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The main aim of our qualitative research is to find out how foreign students from different Collectivistic countries perceive interpersonal emotion regulation (IER). Using semi-structured interviews as a method of data collection and thematic analysis as a method of data analysis, we found that the majority of participants used IER to provide psychological support to their colleagues and friends in a variety of contexts—64% of participants highlighted cognitive strategies as key in emotional regulation, especially the use of temporal perspective shifting—and that, finally, the majority of the participants highlighted the evident results of the interventions, the most common of which was the increased adaptive behavior of the targets of IER. These findings highlight the persistence of cultural orientation in heterogeneous settings and suggest situational flexibility in IER strategies. They also highlight the importance of designing culturally sensitive interventions in international educational contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parents' contributions to their children's emotion regulation during adolescence has been a relatively understudied interpersonal context of development, even though parents' roles as sources of social and emotional learning persist from childhood into adolescence and the complexity of teens' lives grows during this time. This study aims to investigate the differential predictive utility of qualities and behaviors in interparental and parent–teen relationships during adolescence for predicting youths' development of intra- and interpersonal emotion regulation over a 13-year period. To assess these hypotheses, data were obtained from a longitudinal, multi-method, multi-informant study of 184 adolescents (107 Caucasian, 53 African American, and 24 mixed/other ethnicity; median family income of USD 40,000–60,000/year in 1999, equivalent to about USD 75,000–112,000/year when accounting for inflation) and their parents. The results provide support for a differential pattern of prediction; qualities of interparental relationships in early adolescence were significant predictors of young adult interpersonal emotion regulation, whereas behaviors in interparental and parent–teen relationships in late adolescence were significant predictors of both young adult positive intra- and interpersonal emotion regulation. Notably, some father-reported relationship predictors during late adolescence had unexpected relations with later intrapersonal emotion regulation. The results are discussed in terms of the helpfulness of these specific relationship factors during each part of adolescence for supporting positive intra- and interpersonal emotional regulation development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the current study was to investigate the dyadic association between interpersonal emotion regulation, dyadic coping, dyadic adjustment, and parenting practices among married couples in India. Self-report data from 340 married couples (N = 680) were analyzed using the actor-partner interdependence mediation model (APIMeM). The results indicated that all the actor and partner effects among the study variable were significant except for the actor effects between interpersonal emotion regulation and dyadic coping. Furthermore, the associations between husbands' and wives' interpersonal emotion regulation and their partner's dyadic adjustment and parenting practices were mediated by their partner's dyadic coping but not by their own dyadic coping. These outcomes throw some light on the process of interpersonal emotion regulation and coping and its association with dyadic adjustment and parenting practices among married couples in non-Western cultures. Implications for research and practice are discussed. The present study highlights the significance of examining marital relationship processes in different cultures, especially non--Western cultures. IMPACT STATEMENT: The empirical synthesis of the dyadic association investigating various factors of a marital relationship and outcomes provides support for the need for effective coping behavior or practices for couples to enhance their marital and parental relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The perfectionism social disconnection model (PSDM) contends that perfectionistic traits are negatively associated with depressive symptoms through reduced social support. However, no studies have investigated the role of interpersonal emotion regulation strategies in this disconnection process. This study aimed to examine whether different interpersonal emotion regulation strategies play mediating roles in the PSDM framework, using a partial structural equation modeling with a sample of 315 South Korean adults (female = 65.7%) aged 18 to 33 years (M = 24.9, SD = 3.03). Results from the serial mediation analysis indicated that self-oriented perfectionism was positively associated with a tendency of using other people to boost one’s positive emotions (i.e., enhancing positive affect), while socially prescribed perfectionism was negatively associated with this tendency. The tendency of using this strategy mediates the relationship between perfectionism traits and perceived social support, and consequential depressive symptoms. Findings suggest that interpersonal emotion regulation strategies aimed at enhancing positive emotions may help individuals with high perfectionistic traits to experience less social disconnection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caina Liu,1,&ast; Qingqing Zhang,1,2,&ast; Yiming Liu,1 Zixu Wang,1 Fangchen Chen,1 Yitian Li,1 Yami Zhao,1 Jing Zhu,1 Dandan Li,1,3– 5 Chunyan Zhu1– 4,6 1School of Mental Health and Psychological Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, People’s Republic of China; 2Institute of Artificial Intelligence, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Hefei, 230000, People’s Republic of China; 3Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Cognition and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Hefei, 230032, People’s Republic of China; 4Collaborative Innovation Center of Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Mental Health, Hefei, 230032, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230022, People’s Republic of China; 6Department of