A brief reappraisal intervention leads to durable affective benefits.

People who report frequently using cognitive reappraisal to decrease the impact of potentially upsetting situations report better affective functioning than people who report using cognitive reappraisal less frequently. However, most work linking everyday reappraisal use to affective outcomes has been correlational, making causal inference difficult. In this study, we examined whether 2 weeks of daily practice of reappraising negatively valenced personally relevant events would improve affective functioning compared with a wait-list control. Data were collected between 2021 and 2022 from a sample mainly comprised of females (82%) and who identified as Asian (35%) or White/Caucasian (40%). Our planned analyses indicated that reappraisal decreased depressive symptoms and perceived stress as well as increased life satisfaction both immediately and 4 weeks postintervention. Reductions in depressive symptoms and perceived stress were mediated by increases in reappraisal self-efficacy. These findings support the causal efficacy of brief reappraisal training. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Pioglitazone reverses alcohol-induced alterations in alveolar macrophage mitochondrial phenotype.

BACKGROUND: People with alcohol use disorder (AUD) have an increased risk of developing pneumonia and pulmonary diseases. Alveolar macrophages (AMs) are immune cells of the lower respiratory tract that are necessary for clearance of pathogens. However, alcohol causes AM oxidative stress, mitochondrial damage and dysfunction, and diminished phagocytic capacity, leading to lung injury and immune suppression. METHODS: AMs were isolated by bronchoalveolar lavage from people with AUD and male and female C57BL/6J mice given chronic ethanol (20% w/v, 12 weeks) in drinking water. The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ ligand, pioglitazone, was used to treat human AMs ex vivo (10 µM, 24 h) and mice in vivo by oral gavage (10 mg/kg/day). Levels of AM mitochondrial superoxide and hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α) mRNA, a marker of oxidative stress, were measured by fluorescence microscopy and RT-qPCR, respectively. Mouse AM phagocytic ability was determined by internalized Staphylococcus aureus, and mitochondrial capacity, dependency, and flexibility for glucose, long-chain fatty acid, and glutamine oxidation were measured using an extracellular flux analyzer. In vitro studies used a murine AM cell line, MH-S (±0.08% ethanol, 72 h) to investigate mitochondrial fuel oxidation and ATP-linked respiration. RESULTS: Pioglitazone treatment decreased mitochondrial superoxide in AMs from people with AUD and ethanol-fed mice and HIF-1α mRNA in ethanol-fed mouse lungs. Pioglitazone also reversed mouse AM glutamine oxidation and glucose or long-chain fatty acid flexibility to meet basal oxidation needs. In vitro, ethanol decreased the rate of AM mitochondrial and total ATP production, and pioglitazone improved changes in glucose and glutamine oxidation. CONCLUSIONS: Pioglitazone reversed chronic alcohol-induced oxidative stress in human AM and mitochondrial substrate oxidation flexibility and superoxide levels in mouse AM. Decreased ethanol-induced AM HIF-1α mRNA with pioglitazone suggests that this pathway may be a focus for metabolic-targeted therapeutics to improve morbidity and mortality in people with AUD.

Associations of nature contact with emotional ill-being and well-being: the role of emotion regulation.

Nature contact has associations with emotional ill-being and well-being. However, the mechanisms underlying these associations are not fully understood. We hypothesised that increased adaptive and decreased maladaptive emotion regulation strategies would be a pathway linking nature contact to ill-being and well-being. Using data from a survey of 600 U.S.-based adults administered online in 2022, we conducted structural equation modelling to test our hypotheses. We found that (1) frequency of nature contact was significantly associated with lesser emotional ill-being and greater emotional well-being, (2) effective emotion regulation was significantly associated with lesser emotional ill-being and greater emotional well-being, and (3) the associations of higher frequency of nature contact with these benefits were partly explained via emotion regulation. Moreover, we found a nonlinear relationship for the associations of duration of nature contact with some outcomes, with a rise in benefits up to certain amounts of time, and a levelling off after these points. These findings support and extend previous work that demonstrates that the associations of nature contact with emotional ill-being and well-being may be partly explained by changes in emotion regulation.

Alexithymia or general psychological distress? Discriminant validity of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale and the Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire.

