Cause or Symptom? A Longitudinal Test of Bidirectional Relationships Between Emotion Regulation Strategies and Mental Health Symptoms

被引:38
作者
Dawel, Amy [1 ]
Shou, Yiyun [1 ]
Gulliver, Amelia [2 ]
Cherbuin, Nicolas [3 ]
Banfield, Michelle [2 ]
Murray, Kristen [1 ]
Calear, Alison L. [2 ]
Morse, Alyssa R. [2 ]
Farrer, Louise M. [2 ]
Smithson, Michael [1 ]
机构
[1] Australian Natl Univ, Res Sch Psychol, Bldg 39, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
[2] Australian Natl Univ, Res Sch Populat Hlth, Ctr Mental Hlth Res, Canberra, ACT, Australia
[3] Australian Natl Univ, Res Sch Populat Hlth, Ctr Res Ageing Hlth & Wellbeing, Canberra, ACT, Australia
基金
英国医学研究理事会; 澳大利亚国家健康与医学研究理事会; 澳大利亚研究理事会;
关键词
reappraisal; suppression; depression; anxiety; coronavirus; GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER; COGNITIVE REAPPRAISAL; INDIVIDUAL-DIFFERENCES; DEPRESSION; STRESS; SUPPRESSION; POPULATION; VALIDATION; EXPRESSION; IMPACT;
D O I
10.1037/emo0001018
中图分类号
B84 [心理学];
学科分类号
04 ; 0402 ;
摘要
Previous work has generally conceptualized emotion regulation as contributing to mental health outcomes, and not vice versa. The present study challenges this assumption by using a prospective design to investigate the directionality of underlying relationships between emotion regulation and mental health in the context of a major population-level stressor. We surveyed a large nationally representative sample of adults (18-91 years, N = 704) at three 1-month intervals across the acute lockdown phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, using standardized measures of depression and anxiety symptoms. At each time point, we also measured the use of two emotion regulation strategies-cognitive reappraisal and emotional suppression-previously associated with adaptive and maladaptive mental health outcomes, respectively. We found cognitive reappraisal was unrelated to mental health symptoms. In contrast, greater emotional suppression was robustly associated with higher symptom levels for both depression and anxiety. Longitudinal analyses revealed this association reflected bidirectional relationships. Higher symptoms of depression and anxiety each predicted greater subsequent use of emotional suppression, and greater use of emotional suppression predicted higher subsequent symptoms. This bidirectionality suggests emotional suppression is both symptomatic and predictive of psychological distress. The lack of a relationship for cognitive reappraisal is discussed with respect to the pandemic context and evidence that high stress might reduce people's ability to use this strategy effectively. Given the strong emphasis on reappraisal in clinical practice, there is a critical need to understand for whom, what and when this strategy is helpful.
引用
收藏
页码:1511 / 1521
页数:11
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