Psychology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230601, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Dandan Li; Chunyan Zhu, Email 799200213@qq.com; ayswallow@126.comPurpose: Higher rates of depression are associated with autistic traits; however, the precise association between autistic traits and depression has yet to be fully elucidated. Good interpersonal emotional regulation and social self-efficacy are crucial for mental health; therefore, in this study, we investigated the relationships between autistic traits, interpersonal emotional regulation, social self-efficacy, and depression.Patients and Methods: In total, 1024 participants (613 females and 411 males) aged 16 to 23 years old (M = 19.03, SD = 0.95) completed questionnaires that were designed to evaluate their autistic traits, interpersonal emotion regulation, social self-efficacy and depression. Data were analyzed by Spearman correlation and mediation effects analyses.Results: Autistic traits were significantly and positively correlated with depression (r = 0.39, p < 0.001), and autistic traits were shown to positively predict depression (B = 0.28, p < 0.001). Interpersonal emotion regulation and social self-efficacy were found to play a serial mediating role between autistic traits and depression (indirect effect = 0.020, p = 0.006).Conclusion: This study is a supplement to the mechanism of the relationship between autistic traits and depression. Interpersonal emotion regulation and social self-efficacy are important predictors of possible depression in individuals with high autistic traits. These findings suggest combining interpersonal emotional regulation training and exploring the clinical value of interpersonal emotional regulation interventions in individuals with high autistic traits and autism spectrum disorder, aiming to build social confidence, reduce negative moods, restore social functioning, and other aspects.Keywords: autistic traits, depression, interpersonal emotion regulation, social self-efficacy, chain mediation

Parents’ contributions to their children’s emotion regulation during adolescence has been a relatively understudied interpersonal context of development, even though parents’ roles as sources of social and emotional learning persist from childhood into adolescence and the complexity of teens’ lives grows during this time. This study aims to investigate the differential predictive utility of qualities and behaviors in interparental and parent–teen relationships during adolescence for predicting youths’ development of intra- and interpersonal emotion regulation over a 13-year period. To assess these hypotheses, data were obtained from a longitudinal, multi-method, multi-informant study of 184 adolescents (107 Caucasian, 53 African American, and 24 mixed/other ethnicity; median family income of USD 40,000–60,000/year in 1999, equivalent to about USD 75,000–112,000/year when accounting for inflation) and their parents. The results provide support for a differential pattern of prediction; qualities of interparental relationships in early adolescence were significant predictors of young adult interpersonal emotion regulation, whereas behaviors in interparental and parent–teen relationships in late adolescence were significant predictors of both young adult positive intra- and interpersonal emotion regulation. Notably, some father-reported relationship predictors during late adolescence had unexpected relations with later intrapersonal emotion regulation. The results are discussed in terms of the helpfulness of these specific relationship factors during each part of adolescence for supporting positive intra- and interpersonal emotional regulation development.

Objectives This article addresses the issue of depression and the development of competencies that promote adaptation to adulthood. The foundation of the presented research is the theory of positive development based on strengthening the potential of the individual and focusing less on deficits. Offering creative leisure time, is at the same time a distraction from inappropriate behavior. Method The article analyzed the relationship between the level of depressiveness and indicators of adaptation to adulthood (mentioned in the theory of positive development). Self-esteem and interpersonal emotion regulation strategies were also included in the analysis, as the mentioned individual and environmental factors are important resources in coping with stress. The study conducted on a group of 184 people, of which 150 were the control group and 34 were the clinical group. (with a diagnosis of depression/anxiety-depressive disorder).The study used 4 tools: the CESD-R depression measurement questionnaire by Eaton et al. (2004) in the Polish version by Koziara (2016), a questionnaire for measuring indicators of positive development PYD-SF-PL by Geldhof et al. (2014) in the Polish version by Barłóg (2023), Questionnaire for measuring interpersonal regulation of emotions KIRE by Hofmann, Carpenter and Curtiss (2016) in the Polish version by Grzywna et al. (2020) and the SES self-esteem measurement questionnaire by Rosenberg (1965) in the Polish version by Dzwonkowska, Lachowicz-Tabaczek and Łaguna (2008). Results The results lead to the conclusion that the higher the level of general positive development, as well as its indicators: self-confidence and competence, the lower the level of depression in the study group. In addition, people from the control group have a higher level of general positive development and in the area of competence and self-confidence compared to the clinical group. The study also shows that the level of self-esteem and ways of regulating emotions can be an important resource protecting against high levels of depression. Conclusion Preventive actions should include strengthening self-esteem and be based on recognizing potential and strengths, in accordance with the theory of positive development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has recently been a surge in sport psychology research examining various aspects of the interpersonal and social processes related to emotions and emotion regulation. The purpose of this study was to review the literature related to the interpersonal experience, expression, and regulation of emotions in sport, in order to provide a comprehensive overview of the studies that have been conducted to date. A scoping