BACKGROUND: Alexithymia is an important transdiagnostic risk factor for emotion-based psychopathologies. However, it remains unclear whether alexithymia questionnaires actually measure alexithymia, or whether they measure emotional distress. Our aim here was to address this discriminant validity concern via exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and the Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire (PAQ). METHOD: United States general community adults (N = 508) completed the TAS-20, PAQ, and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21). EFA was used to examine the latent dimensions underlying these measures' scores. RESULTS: Our EFA extracted two higher-order factors, an "alexithymia" factor and a "general distress" factor (i.e., depression, anxiety, stress). All PAQ scores loaded cleanly on the alexithymia factor, with no cross-loadings on the distress factor. However, for the TAS-20, Difficulty Identifying Feelings (DIF) facet scores cross-loaded highly on the distress factor. LIMITATIONS: Our sample consisted of general community adults; future work in clinical settings will be useful. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that the PAQ has good discriminant validity. However, the TAS-20 appears to have significant discriminant validity problems, in that much of the variance in its DIF facet reflects people's current levels of distress, rather than alexithymia. The TAS-20, which has traditionally been the most widely used alexithymia questionnaire, may therefore not be the optimal alexithymia tool. Our findings add to the body of evidence supporting the validity and utility of the PAQ and suggest that, moving forward, it is a superior option to the TAS-20 for alexithymia assessments.

Alexithymia profiles and depression, anxiety, and stress.

BACKGROUND: Alexithymia is a multidimensional trait comprised of difficulties identifying feelings, difficulties describing feelings, and externally orientated thinking. It is regarded as an important risk factor for emotional disorders, but there are presently limited data on each specific facet of alexithymia, or the extent to which deficits in processing negative emotions, positive emotions, or both, are important. In this study, we address these gaps by using the Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire (PAQ) to comprehensively examine the relationships between alexithymia and depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms. METHODS: University students (N = 1250) completed the PAQ and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21. Pearson correlations, hierarchical regressions, and latent profile analysis were conducted. RESULTS: All facets of alexithymia, across both valence domains, were significantly correlated with depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms (r = 0.27-0.40). Regression analyses indicated that the alexithymia facets, together, could account for a significant 14.6 %-16.4 % of the variance in depression, anxiety, and stress. Difficulties identifying negative feelings and difficulties identifying positive feelings were the strongest unique predictors across all symptom categories. Our latent profile analysis extracted eight profiles, comprising different combinations of alexithymia facets and psychopathology symptoms, collectively highlighting the transdiagnostic relevance of alexithymia facets. LIMITATIONS: Our study involved a student sample, and further work in clinical samples will be beneficial. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that all facets of alexithymia, across both valence domains, are relevant for understanding depression, anxiety, and stress. These findings demonstrate the value of facet-level and valence-specific alexithymia assessments, informing more comprehensive understanding and more targeted treatments of emotional disorder symptoms.

Occurrent beliefs about emotions predict emotion regulation in everyday life.

