequency and self-efficacy, as well as affective outcomes (anxiety and depressive symptoms). Findings indicated cognitive reappraisal self-efficacy appears to be a relevant variable understanding negative affect outcomes, cross-sectionally, longitudinally and in the clinical sample. Our findings support the process model of emotion regulation in affective symptomatology. Implications for theory and treatment are discussed.

Modeling the associations between emotion regulation, suicide crisis syndrome and suicidal behavior: Results in community and clinical samples.

BACKGROUND: Emotion Regulation (ER) and Suicide Crisis Syndrome (SCS) are psychological processes involved in suicide. Within ER, both the use of rumination and dysfunctional emotion beliefs are associated with suicide. SCS, a pre-suicidal mental state involving cognitive and affective dysregulation, is related to short-term suicide risk. AIMS: Here, we first examined associations between ER (beliefs about the uncontrollability of emotions and rumination), SCS and suicide behavior, and second, we test a multistep model in which ER factors are linked to suicide behavior through SCS. MATERIALS & METHODS: We conducted two cross-sectional studies to address this issue by self-reports. Study 1 used a community sample (N = 421). Study 2 used a clinical sample (N = 70). RESULTS: Results from both studies showed that beliefs about the uncontrollability of emotions and rumination were associated with higher levels of SCS symptoms and suicide behavior, and that SCS was associated with suicide behavior. In addition, path analyses showed that uncontrollability beliefs were linked to rumination, which in turn was associated with SCS, and this variable mediated the association between ER factors and suicide ideation (in both community and clinical samples) and suicide attempts (in the community sample). DISCUSSION: As we expected, in both samples, uncontrollability of emotions and rumination were positively related with SCS and suicide behavior. CONCLUSION: We emphasize the importance of addressing uncontrollability beliefs and rumination in suicide prevention.

A multi-study examination of the relevance of the metacognitive beliefs about uncontrollability in emotion regulation and clinical symptoms.

Transdiagnostic approaches to psychopathology have postulated that factors related to perceived control are particularly relevant to mental health. Here we focused on a specific perceived control-related construct: metacognitive beliefs about uncontrollability. Evidence suggests that dysfunctional metacognitive beliefs play a role in the activation and maintenance of maladaptive emotion regulation strategies and emotional distress. Metacognitive beliefs about the uncontrollability and danger of worry are the most strongly associated with psychopathology. In this multi-study research, we hypothesized that metacognitive beliefs about uncontrollability make a specific contribution to emotion regulation strategies and clinical symptoms. We tested our hypotheses in four different studies, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally (N = 2224). Participants completed measures of metacognitive beliefs, maladaptive strategies (e.g., worry, thought suppression), and clinical symptoms (e.g., generalized anxiety, emotional distress, depressive and anxiety symptoms). Our results showed that uncontrollability beliefs were the strongest variable associated with maladaptive emotion regulation strategies and clinical symptoms (cross-sectionally), and the only ones that predicted them in the long term. We discuss the theoretical and clinical implications of these results in the light of the metacognitive model and control-related theories.

Relationship Between Emotion Regulation and Suicide Ideation and Attempt in Adults and Adolescents: A Systematic Review.

INTRODUCTION: Suicide is one of the main causes of death in adults and adolescents, so research focused on identifying risk factors for suicidal behavior is needed. In recent years, emotion regulation, mainly the presence of difficulties regulating one's own negative emotions, has been associated with negative mental health outcomes. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to systematically review the available evidence on the association between emotion regulation and suicide (ideation and attempt) in both adults and adolescents. METHOD: A systematic search of scientific articles published in English and Spanish was carried out through the databases PsycINFO, MEDLINE, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library. RESULTS: We identified 76 eligible studies, of which 70 reported that people with difficulties in emotion regulation reported higher levels of suicide ideation and more suicide attempts. The results were consistent in adolescents and adults, in clinical and general population samples, and when studies assessed both emotion regulation processes and strategies. However, few studies were longitudinal and most of them were with women. CONCLUSIONS: We discuss the theoretical implications of the results, suggesting that actual psychological models might benefit from considering individual differences in ER in understanding why people engage in suicide behavior. Clinical implications are also discussed.HIGHLIGHTSDifficulties regulating one's emotions is associated with suicide behavior (SI and SA).Consistent results at all the ages and in the clinical and general population.Individual differences in ER could help researchers to understand suicide.

