An examination of trait, spontaneous and instructed emotion regulation in dysphoria

Abstract

Depression is thought to be characterised by impaired emotion regulation, although the mechanisms of that regulation are not yet well understood. The present study examined trait, spontaneous and instructed emotion regulation in dysphoric (n = 66) and non-dysphoric (n = 86) participants. Participants were randomly assigned to use reappraisal while watching a sadness-inducing film clip (instructed emotion regulation condition) or were not given specific viewing instructions (spontaneous emotion regulation condition). Participants also completed trait measures of emotion regulation. Dysphoric individuals reported greater spontaneous use of rumination and suppression than non-dysphoric individuals, and these strategies were associated with greater negative emotional reactivity to the sadness-inducing film clip. Both participant groups were able to effectively use reappraisal when instructed to do so. The clinical implications of these findings and future research directions are discussed.

Keywords:

• Emotion regulation
• Dysphoria
• Depression
• Reappraisal
• Rumination
• Suppression

This research was supported by a Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada awarded to the first author.

This research was supported by a Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada awarded to the first author.

Notes

¹ Information about the full study protocol, including the computer tasks and additional questionnaires, can be obtained by contacting the first author.

² Video can be viewed at http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=81NeQJWGYJY.

³ Four participants in the dysphoric group and one participant in the non-dysphoric group had missing data on the online self-report measures and were excluded from these analyses.

⁴ The PANAS-NA was not administered at post-recovery.

⁵ The PANAS-NA was not administered at post-recovery.