Whether and how people regulate their negative emotions matters a great deal. However, it is not yet clear why people regulate as they do. One promising idea is that people's beliefs shape their emotion regulation choices, and initial evidence indicates that individuals' dispositional beliefs about emotions are indeed associated with general patterns of emotion regulation. The present study extends prior work on emotion beliefs to better understand how occurrent (i.e., momentary) beliefs about helpfulness, controllability, and justification of specific emotions shape whether and how people regulate negative emotions in everyday life. Participants (N = 143; U.S. community college students recruited in 2022; 76% female; age = 18-60) completed a 7-day experience-sampling protocol in which they were pinged three times per day to describe their most recent negative experiences and answer questions about their emotions, occurrent beliefs about emotions, and emotion regulation. With respect to whether people regulate their emotions, results reveal that people regulate their emotions more when they perceive them to be less helpful. Exploratory analyses additionally show that people regulate negative emotions more when they perceive them to be more controllable and when emotional intensity is relatively high. In terms of how people regulate their emotions, people are more likely to use reappraisal when emotions are seen as more helpful, more controllable, and less justified; and more likely to use distraction when emotions are seen as less helpful and more justified. These findings contribute to a more fine-grained understanding of how beliefs shape emotion regulation in everyday life.respect to whether people regulate their emotions, results reveal that people regulate their emotions more when they perceive them to be less helpful. Exploratory analyses additionally show that people regulate negative emotions more when they perceive them to be more controllable and when emotional intensity is relatively high. In terms of how people regulate their emotions, people are more likely to use reappraisal when emotions are seen as more helpful, more controllable, and less justified; and more likely to use distraction when emotions are seen as less helpful and more justified. These findings contribute to a more fine-grained understanding of how beliefs shape emotion regulation (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Chronic alcohol use primes bronchial cells for altered inflammatory response and barrier dysfunction during SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a significant public health concern and people with AUD are more likely to develop severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in response to respiratory infections. To examine whether AUD was a risk factor for more severe outcome in response to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, we examined early responses to infection using cultured differentiated bronchial epithelial cells derived from brushings obtained from people with AUD or without AUD. RNA-seq analysis of uninfected cells determined that AUD cells were enriched for expression of epidermal genes as compared with non-AUD cells. Bronchial epithelial cells from patients with AUD showed a significant decrease in barrier function 72 h postinfection, as determined by transepithelial electrical resistance. In contrast, barrier function of non-AUD cells was enhanced 72 h after SARS-CoV-2 infection. AUD cells showed claudin-7 that did not colocalize with zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), indicative of disorganized tight junctions. However, both AUD and non-AUD cells showed decreased ß-catenin expression following SARS-CoV-2 infection. To determine the impact of AUD on the inflammatory response to SARS-CoV-2 infection, cytokine secretion was measured by multiplex analysis. SARS-CoV-2-infected AUD bronchial cells had enhanced secretion of multiple proinflammatory cytokines including TNFα, IL-1ß, and IFNγ as opposed to non-AUD cells. In contrast, secretion of the barrier-protective cytokines epidermal growth factor (EGF) and granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) was enhanced for non-AUD bronchial cells. Taken together, these data support the hypothesis that AUD is a risk factor for COVID-19, where alcohol primes airway epithelial cells for increased inflammation and increased barrier dysfunction and increased inflammation in response to infection by SARS-CoV-2.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a significant risk factor for severe acute respiratory distress syndrome. We found that AUD causes a phenotypic shift in gene expression in human bronchial epithelial cells, enhancing expression of epidermal genes. AUD cells infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) had higher levels of proinflammatory cytokine secretion and barrier dysfunction not present in infected non-AUD cells, consistent with increased early COVID-19 severity due to AUD.

The Role of Emotion Regulation, Affect, and Sleep in Individuals With Sleep Bruxism and Those Without: Protocol for a Remote Longitudinal Observational Study.

BACKGROUND: Sleep bruxism (SB) is an oral behavior characterized by high levels of repetitive jaw muscle activity during sleep, leading to teeth grinding and clenching, and may develop into a disorder. Despite its prevalence and negative outcomes on oral health and quality of life, there is currently no cure for SB. The etiology of SB remains poorly understood, but recent research suggests a potential role of negative emotions and maladaptive emotion regulation (ER). OBJECTIVE: This study's primary aim investigates whether ER is impaired in individuals with SB, while controlling for affective and sleep disturbances. The secondary aim tests for the presence of cross-sectional and longitudinal mediation pathways in the bidirectional relationships among SB, ER, affect, and sleep. METHODS: The study used a nonrandomized repeated-measures observational design and was conducted remotely. Participants aged 18-49 years underwent a 14-day ambulatory assessment. Data collection was carried out using electronic platforms. We assessed trait and state SB and ER alongside affect and sleep variables. We measured SB using self-reported trait questionnaires, ecological momentary assessment (EMA) for real-time reports of SB behavior, and portable electromyography for multinight assessment of rhythmic masticatory muscle activity. We assessed ER through self-reported trait questionnaires, EMA for real-time reports of ER strategies, and heart rate variability derived from an electrocardiography wireless physiological sensor as an objective physiological measure. Participants' trait affect and real-time emotional experiences were obtained using self-reported trait questionnaires and EMA. Sleep patterns and quality were evaluated using self-reported trait questionnaires and sleep diaries, as well as actigraphy as a physiological measure. For the primary objective, analyses will test for maladaptive ER in terms of strategy use frequency and effectiveness as a function of SB using targeted contrasts in the general linear model. Control analyses will be conducted to examine the persistence of the SB-ER relationship after adjusting for affective and sleep measures, as well as demographic variables. For the secondary objective, cross-sectional and longitudinal mediation analyses will test various competing models of directional effects among self-reported and physiological measures of SB, ER, affect, and sleep. RESULTS: This research received funding in April 2017. Data collection took place from August 2020 to March 2022. In all, 237 participants were eligible and completed the study. Data analysis has not yet started. CONCLUSIONS: We hope that the effort to thoroughly measure SB and ER using gold standard methods and cutting-edge technology will advance the knowledge of SB. The findings of this study may contribute to a better understanding of the relationship among SB, ER, affect, and sleep disturbances. By identifying the role of ER in SB, the results may pave the way for the development of targeted interventions for SB management to alleviate the pain and distress of those affected. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/41719.

