Adaptiveness of emotion regulation flexibility according to long-term implications

• Verfasst von: Prüßner, Luise [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Ortner, Catherine N. M. [VerfasserIn]
• Titel: Adaptiveness of emotion regulation flexibility according to long-term implications
• Verf.angabe: Luise Pruessner, Heidelberg University, Department of Psychology, Catherine N.M. Ortner, Thompson Rivers University, Department of Psychology
• E-Jahr: 2025
• Jahr: 4 March 2025
• Umfang: 39 S.
• Fussnoten: Gesehen am 05.03.2025
• Titel Quelle: Enthalten in: Journal of affective disorders
• Ort Quelle: Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier Science, 1979
• Jahr Quelle: 2025
• Band/Heft Quelle: (2025), Seite 1-39
• ISSN Quelle: 1573-2517
• DOI: doi:10.1016/j.jad.2025.02.114
• Datenträger: Online-Ressource
• Sprache: eng
• Sach-SW: Distraction
• Sach-SW: Emotion regulation flexibility
• Sach-SW: Psychopathology
• Sach-SW: Reappraisal
• Sach-SW: Well-being
• K10plus-PPN: 1919139273

Abstract

Background - The ability to consider the long-term implications of emotional events is integral to mental health and adaptive psychological functioning. However, it remains unclear whether flexibly synchronizing emotion regulation strategies to the long-term implications of emotional events is associated with adaptive outcomes. - Methods - This ecological momentary assessment study examined how emotion regulation flexibility concerning contextual long-term implications is linked to daily emotional experiences and mental health outcomes. Ninety-eight participants provided 1705 real-time assessments of their perceived long-term implications of ongoing emotional events and reported their use of cognitive change (i.e., reappraisal, benefit-finding, perspective-taking) and attentional deployment strategies (i.e., distraction, refocusing, cognitive avoidance). The adaptiveness of adjusting these strategies based on contextual long-term implications was examined using momentary emotional experiences and measures of psychopathology and well-being as outcomes. - Results - Consistent with models of emotion regulation flexibility, participants who aligned their use of cognitive change and attentional deployment strategies with the perceived long-term significance of events reported more positive daily emotional experiences and lower levels of psychopathology. - Limitations - Future work should use experimental and longitudinal designs to establish causal pathways. - Conclusions - These findings underscore the importance of accounting for situational long-term implications when evaluating the adaptiveness of regulatory strategies, thereby adding to the growing body of evidence supporting the contextual nature of emotion regulation.