The inner workings of anger: A network analysis of anger and emotion regulation.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the interrelations between emotion regulation strategies and different types of anger using network analysis. METHOD: Data were drawn from a cross-sectional sample of 538 adults (55% females; mean age = 39.8 years, SD = 12.3) seeking treatment for anger. Data were collected between March and November 2019 in Sweden. Participants completed measures of anger problems (anger expression, anger suppression, angry reactions, anger rumination, trait anger, hostility, physical aggression, and verbal aggression) and emotion regulation (cognitive reappraisal, expressive suppression, anger relaxation, and five mindfulness strategies). To determine whether distinct clusters of anger nodes would emerge, exploratory graph analysis was employed. Based on clustering of nodes, we estimated separate networks including all measures of emotion regulation. RESULTS: Two clusters emerged: one consisting primarily of cognitive components of anger, and another of behavioral. Across networks, anger nodes were strongly interconnected, and anger rumination and anger suppression were especially influential. Several direct links were found between specific emotion regulation strategies and cognitive components of anger, whereas most strategies were only indirectly related to angry behavior. Cognitive reappraisal showed no direct link with any of the anger nodes. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings reveal potential pathways by which different emotion regulation strategies may influence different types of anger, which could serve as therapeutic targets.

Anger dysregulation and non-suicidal self-injury during adolescence: A test of directionality.

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) has been tied to several forms of emotional and behavioral dysregulation in adolescence, with less attention paid to regulation of anger. Most assume that anger dysregulation leads to engagement in NSSI, rather than the reverse. However, it is plausible that NSSI compromises adolescents' abilities to regulate their emotions, including anger, because it may reduce the development of alternative regulatory strategies and intensify negative emotions by reducing tolerance of distress. Using three waves of data from a sample of adolescents in 17 Swedish schools (n = 1,304 M age = 13.68, SD age = .67; 89% of Swedish origin; 58% girls), we examined the directionality of ties between NSSI and three forms of anger dysregulation: dysregulated expressions of anger, anger suppression, and low anger reflection. We also looked for differences in magnitude of paths and gender differences. Random-intercept cross-lagged panel models showed that NSSI predicted changes in all forms of anger dysregulation but found no support for the opposite direction. Gender differences were not evident. Results challenge directionality assumptions and support suggestions that adolescents' anger regulation degrades when they self-injure.

Anger profiles among individuals seeking treatment for maladaptive anger: Associations with emotion regulation.

Individuals who experience problems with anger represent a heterogeneous group. Identifying clinically relevant subtypes of anger may advance treatment research. In the current study, latent profile analysis (LPA) was conducted to explore if distinct subtypes of anger could be identified within a sample of individuals seeking treatment for maladaptive anger (N = 538; 55.4% females; mean age = 39.78, SD = 12.28). Furthermore, the utility of the empirical classification was examined based on differences in usage of emotion regulation strategies (cognitive reappraisal, expressive suppression, mindful emotion awareness and relaxation) across subtypes. Four anger profiles were identified in the best-fitted LPA model: Low Anger (n = 153, 28.4%), Anger In (n = 91, 16.9%), Moderate Anger (n = 193, 35.9%) and High Anger (n = 101, 35.5%). Results from the multinominal regression revealed that the use of emotion regulation differed across all profiles. Participants from the High Anger and Anger In profiles exhibited distinct patterns of dysfunctional emotion regulation. The results add to the increasing amount of evidence demonstrating a link between emotion regulation strategies and maladaptive anger. Clinical implications on how to tailor treatments for individuals with maladaptive anger are discussed.

Difference in mRNA expression and occurrence of plasminogen activator inhibitors in intrauterine decidua of normal and ectopic human pregnancies.

The objective of this study was to elucidate the mechanisms involved in the formation of a functional decidua. The concentrations of plasminogen activators and plasminogen activator inhibitors in intrauterine decidua from normal and ectopic pregnancies were compared. Intrauterine decidua was obtained by curettage from 17 women with ectopic pregnancies and from five women with normal pregnancies. The gestational age was similar in the two groups. The antigen concentrations of plasminogen activators and plasminogen activator inhibitors in decidua homogenate were determined by ELISA and fibrinolytic activity was measured on fibrin plates. Localization was determined by immunohistochemical staining and mRNA was identified by in situ hybridization. Fibrinolytic activity was absent in decidua from normal pregnancies but present in the intrauterine decidua from ectopic pregnancies. High antigen concentrations of the inhibitors of fibrinolysis, PAI-1 and PAI-2, were found in normal decidua in contrast to low concentrations in decidua from ectopic pregnancies. Staining for PAI-1 as well as PAI-2 was positive in decidual cells. In situ hybridization resulted in high intensity signals for PAI-1 as well as for PAI-2 mRNA in decidua from normal pregnancies in contrast to very low intensity signals in decidua from ectopic pregnancies. The absence of proteolytic activity and high expression of PAI-1 and PAI-2 in normal decidua might facilitate attachment of the fertilized ovum and might also prevent detachment of the decidua.