The Emotion Regulation Questionnaire-Short Form (ERQ-S): A 6-item measure of cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression.

BACKGROUND: Emotion regulation plays a crucial role in affective functioning. One of the most commonly used measures of emotion regulation is the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), a 10-item self-report measure assessing frequency of use of two common emotion regulation strategies: cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression. In this study, we aimed to optimize the utility of the ERQ for time-pressured settings by introducing and validating a 6-item short form called the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire-Short Form (ERQ-S). METHOD: General community (N = 508) and college student (N = 245) samples from the United States completed online surveys containing a range of psychometric self-report measures. For each sample, we examined the factor structure, internal consistency, and concurrent validity of the ERQ-S. RESULTS: Our confirmatory factor analyses supported the intended 2-factor structure of the ERQ-S (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression factors), with all items loading well on their intended factor in both samples. As expected, the ERQ-S correlated highly with the ERQ. A profile of low cognitive reappraisal use and high expressive suppression use on the ERQ-S was significantly associated with higher levels of emotion regulation difficulties, alexithymia, and affective symptoms. LIMITATIONS: We did not examine psychometric performance in a clinical sample, or other cultural groups outside the US. All concurrent validity markers were self-report questionnaires. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that the ERQ-S successfully retains the psychometric strengths of the ERQ. The shorter format of the ERQ-S should therefore help to optimize the measurement of emotion regulation in time-pressured settings.

Cytomegalovirus hemorrhagic colitis in an immunocompetent patient with COVID-19 infection: A case report.

In coronavirus disease-19, we should suspect the opportunistic coinfections even in immunocompetent individuals. In the presence of recurrent gastrointestinal problems, colonoscopy should be done with biopsy and histopathology to diagnose the opportunistic infection, such as cytomegalovirus colitis, in patient with coronavirus disease-19. Here, we report a case of immunocompetent male with coronavirus disease-19 presenting with per rectal bleeding diagnosed as cytomegalovirus colitis.

Climate Change, Air Quality, and Pulmonary Health Disparities.

Climate change will alter environmental risks that influence pulmonary health, including heat, air pollution, and pollen. These exposures disproportionately burden populations already at risk of ill health, including those at vulnerable life stages, with low socioeconomic status, and systematically targeted by oppressive policies. Climate change can exacerbate existing environmental injustices by affecting future exposure, as well as through differentials in the ability to adapt; this is compounded by disparities in rates of underlying disease and access to health care. Climate change is therefore a dire threat not only to individual and population health but also to health equity.

Cellular modifications and biomaterial design to improve mesenchymal stem cell transplantation.

Research has advanced considerably since the first clinical trial of human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in the early 1990s. During this period, our understanding of MSC biology and our ability to expand and manipulate these cells have provided hope for the repair of damaged tissues due to illness or injury. MSCs have conventionally been injected systemically or locally into target tissue; however, inconsistent cell homing and engraftment efficiencies represent a major bottleneck that has led to mixed results in clinical studies. To overcome these issues, MSCs have been pre-conditioned with biomolecules, genetically altered, or surface engineered to enhance their homing and engraftment capabilities. In parallel, a variety of cell-encapsulating materials have been designed to improve cell delivery and post-transplantation survival and function. In this review, we discuss the current strategies that have been employed on cultured MSCs to improve targeted cell delivery and retention for tissue repair. We also discuss the advances in injectable and implantable biomaterial technologies that drive the success of MSC-based therapies in regenerative medicine. Multi-faceted approaches combining cellular modification and cell-instructive material design can pave the way for efficient and robust stem cell transplantation for superior therapeutic outcomes.

The Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire-Short Form (PAQ-S): A 6-item measure of alexithymia.