review of the literature (Grant, M. J., & Booth, A. [2009]. A typology of reviews: An analysis of 14 review types and associated methodologies. Health Information and Libraries Journal, 26(2), 91–108) using a systematic search process returned 7,769 entries that were screened for inclusion; the final sample of studies included in the review consisted of 79 relevant articles and 8 dissertations. The results describe the interconnected findings on athletes' self-regulation of emotions in social contexts, interpersonal emotion regulation, collective emotions (group-based emotions, emotional contagion, and effervescence), emotional expressions, and individual and contextual moderators (e.g. personality, culture, norms, gender, roles, and situational/temporal aspects). We identify key issues to advance theory and research, including: the need for programmatic research to investigate these processes, their effects, and underlying mechanisms; greater theoretical and conceptual clarity; more research among diverse populations (e.g. female athletes, youth athletes); the need to consider interconnected emotional phenomena in future research; and the need for applied intervention research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research examining initiation and outcomes of ER has primarily examined when people regulate their own emotions. In the present study, we investigated what predicts the initiation and outcomes of interpersonal emotion regulation (IER). We also examined whether the associations varied by major depressive disorder (MDD), which is characterized by several emotion regulation challenges, including in IER. Adults with and without MDD (N = 215) completed a 14-day EMA protocol, reporting on their emotional experience, recent events, and recent IER interactions. For IER initiation, we examined two features of subjective emotional experiences: participants' affect (negative affect, positive affect) and emotional awareness (attention to emotion, emotional clarity), and two situational characteristics: event unpleasantness and goal interruption. For IER outcomes, we focused on sharing partners' characteristics. Analyses utilized multilevel modeling. We focus on reporting within-person findings. Participants were more likely to initiate IER when the situation was more unpleasant and when goals were interrupted. Regarding IER outcomes, the extent to which participants experienced improved feelings about the problem and relational closeness varied depending on who was the sharing partner. Additionally, perceived warmth of sharing partner was associated with better IER outcomes. Initiating IER did not differ by MDD status, whereas associations between perceived warmth and IER outcomes did. Findings elucidate factors relevant to the IER process and serve to provide important insight into the contexts in which individuals might seek others to support their regulation and when the sharing partner were the most helpful in IER. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first year of university brings pivotal life changes, often accompanied by psychological distress among students. However, social support literature links decreased depressive symptoms and increased psychological and social wellbeing to social supports within undergraduate students' social networks. This study used ego network analysis to examine the effects of interpersonal emotion regulation (IER) on the mental health and relationship closeness ("tie strength) of firstyear university students. It was predicted that increased IER strategy engagement within relationships would be associated with decreased symptoms of stress, depression, and anxiety, and stronger social ties. We collected social network data across two time points to analyze IER strategies in students' social relationships throughout their first year of university. Findings indicate that using IER strategies with a greater proportion of one's social network was significantly associated with reduced symptoms of stress at Time 1, but not at Time 2. Individuals using IER strategies did not experience significant reductions in symptoms of depression or anxiety at either time point. However, a novel positive association was found between IER strategies and stronger social ties at both Time 1 and Time 2. Results suggest that first-year university students who use IER strategies may benefit from reduced stress and enhanced relationship closeness and quality, highlighting IER as a potential protective factor in promoting positive mental health outcomes and strengthening social connections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

UNLABELLED: People often try to improve others emotions. However, it is unclear which interpersonal emotion regulation strategies are most effective and why. In 121 candid dyadic conversations between undergraduate students via video conferencing, target participants recounted a stressful event to regulator participants. Three strategies used by regulators during these conversations to change targets emotions were obtained from the regulator after the conversation: extrinsic reappraisal, extrinsic suppression, and extrinsic acceptance. Perceived regulator responsiveness was obtained from targets to examine the social consequences of extrinsic emotion regulation and its mediating role in successful extrinsic emotion regulation. We found that regulators extrinsic reappraisal use was associated with improved target emotions measured across two distinct classes of outcomes: targets emotions during the conversation and targets perception that the regulator improved their emotions. Regulators extrinsic suppression and acceptance, in contrast, were not related with improved target emotions or perceptions of improvement. Instead, all extrinsic regulatory strategies were associated with improved targets emotions when mediated by targets perceptions of regulator responsiveness. Finally, observer-ratings of regulators extrinsic reappraisal and suppression use were found to be consistent with regulators self-ratings and follow the same pattern of results on the outcome measures. These findings provide insight into why the social regulation of emotions can succeed or fail and hold implications for interventions aimed at guiding people toward more successfully improving others emotions. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42761-023-00183-4.

