Emotion regulation in older adulthood: roles of executive functioning and social relationships

ABSTRACT

Although emotion regulation (ER) is often maintained or even enhanced in older adulthood, resources used to promote ER in later life are not well understood. The current study examined how executive functioning (EF) and social relationships are related to ER in older adults (N=90; Age: M=74.98, SD=5.41). Results showed associations between higher shifting performance (a behavioral index of EF) and higher use of cognitive reappraisal, an ER strategy. This effect was moderated by social relationships, such that those with lower shifting performance reported higher levels of reappraisal in the presence of positive social relationships. Positive social relationships were also associated with lower use of expressive suppression, another ER strategy. Additional analyses did not reveal associations between ER and other cognitive domains. These findings contribute to current understandings of how cognitive and social resources contribute to ER in older adulthood and provide important potential future research and intervention targets.

KEYWORDS:

• Emotion-regulation
• executive functioning
• social relationships
• aging
• older adult

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health Predoctoral Training Grant (T32-GM108540) to A.I.R. and M.K.J.; a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program grant (award number: 1546595) to M.K.J.; and by a grant from NIH/NIA (AG 046539) to N.L.D.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health [AG 046539,T32-GM108540]; National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program [1546595].