BACKGROUND: Alexithymia is a trait characterized by difficulties identifying feelings, difficulties describing feelings, and externally orientated thinking. It is widely regarded as an important transdiagnostic risk factor for a range of psychopathologies, including depressive and anxiety disorders. Whilst several well-validated psychometric measures of alexithymia exist, these are relatively lengthy, thus limiting their utility in time-pressured settings. In this paper, we address this gap by introducing and validating a brief 6-item version of the Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire, called the Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire-Short Form (PAQ-S). METHOD: Across two studies with adult samples (Study 1 N = 508 United States community; Study 2 = 378 Australian college students), we examined the psychometric properties of the PAQ-S in terms of its factor structure, reliability, and concurrent/criterion validity. RESULTS: In exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, all PAQ-S items loaded well on a single general alexithymia factor. The PAQ-S total score had high reliability, and correlated as expected with the long-form of the PAQ, as well as other established markers of alexithymia, emotion regulation, and affective disorder symptoms. LIMITATIONS: Our samples were general community or college student samples from two Western countries; future validation work in clinical samples and more diverse cultural groups is thus needed. CONCLUSIONS: The PAQ-S retains the psychometric strengths of the PAQ. As such, the PAQ-S can be used as a quick, robust measure of overall alexithymia levels. The introduction of the PAQ-S hence enables valid assessments of alexithymia in a more diverse range of settings and research designs.

Persistent reshaping of cohesive sediment towards stable flocs by turbulence.

Cohesive sediment forms flocs of various sizes and structures in the natural turbulent environment. Understanding flocculation is critical in accurately predicting sediment transport and biogeochemical cycles. In addition to aggregation and breakup, turbulence also reshapes flocs toward more stable structures. An Eulerian-Lagrangian framework has been implemented to investigate the effect of turbulence on flocculation by capturing the time-evolution of individual flocs. We have identified two floc reshaping mechanisms, namely breakage-regrowth and restructuring by hydrodynamic drag. Surface erosion is found to be the primary breakup mechanism for strong flocs, while fragile flocs tend to split into fragments of similar sizes. Aggregation of flocs of sizes comparable to or greater than the Kolmogorov scale is modulated by turbulence with lower aggregation efficiency. Our findings highlight the limiting effects of turbulence on both floc size and structure.

Alexithymia and emotion regulation.

BACKGROUND: Alexithymia is a key transdiagnostic risk factor for emotion-based psychopathologies. Conceptual models specify that this is because alexithymia impairs emotion regulation. However, the extent of these putative emotion regulation impairments remains underexplored. Our aim in this study was to begin to address this gap by examining whether people with high, average, or low levels of alexithymia differ in the types of emotion regulation strategies they typically use. METHOD: General community adults from the United States (N = 501) completed a battery of alexithymia and emotion regulation measures. Participants were grouped into high, average, and low alexithymia quantiles. RESULTS: After controlling for demographics and current levels of distress, the high, average, and low alexithymia groups differed in their use of cognitive and behavioral emotion regulation strategies. Compared to the other groups, the high alexithymia group reported lesser use of generally adaptive regulation strategies (cognitive reappraisal, approaching problems, and seeking social support) and greater use of generally maladaptive regulation strategies (expressive suppression, behavioral withdrawal, ignoring). LIMITATIONS: Our data were cross-sectional and from self-report questionnaires. Future work in other cultural groups would be beneficial. CONCLUSIONS: Our results support the view that alexithymia is associated with impaired emotion regulation. In particular, people with high alexithymia seem to exhibit a less adaptive profile of emotion regulation strategies. Direct targeting of these emotion regulation patterns in psychotherapy may therefore be a useful pathway for the treatment of emotional disorder symptoms in people with high alexithymia.

Generation and characterisation of four multiple sclerosis iPSC lines from a single family.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex neuroinflammatory/degenerative disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that results in the formation of demyelinated lesions and axon degeneration. MS aetiology is complex, with genetics estimated to account for ∼48% of MS risk (International Multiple Sclerosis Genetics Consortium, 2019). Despite this, families with a high incidence of MS are rare. We have generated four induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines from individuals with relapsing-remitting and secondary progressive MS within a single family. The generation of disease-specific iPSC lines from multiple members of a single family will facilitate MS genetic and functional studies.

Expression of epithelial membrane antigen and cytokeratin among Indian workers exposed to cotton fibre dust in textile industries.

Background: In India, around 20 million workers are engaged in the textile industries. However, the prevalence of byssinosis has been little reported. Aims: To determine the prevalence of byssinosis and other respiratory disorders among workers exposed to cotton dust in textile mills in Delhi, India. Methods: Sputum samples were collected from 156 workers employed in 15 cotton textile mills, and expression of epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) and cytokeratin (CK) marker proteins was investigated. Information regarding respiratory symptoms, certain personal characteristics and occupational history was also gathered. Results: Symptoms were observed in 56.41% of the workers. Expression of EMA and CK was observed in 27.5% and 50% of the workers, respectively. Expression of EMA and CK was significantly associated with smoking and duration of employment. Conclusion: Measures are needed to reduce dust levels in the workplace, and to discourage smoking and alcohol consumption among the textile workers.