Testing the impaired disengagement hypothesis: The role of attentional control and positive metacognitive beliefs in depression.

The impaired disengagement hypothesis holds that people ruminate - and thus increase their risk for depression - due to impaired attentional control and conflict signaling. We tested this hypothesis by examining the role of attentional control and conflict signaling (operationalized as positive metacognitive beliefs) in rumination and depressive symptoms. We expected that attentional control and positive metacognitive beliefs would be associated with depressive symptoms and that these associations would be cross-sectionally mediated by rumination. We tested two community samples (Study 1, N = 289; Study 2, N = 292), assessing attentional control, positive metacognitive beliefs, rumination, and depressive symptoms. In both studies, attentional control and positive metacognitive beliefs were significantly associated with rumination and depression, and path analyses corroborated the proposed mediation model. Our findings support the impaired disengagement hypothesis, and suggest that attentional control and positive metacognitive beliefs may be informative in the personalization of depression assessment and treatment.

Individual differences in anger and displaced aggression: The role of metacognitive beliefs and anger rumination.

Metacognitive model is a theoretical approach aimed to explain emotion dysregulation and others emotion-related issues, such anger, and aggressive behavior. From this model, people having higher maladaptive metacognitive beliefs (e.g., "I can't control my thoughts") are more likely to activate and maintain anger rumination and, in turn, to experience higher levels of anger and to act aggressively. Preliminary evidence shows the role of metacognitive beliefs on anger rumination and anger levels, whereas no studies have examined its association with aggressive behavior. This study first examined the associations between metacognitive beliefs, anger rumination, anger levels, and the propensity to engage in displaced aggression, and second, the mediation role of anger rumination in the relations among metacognitive beliefs and anger and displaced aggression. Participants were 947 students and non-students from general population recruited in two different countries (Australia and Spain). Correlational analyses revealed a similar pattern of results in the Australian and Spanish sample, with participants having dysfunctional metacognitive beliefs also showing higher anger rumination, higher levels of anger and a higher tendency to act aggressively. Structural equation analyses revealed the associations of metacognitive beliefs with anger levels and displaced aggression was fully mediated by anger rumination in both samples. These results suggest that metacognitive beliefs should be considered in comprehensive models and in the therapy of anger problems and aggression.

Dimensions of Anger Reactions-Revised (DAR-R): Validation of a brief anger measure in Australia and Spain.

OBJECTIVE: A validated, brief measure of anger is needed in clinical settings to screen for problematic anger. This study examined the validity of the seven-item Dimensions of Anger Reactions-Revised (DAR-R), including a version for the Spanish population. METHOD: Multiple psychometric instruments administered to 541 (76.6% female) adults in Australia and 1,115 (56.3% female) in Spain were analyzed. RESULTS: A two-factor model (anger response and anger impairment) was confirmed. Concurrent, convergent, and discriminant validity were supported. Anger response items strongly correlated with established measures of anger/aggression State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (Aggression Questionnaire), whereas anger impairment items strongly correlated with anxiety Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 and depression Patient Health Questionnaire-9 measures. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability (3 months) were good. Cut-off scores for problematic anger were established. There were no gender differences in anger in the Spanish sample, but Australian males had higher anger scores than females. CONCLUSION: Results substantiate the utility of the DAR-R as a concise, clinically informative measure of anger.

The personality basis of aggression: The mediating role of anger and the moderating role of emotional intelligence.

