Using multilevel modeling to characterize interpersonal emotion regulation strategies and psychopathology in female friends

Although people frequently rely on others to help manage affect, it is unknown the extent to which interpersonal emotion regulation (ER) strategies are similar to intrapersonal ER or have incremental predictive power for psychopathology. Female friend dyads (N = 120) completed questionnaires assessing habitual intrapersonal and interpersonal ER strategy use and symptoms of psychopathology. We utilized multi-level models entering respondent's perceived reception of interpersonal ER, friend's perceived provision of interpersonal ER, and the interaction between the two, covarying for respondent's intrapersonal ER, to predict respondent psychopathology. There was a positive association with psychopathology for friend provision of brooding rumination and a negative association for friend provision of cognitive reappraisal, suggesting incremental effects (in the same direction) of interpersonal ER. There was an interactive effect for interpersonal expressive suppression, such that when friends provided low-to-average levels of suppression (< 50.41st percentile), respondent-reported reception of suppression was positively associated with respondent psychopathology. When friends provided average-to-high levels of suppression (> 50.41st percentile), there was no association between respondent report and psychopathology. Results suggest that although interpersonal ER may function similarly to intrapersonal ER, it is a unique predictor of well-being. This underscores the necessity of evaluating interpersonal ER to understand regulation processes.