Emotional dysregulation in adults: The influence of rumination and negative secondary appraisals of emotion
Elif Beyza Koş Yalvaç, Keith Gaynor
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Emotional dysregulation is commonly discussed as a transdiagnostic factor in clinical populations. The present study aims to investigate cognitive factors (rumination and negative appraisals of emotion) in the maintenance of emotional dysregulation in a normative sample in order to partially validate a cognitive model of emotional dysregulation and to examine the potential clinical relevance of addressing cognitive factors in the treatment of emotional dysregulation. METHODS: People who were 18 or older were asked to participate via a university research system and social media. Participants (N = 216) were asked to fill out online surveys regarding emotional dysregulation, rumination and negative secondary appraisals of emotion. RESULTS: People who had higher emotional dysregulation levels displayed a greater tendency to ruminate and were more prone to negative secondary appraisals of emotion. There was a positive association between rumination and negative secondary appraisals of emotion, and this association was mediated by emotional dysregulation. LIMITATIONS: The present study was solely based on self-report measurements and the collected data were cross-sectional. CONCLUSIONS: The present study showed that a wide spectrum of experiences of emotional dysregulation occurred in a normative sample. The significant mediation highlighted the maintaining role of rumination and negative appraisals in emotional dysregulation. These data highlight the importance of addressing cognitive factors in emotional dysregulation.