Background: Interpersonal emotion regulation (IER) involves the use of strategies by individuals to regulate their emotions through interactions with others. Research has shown that the IER is correlated with psychological symptoms and well-being. However, few studies have investigated the longitudinal relationships between IER and its related constructs. Methods: A cross-lagged panel design was used to examine the reciprocal relationship between IER strategies and perceived social support and their impact on depressive symptoms. Data were collected from 213 emerging Korean adults (136 females; Mage = 25.4), categorized as students, job-seekers, or workers, on three occasions with six-month intervals. Results: Enhancing positive affect, an upregulation strategy for positive emotions, predicted an increased perception of social support and, consequently, a reduction in depressive symptoms. Soothing strategies were directly associated with increased depressive symptoms. Other IER strategies aimed at downregulating negative emotions did not have any significant effect on the perception of social support or depressive symptoms. Furthermore, perceived social support did not predict longitudinal changes in the tendency to use IER strategies. Conclusions: These findings suggest that IER strategies, especially those that focus on upregulating positive emotions, may enhance the perception of social support. This offers a promising avenue for designing interventions to support emerging adults facing difficulties in a variety of social and relational transitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document consists of two research articles that delve into the intricacies of emotions and relationships. The first article focuses on the reasons why individuals conceal their emotions and the consequences it has on their relationships. The second article explores the integration of empathy and interpersonal emotion regulation. Both articles offer valuable insights into the complex dynamics of emotions and relationships, emphasizing the need for further research in this area. [Extracted from the article]

The present study aimed to explore the effectiveness of two typical intrapersonal strategies (cognitive reappraisal, CR; expressive suppression, ES) on interpersonal emotion regulation (IER), and uncover the physiological synchrony pattern underlying this. A sample of 90 friend dyads (N = 180) was randomly assigned to the CR, the ES, or the control group. In each dyad, the target underwent a negative emotional task (induce sadness by recalling a negative event), and the regulator was assigned to implement the CR strategy, the ES strategy, or no action to down-regulate the targets’ negative emotions. Self-reported results showed that compared to the control group, both CR and ES strategies decreased the targets’ negative emotions, and increased the targets’ positive emotions, indicating a successful IER effect. And the ECG results revealed that relative to the control condition, both CR and ES strategies evoked stronger physiological synchrony (heart rate synchrony and heart rate variation synchrony) during the emotion regulation stage of IER. Overall, these findings demonstrated the similar efficacy of reappraisal and suppression strategies implemented by the regulators to improve the targets’ negative emotions, and suggested that the physiological synchrony might have an important relational meaning during the IER process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During times of stress, we look to close others for support. Social support conversations are critical for relationship maintenance and well‐being. Yet, certain ways of talking about problems—such as co‐ruminating—can exacerbate stress. Since social support and co‐rumination are both dyadic processes, it is important to examine physiological responses during these conversations in a dyadic manner. Little research has examined physiological synchrony of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) during social support conversations or co‐ruminative conversations. The current research capitalizes on an experimental manipulation of co‐rumination using a sample of close friends (147 dyads) and romantic partners (113 dyads) to examine physiological covariation in the context of support. Across both samples, dyads exhibited significant physiological covariation in pre‐ejection period reactivity (PEP). Contrary to our hypothesis, dyads in the co‐rumination condition did not show more covariation. Close friend dyads did, however, exhibit more covariation as compared to romantic dyads. We also found significant variability in physiological covariation across dyads, with a minority of dyads exhibiting negative covariation of PEP reactivity. The homogeneity of the samples limits the generalizability of the findings and highlights the need for more diverse samples in future work. These findings underline the need for further exploration into the mechanisms that contribute to distinct patterns of physiological synchrony, the conditions in which negative synchrony occurs, and what predicts especially strong positive synchrony. This work extends our understanding of physiological synchrony of the sympathetic nervous system during support conversations and emphasizes the importance of considering heterogeneity in physiological processes. Impact statement: This research capitalizes on two dyadic experiments to examine physiological covariation during supportive conversations, examining whether certain ways of providing support affects synchrony. The findings show that not only does physiological covariation of the sympathetic nervous system occur, but it is variable across dyads and stronger for close friends as compared to romantic partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interpersonal emotion regulation involves having emotions changed in a social context. While some research has used the term to refer to instances where others are used to alter one's own emotions (intrinsic), other research refers to goal-directed actions aimed at modifying others' emotional responses (extrinsic). We argue that the self-other distinction should be applied not only to the target (who has their emotion regulated) but also to the means (whether the agent uses themselves or others to achieve the regulation). Based on this, we propose interpersonal emotion regulation can take place when an agent changes a target's emotions by affecting a third party's emotion who will shift the emotion of the target in turn (direct other-based interpersonal ER) or by impacting a third party's emotion (indirect other-based interpersonal ER). We discuss these processes and the conditions that lead to their emergence reconciling findings from different fields and suggesting new research venues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main aim of our qualitative research is to find out how foreign students from different Collectivistic countries perceive interpersonal emotion regulation (IER). Using semi-structured interviews as a method of data collection and thematic analysis as a method of data analysis, we found that the majority of participants used IER to provide psychological support to their colleagues and friends in a variety of contexts—64% of participants highlighted cognitive strategies as key in emotional regulation, especially the use of temporal perspective shifting—and that, finally, the majority of the participants highlighted the evident results of the interventions, the most common of which was the increased adaptive behavior of the targets of IER. These findings highlight the persistence of cultural orientation in heterogeneous settings and suggest situational flexibility in IER strategies. They also highlight the importance of designing culturally sensitive interventions in international educational contexts.