Short-term Outcome and Predictors of Survival Among Neonates with Moderate or Severe Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy: Data From the Indian Neonatal Collaborative.

BACKGROUND: Among term and late preterm infants, hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is an important cause of mortality, and neurologic morbidity among survivors. OBJECTIVE: The primary objective was to study the incidence of survival to discharge among late preterm and term infants with moderate or severe HIE. Secondary objectives were to explore variation in the management of HIE across participating sites and to identify the predictors of survival. SETTING: Indian Neonatal Collaborative (INNC), a network of 28 neonatal units in India. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort. PARTICIPANTS: Late preterm (34-36 weeks) and term (37-42 weeks) infants with moderate to severe HIE from 2018-2019. OUTCOME: The primary outcome was survival to discharge (including discharged home and transfer to other hospital). A multivariate logistic regression model was constructed to identify the predictors of survival. RESULTS: Of 352 infants with moderate or severe HIE, 59% received therapeutic hypothermia. Survival to discharge among infants with moderate or severe HIE was 82%. Severe HIE (aOR 0.04; 95% CI 0.02-0.10), persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN) (aOR 0.22; 95% CI 0.08-0.61) and requirement of epinephrine during resuscitation (aOR 0.21; 95% CI 0.05-0.84) were independently associated with decreased odds of survival to discharge. CONCLUSION: Survival to discharge among infants with moderate or severe HIE was 82%. Severe HIE, requirement of epinephrine during resuscitation and PPHN decreased the odds of survival.

Why is alexithymia a risk factor for affective disorder symptoms? The role of emotion regulation.

BACKGROUND: Ever since alexithymia was defined in the 1970s, robust associations have been observed between alexithymia and a variety of symptoms of psychopathology. Alexithymia is now widely regarded as an important transdiagnostic risk factor, and it is frequently assessed in clinical and research settings. However, despite this strong interest, it remains unclear exactly why (i.e., by which mechanisms) alexithymia is linked to psychopathology. In this paper, we hypothesise that alexithymia is linked to affective disorder symptoms because alexithymia impairs people's ability to regulate their emotions, and we empirically test this hypothesis. METHOD: We administered a battery of psychometric measures to 501 adults in the United States, and examined the direct and indirect effects between alexithymia (Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire), emotion regulation ability (Perth Emotion Regulation Competency Inventory), and affective disorder symptoms (Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21). RESULTS: In the Pearson bivariate correlation matrix, alexithymia, emotion regulation difficulties, and affective disorder symptoms were all significantly correlated. In the modelling of direct and indirect effects, alexithymia was indirectly associated with affective disorder symptoms through emotion regulation difficulties (no significant direct effect). LIMITATIONS: Our online survey data were all self-report data and cross-sectional. Future longitudinal work would be beneficial. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support contemporary theorising that alexithymia is linked to affective disorder symptoms via emotion regulation difficulties. These results help to clarify the mechanisms by which alexithymia may predispose people to affective disorder symptoms, and highlight the importance of considering the roles of alexithymia and emotion regulation in case conceptualisations and treatment planning.

Argentinean Adaptation and Psychometric Properties of the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ).

The Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) is a self-report measure designed to assess the two most widely studied strategies of Gross' model: cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression. Even though there are two Spanish adaptations of the ERQ, region-specific linguistic factors and dialects must also be considered when adapting a test for another country in order to ensure equivalent evaluations across cultures. The present work developed an Argentinean adaptation of the ERQ. Additionally, the study evaluated its psychometric properties and associations with theoretically related constructs. Study 1 consist of the translation the ERQ into Argentinean Spanish and the analysis of its internal structure and reliability in a sample of 2957 participants. The results supported a two-factor structure with good data fit, adequate factor loadings, and good test-retest reliability and internal consistency. Expected age and gender differences in the use of reappraisal and suppression were also observed. Study 2 analyzed the external validity (concurrent and convergent) of the ERQ adaptation in a sample of 2160 participants. Theory-consistent associations were found with emotion regulation mechanisms, anxiety, depression, and personality traits. In summary, the findings support the validity of a new ERQ adaptation and its use in Argentina.