High neuroticism and low agreeableness have been found to predict higher levels of aggression through an increase of negative emotions such as anger. However, previous research has only investigated these indirect associations for physical aggression, whereas evidence for such indirect effects on other types of aggression (i.e., verbal or indirect aggression) is currently lacking. Moreover, no previous work has investigated the moderating role of Ability Emotional Intelligence (AEI), which may buffer against the effects of anger on aggression. The present study (N = 665) directly addresses these gaps in the literature. The results demonstrate that high neuroticism and low agreeableness were indirectly related to higher levels of physical, verbal, and indirect aggression via increased chronic accessibility to anger. Importantly however, the associations with physical aggression were significantly weaker for those higher (vs. lower) on AEI, confirming the buffering role of AEI. We discuss the implications of our findings for theoretical frameworks aiming to understand and reduce aggression and violent behavior.

Ability emotional intelligence and its relation to aggression across time and age groups.

Emotional Intelligence (EI) has been associated with several indicators of psychosocial adjustment, including aggressive behavior, but the relevant research has been mostly cross-sectional, focused on adults, and limited to trait EI measures (García-Sancho, Salguero & Fernández-Berrocal, 2014; Mayer, Roberts & Barsade, ). The present work explored the relationship between Ability Emotional Intelligence (AEI) and aggression in both adults and adolescents using cross-sectional and longitudinal designs. We conducted two studies. Study 1 aimed to provide preliminary evidence about the relationship between AEI and aggression in adults. As literature has shown personality traits act as a strong predictor of aggression, study 1 also examined the potential incremental validity of AEI beyond personality traits in 474 undergraduate students (M = 22.76, SD = 5.13). The results indicated AEI explains a significant amount of unique variance for physical aggression, but not for verbal aggression after controlling personality traits. Study 2 aimed a longitudinal analysis of the relationship between EI and aggression in 151 adolescents (M = 14.74, SD = 0.84). AEI predicted physical aggression over time, but it did not predict verbal aggression. Results from both studies suggest a negative and significant relationship between AEI and physical aggression, however contrary our expectations, it did not for verbal aggression. These results highlight the important explanatory role of emotional abilities in physical aggressive conducts and the implications of these findings are discussed.

Spanish version of the Meta-Cognitions Questionnaire 30 (MCQ-30).

The Meta-cognitions Questionnaire 30 (MCQ-30; Wells & Cartwright-Hatton, 2004) has been used to assess individual differences in metacognitive beliefs considered to be central in the metacognitive theory of generalized anxiety disorder (Wells, 2005). In the present study, the psychometric properties, reliability, and validity of a Spanish adaptation of the MCQ-30 were tested in a broad sample of participants (N = 768) of Spanish nationality aged 16-81 years (31.1% males, 68.9% females). Confirmatory factor analysis showed the expected five-factor structure, which was found to be invariant across gender. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the subscales were adequate, and the expected relationships to theoretically related variables such as pathological worry, meta-worry, thought suppression and trait anxiety were obtained. Convergent validity with other measures of beliefs about worry was also found. Taken together, these findings suggest that the Spanish version of the MCQ-30 is a valid instrument for evaluating metacognitive beliefs in the Spanish-speaking population.

Effects of an emotional intelligence intervention on aggression and empathy among adolescents.

The aim of this study was to explore the effects of a two-year intervention grounded in the ability model of emotional intelligence (EI) on aggression and empathy among adolescents. Eight Spanish public schools volunteered to participate in the research. A total of 590 adolescents (46% boys) were randomly assigned to either the EI training group or control group conditions. Students in the EI training group reported lower levels of physical/verbal aggression, anger, hostility, personal distress and fantasy compared to students in the control group. Additionally, the EI program was particularly effective for males' empathic abilities. These findings confirm the effectiveness of social and emotional learning interventions in Spanish academic contexts and extend the literature of gender-related differences during adolescence. Study limitations and future research directions are also considered.

Perievent panic attacks and panic disorder after mass trauma: a 12-month longitudinal study.