Can 'a distress shared is a distress halved' be universally applied? The relationship between sharing distress with others and individuals' psychological health may oscillate depending on how and where it is shared. This meta‐analysis aimed to examine (1) whether the relationship between sharing distress and psychological distress is moderated by the manner of sharing (i.e. general tendency to share distress with others [general distress sharing] vs. ruminatively fixating on the negatives during the sharing [co‐rumination]) and (2) cultural context (Eastern vs. Western). A total of 110 effect sizes from 105 studies (91 articles on general distress sharing and 84 articles on co‐rumination) were included in the analysis with sharing manner as a moderator. For the cross‐cultural analyses, 61 studies were included with 47 studies conducted in Western cultures and 15 studies conducted in Eastern cultures. Whereas generally sharing distress was negatively related to psychological distress, co‐rumination showed a positive correlation with psychological distress. Culture significantly moderated co‐rumination but not general distress sharing in relation to psychological distress. General distress sharing was consistently associated with decreased psychological distress across cultures. In contrast, co‐rumination was related to deleterious psychological health only among Westerners, while Easterners showed a non‐significant association with psychological distress. Our results align with the increasing importance of taking contextual factors into account in the field of emotion regulation literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People vary in the effectiveness with which they can change the way that others feel, yet we know surprisingly little about what drives these individual differences in interpersonal emotion regulation success. This paper provides a framework for describing 'success' in interpersonal emotion regulation and synthesizes extant theory and research regarding how personality and cognitive ability relate to interpersonal emotion regulation success. In doing so, our review brings together work from several related fields to offer an integrative framework to generate and guide future research that aims to understand why some people are proficient at influencing the emotions of others and why some are not, often suffering additional unintended consequences, such as diminished work or relationship success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mothers and fathers of children on the autism spectrum may differ in their perception of their interpersonal resources and risk factors. Fathers (114) and mothers (507) of children on the autism spectrum participated in the study. Fathers (vs. mothers) reported lower interpersonal resources (interpersonal emotion regulation and perceived support from friends and formal sources, but not family) and higher levels of interpersonal risk factors (social, not emotional, loneliness). A serial mediation model indicated that parents' gender predicted interpersonal emotion regulation which in turn related to parents' social loneliness directly and indirectly through perceived social support. Fathers of children on the autism spectrum may differ from mothers in perceptions of interpersonal resources and risk factors related to parents' social belonging needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the social nature of emotions, research to date has focused on emotion regulation at the intrapersonal level. Thus, the efficacy of specific emotion regulation strategies within a social dynamic is unclear. This study investigated the relationship between affective convergence and the efficacy of two emotion regulation strategies: reappraisal and suppression. In Study 1, 37 university students in Korea participated in a 2 × 2 laboratory experiment that manipulated emotion regulation strategies and affective convergence (divergence) through a live social interaction with a confederate. The reduction in negative affect was measured to indicate the efficacy of emotion regulation strategies. In Study 2, 248 North American participants completed a 2 × 2 online experiment that included the manipulation of emotion regulation strategies and affective convergence (divergence). To assess each strategy's efficacy, we measured participants' reduction in negative affect and their working memory performance through Stroop task scores. The findings showed that reappraisal was more efficient than suppression when participants received a companion's feedback that was affectively divergent from their own. However, reappraisal was less efficient than suppression in reducing negative affect when participants received a companion's feedback that was affectively convergent with their own. In addition, using reappraisal resulted in better working memory performance in the affective divergence condition but not the affective convergence condition. The findings suggest that the efficacy of emotion regulation strategies depends on interpersonal-level affective constructs, namely, affective convergence (divergence). Future research should revisit the efficacy of emotion regulation strategies under a social dynamic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eating disorders (EDs) are associated with emotion regulation difficulties. However, most studies have examined intrapersonal emotion regulation difficulties and strategies without consideration of interpersonal emotion regulation (IER). Thus, it remains unknown whether intrinsic IER (i.e., how people regulate their emotions through others) is associated with disordered eating. The present study examined whether putatively maladaptive IER strategies such as reassurance seeking and venting were associated with ED cognitions, behaviors, and symptom severity. Additionally, we examined whether IER strategy use varied as a function of probable ED diagnosis. A sample of 181 college students (Mage = 20.01 years, SD = 2.18) from a large northeastern university completed self-report measures of disordered eating, IER strategies, and intrapersonal emotion regulation difficulties. As predicted, reassurance seeking was associated with most ED symptomatology and ED symptom severity except for fasting frequency. Venting was only associated with body dissatisfaction. Associations between reassurance seeking and ED symptom severity and excessive exercise frequency remained significant even after controlling for sex and intrapersonal emotion regulation strategies. Finally, participants with a probable ED diagnosis reported greater reassurance seeking but not venting compared to nonprobable ED cases. These findings highlight the important associations between IER strategy use and disordered eating, namely, reassurance seeking. Additional research is needed to examine the associations between IER strategy use and disordered eating longitudinally. Emotion regulation difficulties have consistently been associated with eating disorder symptomatology; however, most studies have examined intrapersonal emotion regulation, while ignoring interpersonal emotion regulation. We found that reassurance seeking was differentially associated with eating disorder symptomatology and symptom severity. Even after controlling for sex, intrapersonal emotion regulation strategies, reassurance seeking accounted for variance in symptom severity and excessive exercise frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) have difficulties regulating emotion on their own. As people also use social resources to regulate emotion (i.e., interpersonal emotion regulation [IER]), we examined whether these difficulties extend to IER in current and remitted MDD compared to those with no psychiatric disorders (i.e., controls). Adults with current MDD (n = 48), remitted MDD (n = 80), and controls (n = 87) assessed via