Search

Background: Emotional dysregulation affects up to two-thirds of adult patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and is increasingly seen as a core ADHD symptom that is clinically associated with greater functional impairment and psychiatric comorbidity. We sought to investigate emotional dysregulation in ADHD and explored its neural underpinnings. Methods: We studied emotion induction and regulation in a clinical cohort of adult patients with ADHD before and after a stimulant challenge. We compared patients with age- and gender-matched healthy controls using behavioural, structural, and functional measures. We hypothesized that patients would demonstrate aberrant emotion processing compared with healthy controls, and sought to find whether this could be normalized by stimulant medication. Results: Behaviourally, the ADHD group showed reduced emotion induction and regulation capacity. Brain imaging revealed abberant activation and deactivation patterns during emotion regulation, lower grey-matter volume in limbic and paralimbic areas, and greater grey-matter volume in visual and cerebellar areas, compared with healthy controls. The behavioural and functional deficits seen in emotion induction and regulation in the ADHD group were not normalized by stimulant medication. Conclusion: Patients with ADHD may have impaired emotion induction and emotion regulation capacity, but these deficits are not reversed by stimulant medication. These results have important clinical implications when assessing which aspects of emotional dysregulation are relevant for patients and if and how traditional ADHD pharmacotherapy affects emotion induction and emotion regulation., Introduction Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neuro-developmental disorder that persists later in life and affects around 2.5% of adults. (1,2) The core symptoms of ADHD include inattention and impulsivity or [...]

Effectively responding to children's noncompliance and/or temper tantrums can be challenging for parents. It is even more challenging in the context of parents' own need to regulate their emotions. Recent reviews emphasized the role of parents' emotion regulation abilities in children's mental health. The present study aims to investigate two sequential mediation models of the relationship between authoritarian parenting style, parental practices, and children's externalizing problems, by examining the mediating role of rational/irrational parental beliefs regarding child noncompliance, parental emotion regulation strategies, and parental distress. Participants (N = 238) are parents of children (ages 2-8) identified as having elevated levels of noncompliance and/or temper tantrum behaviors. We examined the two sequential mediation models via path analyses. Authoritarian parenting style was significantly and positively associated with parental irrational beliefs, parental emotion regulation difficulties, parental distress, harsh and inconsistent parental practices, and children's externalizing problems. Our results support both models of mediation, with the model investigating the link between authoritarian parenting style and parental practices indicating a better fit. This study offers a better understanding of the emotional and cognitive parental mechanisms involved in children's externalizing problems and the use of parenting practices. Implications of the findings are discussed considering the development of innovative and focused parental interventions for targeting specific interpersonal, emotional and cognitive mechanisms in the case of parents who deal with children's noncompliance and/or temper tantrum behaviors., Author(s): Georgiana Maria Roòca [sup.1] , Ioana Alexandra Iuga [sup.1] [sup.3] , Oana Alexandra David [sup.2] [sup.3] Author Affiliations: (1) https://ror.org/02rmd1t30, grid.7399.4, 0000 0004 1937 1397, Evidence-Based Psychological Assessment and [...]

The purpose of the present study is to examine the mediating role of emotion dysregulation in the association between family relational problems and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) in a sample of American and Taiwanese college students. The current study also tested whether this mediation model was moderated by culture. A total of 723 college students (324 Americans, 399 Taiwanese) completed questionnaires assessing family relational problems, emotion dysregulation and NSSI. Results revealed that emotion dysregulation partially mediated the association between family relational problems and NSSI and this indirect effect was moderated by culture, such that the association between family relational problems and emotion dysregulation was stronger for U.S. than Taiwanese college students. The findings contribute to our understanding of the role of culture in crucial factors for NSSI and highlight the necessity of considering cultural context in prevention and intervention programs for NSSI., Author(s): Yun-Jy Yeh [sup.1] , William Tsai [sup.2] , Jyun-Hong Chen [sup.3] , Sasha Kimel [sup.4] Author Affiliations: (1) https://ror.org/05t8y2r12, grid.263761.7, 0000 0001 0198 0694, Department of Psychology, Soochow University, [...]

Dark Triad has been found to relate with depressive symptoms, but the underlying mechanism was rarely investigated. In the present study, we examined the mediating effect of two emotion regulation strategies (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) and the moderating effect of gender and age. 709 Chinese adolescents aged 12-18 years (M = 14.54, SD = 1.70;55.3% girls) filled out the Dirty Dozen, Emotion Regulation Questionnaire and the 10-item of Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. As expected, Dark Triad was related with increased levels of depression and emotion regulation strategies acted as mediators in these associations. Suppression mediated the relationship between Machiavellianism and depression. Reappraisal and suppression mediated the link between psychopathy and depression. Reappraisal mediated the association between narcissism and depression. Besides, age moderated the effect of Machiavellianism on reappraisal, suggesting Machiavellianism had a negative impact on reappraisal for younger adolescents, but not for older adolescents. Age also moderated the effect of reappraisal on depression, indicating the negative effect of reappraisal on depression was stronger for younger adolescents than for older adolescents. These results address how Dark Triad traits affect depression via emotion regulation strategies and indicate the effectiveness of Dark Triad and emotion regulation strategies may change across age groups., Author(s): Ke Shen [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) Henan Police College, , 450001, Zhengzhou, China Introduction Depression is characterized by sustained negative affect, which not only has adverse effects on individual's [...]