Panic attacks frequently lead to psychopathological disorders, including panic disorder. Even though panic disorder is a highly comorbid and disabling mental health problem associated with stressful life or traumatic events, perievent panic attacks and their association with panic disorder have hardly been investigated as a central topic after mass trauma. Using data from a longitudinal population-based assessment of Madrid residents after the March 11, 2004 train bombings (N = 1,589), with assessments conducted 1, 6, and 12 months after the attacks, the rate of perievent panic attacks was 10.9%. Level of exposure, previous life stressors, and negative emotionality were associated with perievent panic attacks (ß = .12, .15, and .10, respectively), which in turn mediated the relationship between exposure to the terrorist event and panic disorder in the following year. Previous life stressors (ß = .15) and low social support (ß = -.14) were directly associated with panic disorder during the subsequent year. The most vulnerable individuals who experienced perievent panic attacks were 3.7 times, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [2.1, 6.4], more likely to suffer from panic disorder in the following year. Results suggest that early identification of perievent panic attacks following mass trauma may be helpful for reducing panic disorder.

A meta-mood model of rumination and depression: preliminary test in a non-clinical population.

Depressive rumination and trait meta-mood (emotional attention, emotional clarity and emotional repair) have been suggested as vulnerability factors leading to depression, but less is known about the associations among them. In this study, we examined the relationships between trait meta-mood, rumination and depressive symptomatology. Using structural equation analysis in a large sample of a non-clinical population we found a preliminary test of the role of trait meta-mood dimensions in rumination and depressive symptomatology. Results indicated that attention to feelings has two pathways in its relation with rumination and depressive mood. On the one hand, emotional attention was associated with emotional clarity, and emotional clarity with emotional repair, which was related to lower depressive symptomatology, in part, by reducing rumination. On the other hand, emotional attention was directly associated with ruminative thoughts which, in turn, were related to higher depressive mood. Findings are discussed in terms of the implications of beliefs about emotions in the treatment of depression.

Emotional intelligence and acute pain: the mediating effect of negative affect.

UNLABELLED: Emotional abilities are predictive variables of lower perceived pain. However, no studies have been published investigating the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI), which refers to the ability to accurately perceive, appraise, understand, communicate and regulate emotions, and pain. The objective of the present study was to analyze the influence of EI, measured using the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT), on the level of sensory and affective pain generated by an experimental cold pressor task (CPT). In addition, we examined the influence of negative affect, as measured through the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), on the relationship between EI and pain. Healthy college students (N = 67) completed measures of EI before the CPT, during which they submerged their nondominant hand into ice water, and they completed measures of negative emotional state before and after the CPT. Participants with higher EI rated pain as less intense and perceived it as less unpleasant. Greater emotional intelligence predicted less pain in this experimental paradigm, and the effects seemed to be mediated by the lower NA reactivity associated with greater EI. PERSPECTIVE: Emotional intelligence is an important element in the processing of emotional information during an experience of acute pain since it reduces the level of negative affect generated by the experimental task.

Major depressive disorder following terrorist attacks: a systematic review of prevalence, course and correlates.

BACKGROUND: Terrorist attacks are traumatic events that may result in a wide range of psychological disorders for people exposed. This review aimed to systematically assess the current evidence on major depressive disorder (MDD) after terrorist attacks. METHODS: A systematic review was performed. Studies included assessed the impact of human-made, intentional, terrorist attacks in direct victims and/or persons in general population and evaluated MDD based on diagnostic criteria. RESULTS: A total of 567 reports were identified, 11 of which were eligible for this review: 6 carried out with direct victims, 4 with persons in general population, and 1 with victims and general population. The reviewed literature suggests that the risk of MDD ranges between 20 and 30% in direct victims and between 4 and 10% in the general population in the first few months after terrorist attacks. Characteristics that tend to increase risk of MDD after a terrorist attack are female gender, having experienced more stressful situations before or after the attack, peritraumatic reactions during the attack, loss of psychosocial resources, and low social support. The course of MDD after terrorist attacks is less clear due to the scarcity of longitudinal studies. CONCLUSIONS: Methodological limitations in the literature of this field are considered and potentially important areas for future research such as the assessment of the course of MDD, the study of correlates of MDD or the comorbidity between MDD and other mental health problems are discussed.