diagnostic interviewing completed 2-week experience sampling, reporting on how frequently (IER frequency), from whom (sharing partners), and why (IER goals) they sought IER; how the sharing partners responded (sharing partner's extrinsic IER strategies and warmth); and how their feelings about the problem and the sharing partner changed following IER (IER outcomes). Using multilevel modeling, the current-MDD group did not differ from controls in IER frequency and sharing partners, but the current-MDD group demonstrated a more mixed (albeit generally adaptive) profile of received IER strategies and benefited similarly or more from certain IER strategies than the other two groups, suggesting that IER may be a promising avenue for effective emotion regulation in current MDD. The remitted-MDD group sought IER most frequently and demonstrated the most adaptive profile of received IER strategies, and they and the current-MDD group reported seeking more types of IER goals than controls. People with remitted MDD seem highly motivated to pursue IER support and their pursuit takes place in particularly supportive social contexts. Research is needed to examine mechanisms driving these group differences and how IER predicts the course of MDD. General Scientific Summary: In efforts to investigate whether emotion regulation (ER) difficulties in major depressive disorder (MDD) extend to social context, this study examined everyday interpersonal emotion regulation (IER) among adults with current MDD, those whose MDD was in remission, and a healthy control group using the experience sampling method. Although groups showed many similarities in IER processes, they differed in several aspects of IER, including intrinsic IER frequency and goals, extrinsic IER strategies received from others, and IER outcomes following certain IER strategies. This research represents initial efforts to elucidate the characteristics and utility of everyday IER at different stages of MDD and provides preliminary evidence that IER may be a promising avenue for effective ER in MDD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People often get support from others in regulating their emotions, a phenomenon known as interpersonal emotion regulation (IER). However, the relative effectiveness of specific IER strategies for improving emotional and relational wellbeing in daily life is unclear. Here, we report two preregistered, ecological momentary assessment studies, in which we examined how the use of six key IER strategies relates to emotional and relational wellbeing among romantic couples in daily life. Study 1 focused on enacted IER as reported by the regulator, whereas Study 2 focused on perceived IER as reported by the regulated partner. Using a dyadic experience sampling design (6 beeps/day for 7 days), Study 1 (N = 136) showed that when people reported to have given advice or encouraged their partner to suppress their emotions, their partners experienced impaired emotional wellbeing. When people reported to have distracted their partner, their partner experienced enhanced positive affect and felt closer to their partner. The use of interpersonal reappraisal, acceptance and ignoring was unrelated to partners' momentary wellbeing. Using a dyadic daily diary design (1 beep/day for 12 days), Study 2 (N = 361) showed that perceptions of one's emotions being ignored by the partner were associated with impaired emotional and relational wellbeing on the same day. The perceived use of other IER strategies was unrelated to momentary wellbeing. Taken together, the present set of studies illuminates how IER processes shape people's emotions and relationships in ecologically valid settings. Our findings indicate that enacted and perceived regulatory behaviors are associated with differential outcomes, highlighting the complex nature of interpersonal emotion dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novice supervisees inevitably experience intense emotional challenges during their practicum experience. Their supervisors often must help them manage their emotional reactions, suggesting the relevance of emotion regulation (ER) theory to supervision practice. Five doctoral supervisors described examples of their counseling practicum supervisees' client-based (e.g. countertransference, trauma-related responses) and supervision-based (e.g. constructive feedback) ER challenges and how they responded. Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) analysis revealed supervisors responded in line with process model of ER, including individualized other-focused and interpersonal emotion regulation (IER) strategies. Findings suggest further investigations could advance supervision research and practice as well as inform ER theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interpersonal emotion regulation is the dynamic process where the regulator aims to change the target's emotional state, which is presumed to engage three neural systems: cognitive control (i.e., dorsal and ventral lateral PFC, etc.), empathy/social cognition (i.e., dorsal premotor regions, temporal-parietal junction, etc.), and affective response (i.e., insula, amygdala, etc.). This study aimed to identify the underlying neural correlate (especially the interpersonal one), of interpersonal emotion regulation based on two typical strategies (cognitive appraisal, expressive suppression). Thirty-four female dyads (friends) were randomly assigned into two strategy groups, with one assigned as the target and the other as the regulator to downregulate the target's negative emotions using two strategies. A functional near-infrared spectroscopy system was used to simultaneously measure participants' neural activity. Results showed that these two strategies could successfully downregulate the targets' negative emotions. Both strategies evoked intrapersonal and interpersonal neural couplings between the cognitive control, social cognition, and mirror neuron systems (e.g., PFC, temporal-parietal junction, premotor cortex, etc.), whereas cognitive reappraisal (vs expressive suppression) evoked a broader pattern. Further, cognitive reappraisal involved increased interpersonal brain synchronization between the prefrontal and temporal areas at the sharing stage, whereas expressive suppression evoked increased interpersonal brain synchronization associated with the PFC at the regulation stage. These findings indicate that intrapersonal and interpersonal neural couplings associated with regions within the abovementioned systems, possibly involving mental processes, such as cognitive control, mentalizing, and observing, underlie interpersonal emotion regulation based on cognitive reappraisal or expressive suppression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although research suggests distressed individuals benefit from others' empathy, it is unclear how an individual's level of empathy influences dyadic responses during emotional situations. In the current study, female participants (N = 140; 70 dyads) were paired with a stranger. One member of each dyad (the experiencer) was randomly assigned to undergo a stressful task and disclose negative personal experiences to their partner (the listener). Experiencers paired with listeners higher in dispositional emotional empathy had less negative affect during emotional disclosure and lower sympathetic nervous system reactivity during the stressful task and disclosure. Listeners higher in emotional empathy reported more negative affect in response to their partner's distress. Furthermore, for listeners higher in emotional empathy, those who more accurately rated their partner's emotions were more physiologically influenced by their partners. Findings shed light on interpersonal functions of empathy and suggest a stranger's level of emotional empathy regulates distressed partner's emotions and physiology.

[Antecedents] Interpersonal emotional regulation (IER) is the deliberate attempt to influence others’ emotions. There is not enough research on IER in the context of romantic couples. [Aim] The aim of the present study was to develop and validate an instrument to assess couples’ IER and understanding its functioning at both an individual and dyadic level. [Method] Participants were 764 adults and 91 dyads. Three studies were carried out: first, to study the psychometric properties of the scale and its validity; second, to understand the functioning of the scale at a dyadic level; third, to analyse the predictive capacity of the instrument. [Results] Our 11-item scale has four factors: observe, ask, validate, and soothe feelings. These factors are doubly evaluated: as an agent (SIERC-A) and as a target (SIERC-B). The scale showed good psychometric properties and adequate internal consistency. It presents convergent validity with emotional competences, and divergent validity with emotional dysregulation and insecure attachment. At a dyadic level, there is an actor-partner effect of IER on couple adjustment. Finally, IER seems to predict relationship satisfaction, sexual satisfaction, and life satisfaction. [Discussion] This new instrument can be a useful tool for assessment and intervention in couple therapy and research.

Emotional intelligence (EI) has gained significant popularity as a scientific construct over the past three decades, yet its conceptualization and measurement still face limitations. Applied EI research often overlooks its components, treating it as a global characteristic, and there are few widely used performance-based tests for assessing ability EI. The present paper proposes avenues for advancing ability EI measurement by connecting the main EI components to models and theories from the emotion science literature and related fields. For emotion understanding and emotion recognition, we discuss the implications of basic emotion theory, dimensional models, and appraisal models of emotion for creating stimuli, scenarios, and response options. For the regulation and management of one's own and others' emotions, we discuss how the process model of emotion regulation and its extensions to interpersonal processes can inform the creation of situational judgment items. In addition, we emphasize the importance of incorporating context, cross-cultural variability, and attentional and motivational factors into future models and measures of ability EI. We hope this article will foster exchange among scholars in the fields of ability EI, basic emotion science, social cognition, and emotion regulation, leading to an enhanced understanding of the individual differences in successful emotional functioning and communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have suggested difficulties in emotion regulation in narcissists. However, interpersonal emotion regulation (IER), which is used in interpersonal interactions, has not been sufficiently examined despite its importance in narcissism. This study examined the effects of narcissistic tendencies on the perceived effectiveness of IER mediated by fears of compassion. We asked 228 university students to recall their most recent IER experiences and measured the perceived effectiveness of IER, narcissistic tendencies, and fears of compassion. Structural equation modeling and mediation analysis of data from 217 participants showed that narcissistic grandiosity was negatively associated with the perceived effectiveness of IER through fear of compassion for others, narcissistic vulnerability through fear of compassion for others, and avoidance of compassion from others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Being faced with multimorbidity (i.e., being diagnosed with at least two chronic conditions), is not only demanding in terms of following complicated medical regimes and changing health behaviors. The changes and threats involved also provoke emotional responses in the patients but also in their romantic partners. This study aims at exploring the ways of emotional co-regulation that couples facing multimorbidity express when interviewed together. Method: N = 15 opposite sex couples with one multimorbid patient after an acute health crisis that led to hospitalization were asked in a semi-structured interview about how they found ways to deal with the health situation, what they would recommend to other couples in a similar situation, and how they regulated their emotional responses. Interviews were analyzed qualitatively following open, axial, and selective coding, as in the grounded theory framework. Results: Emerging categories from the romantic partners' and the patients' utterances revealed three main categories: First, overlapping cognitive appraisals about the situation (from fighting spirit to fatalism) and we-ness (construing the couple self as a unit) emerged as higher order factor from the utterances. Second, relationshiprelated strategies including strategies aimed at maintaining high relationship quality in spite of the asymmetric situation like strengthening the common ground and balancing autonomy and equity in the couple were often mentioned. Third, some couples mentioned how they benefit from individual strategies that involve fostering individual resources of the partners outside the couple relationship (such as cultivating relationships with grandchildren or going outdoors to nature). Discussion: Results underline the importance of a dyadic perspective not only on coping with disease but also on regulating the emotional responses to this shared challenging situation. The utterances of the couples were in line with earlier conceptualizations of interpersonal emotion regulation and dyadic perspectives on we-disease. They broaden the view by integrating the interplay between individual and interpersonal regulation strategies and underline the importance of balancing individual and relational resources when supporting couples faced with chronic diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uncertainty over what the future holds can be a source of anxiety and worry, and people use a variety of coping strategies in response to this distress. However, limited research has examined whether and how interpersonal factors might influence how exactly people choose to cope with uncertainty. In the current studies, we explore how perceptions of a romantic partner's strategy-specific support behaviors (e.g., support for bracing for the worst, support for maintaining optimism) relate to the coping strategies used by the person facing stressful uncertainty. Study 1 recruited doctoral students on the academic job market and found that those on the job market (support recipient) reported greater use of particular coping strategies to the extent that they perceived their partner (support provider) as supporting the use of that coping strategy. In Study 2, we built on those findings by recruiting law school graduates and their romantic partners as they awaited the law graduate's bar exam result. We largely replicated the pattern of findings from Study 1 when looking at law graduates' perceptions of their partner's support attempts; however, partners' reports of their support efforts were unassociated how law graduates coped, despite finding no mean-level differences between the two parties' perceptions of support efforts. Further analyses revealed that, depending on the coping strategy, either partners' own coping efforts or their perceptions of the law graduate's coping efforts predicted the type of support they provided. We discuss implications of these findings for relationship functioning and interpersonal support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The ability of adolescents to regulate their emotions and take advantage of their parents' guidance may affect how they experience their transition to adulthood and their tendency to develop current and future mental health problems. The present study had two aims; first, to test the effectiveness of interpersonal emotion- regulation (ER) compared to self-ER. Second, to examine how interaction between parent/adolescent anxiety influences the effectiveness of interpersonal compared to self-ER. Methods: 39 couples of parents (13 males; 26 females, 39–61 years of age) and adolescents (17 males; 22 females, 13–18 years of age) participated in the study. Adolescents viewed negative emotional images with low or high intensity. For each image, they were instructed to either choose and apply a regulatory strategy (i.e., self ER) or to apply a regulatory strategy chosen by their parents (i.e., interpersonal ER). Results: It was found that in low anxiety parents- low anxiety adolescents, the effectiveness of self and interpersonal ER were equal. In low-anxiety parents- high-anxiety adolescents, on the other hand, there was a significant advantage to interpersonal compared to self-ER. In high-anxiety parents, there was a significant advantage to self, compared to interpersonal ER in reducing distress, independent of the level of anxiety experienced by the adolescent. Conclusions: The study has significant clinical implications, providing a behavioral tool to decrease distress in highly anxious individuals during the challenging times of pre-adulthood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Insecure attachment is predictive of depression and emotion regulation is largely recognized as a mediator of such association. Despite the ability to refer to the social context to regulate emotions can be considered as a key aspect of depressive dynamics, most studies focused on intrapersonal forms of emotion regulation neglecting its interpersonal forms. In the present study, we investigated the role of interpersonal emotion regulation (IER) as mediator of the association between attachment insecurity and depression. Methods: Data were collected from 630 adults using scales assessing individual differences in the use of IER strategies, IER difficulties, attachment orientations, and depression symptoms. We tested the correlations between the considered variables and, additionally, a latent structural equation model was tested to determine the mediating role of IER in the relationship between attachment (anxiety and avoidance) and depression. Results: Positive associations between the use of IER and anxious attachment, and negative associations with avoidant attachment were found. Depression symptoms were significantly predicted by difficulties in IER (Venting and Reassurance-Seek), but not by IER strategies. The mediation analyses showed that attachment insecurity statistically predicted depression, mediated by IER difficulties. Conclusions: These results account for increasing risk of depression due to a vicious cycle in which anxious attached individuals use venting and reassurance-seek with the aim of decreasing their negative emotions, but reach the opposite result of exacerbating negative moods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IntroductionBeing faced with multimorbidity (i.e., being diagnosed with at least two chronic conditions), is not only demanding in terms of following complicated medical regimes and changing health behaviors. The changes and threats involved also provoke emotional responses in the patients but also in their romantic partners. This study aims at exploring the ways of emotional co-regulation that couples facing multimorbidity express when interviewed together.MethodN = 15 opposite sex couples with one multimorbid patient after an acute health crisis that led to hospitalization were asked in a semi-structured interview about how they found ways to deal with the health situation, what they would recommend to other couples in a similar situation, and how they regulated their emotional responses. Interviews were analyzed qualitatively following open, axial, and selective coding, as in the grounded theory framework.ResultsEmerging categories from the romantic partners’ and the patients’ utterances revealed three main categories: First, overlapping cognitive appraisals about the situation (from fighting spirit to fatalism) and we-ness (construing the couple self as a unit) emerged as higher order factor from the utterances. Second, relationship-related strategies including strategies aimed at maintaining high relationship quality in spite of the asymmetric situation like strengthening the common ground and balancing autonomy and equity in the couple were often mentioned. Third, some couples mentioned how they benefit from individual strategies that involve fostering individual resources of the partners outside the couple relationship (such as cultivating relationships with grandchildren or going outdoors to nature).DiscussionResults underline the importance of a dyadic perspective not only on coping with disease but also on regulating the emotional responses to this shared challenging situation. The utterances of the couples were in line with earlier conceptualizations of interpersonal emotion regulation and dyadic perspectives on we-disease. They broaden the view by integrating the interplay between individual and interpersonal regulation strategies and underline the importance of balancing individual and relational resources when supporting couples faced with chronic diseases.