The role of childhood parental practices in long-term mental health problems is well-documented. However, recent developmental perspectives suggest that parenting strategies exerted during adolescence play a crucial role in shaping adolescents' emotion regulation (ER), a role which may hold the key to our understanding on how parenting relates to adolescent psychopathology. This study set out to investigate specific links between perceived parenting practices (emotional warmth, rejection, and control), adolescents' use of cognitive ER strategies when encountering negative situations, and adolescence-related symptomatology (internalizing, externalizing symptoms, social interaction disturbances) in a sample of 16- to 18-year-olds (N = 197). Findings showed that: (1) parental emotional warmth was directly linked to adolescents' lower symptomatology across all indices of psychopathology, (2) heightened control was indirectly linked to higher levels of adolescent internalizing symptoms, through its positive relationship to greater use of cognitive maladaptive ER strategies, (3) parental rejection was indirectly linked to adolescents': (a) social interaction disturbances through both its negative relationship to greater use of adaptive ER, and its positive association with maladaptive ER strategies, (b) externalizing problems, via its positive relation with adolescents' use of maladaptive cognitive ER strategies. Thus, findings suggest that while parental emotional warmth appears to be a substantial protective factor in adolescent mental health, by engaging in dysfunctional (harsh, invalidating, or controlling) rearing practices, parents may maladaptively shape adolescents' cognitive response to negative information which, in turn, may increase their susceptibility to internalizing, externalizing, and social interaction issues. Implications for intervention and mental health policy makers are discussed., Author(s): Eva Kallay [sup.1] , Lavinia Cheie [sup.2] [sup.3] Author Affiliations: (1) https://ror.org/02rmd1t30, grid.7399.4, 0000 0004 1937 1397, Department of Psychology, Babeò-Bolyai University, , Republicii Street, no. 37, 400015, Cluj-Napoca, [...]

This study aimed to examine the direct relationship between negative family expressiveness and internalizing problems, as well as the mediating roles of emotional clarity and emotion dysregulation. A sample of Chinese families (N = 499) comprising adolescents and their parents was included. Parents completed the Family Expressiveness Questionnaire, while adolescents completed the Strengths and the Difficulties Questionnaire, the Trait Meta-Mood Scale, and the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. The results indicated that negative family expressiveness had a direct connection with internalizing problems. Moreover, negative family expressiveness had an indirect association with internalizing problems through the sequential mediating roles of emotional clarity and emotion dysregulation. These findings enhanced the understanding of the mechanism of internalizing problems and provided new perspectives for the prevention and treatment of internalizing problems among adolescents., Author(s): Cheng Chen [sup.1] , Fangfang Chen [sup.2] , Xinchun Liu [sup.3] [sup.4] , Jinhua Tao [sup.1] , Mingfei Wu [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) https://ror.org/05fsfvw79, grid.440646.4, 0000 0004 1760 6105, [...]

In the present study, we explored the relationships between attachment styles, reflective functioning, and dimensions of emotion regulation in mothers of children diagnosed with combined type of ADHD. Participants were 336 mothers, 168 with children diagnosed with ADHD and 168 with children without any diagnosis. Preliminary results showed that mothers of children with ADHD had slightly lower levels of reflective functioning and cognitive reappraisal than mothers of children without ADHD did. Moreover, mothers of children with ADHD reported lower levels of secure attachment and a slightly higher levels of dismissing and anxious attachment than mothers of children without ADHD did. Focusing on the group of mothers of children with ADHD, the results showed that anxious and dismissing attachments were negatively associated with reflective functioning and that cognitive reappraisal partially mediated the relationship between the two attachment styles (anxious and dismissing) and reflective functioning. Theoretical and practical implications are provided., Author(s): Ugo Pace [sup.1] , Giulio D'Urso [sup.1] , Caterina Buzzai [sup.1] , Alessia Passanisi [sup.1] , Carla Zappulla [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) https://ror.org/04vd28p53, grid.440863.d, 0000 0004 0460 360X, University [...]

Emotion regulation has been a central research topic in developmental psychology and psychopathology for several decades. Habitual use of adaptive (e.g., cognitive reappraisal) or maladaptive strategies (e.g., expressive suppression) may influence psychosocial adjustment in children and adolescents. Despite consensus on the influence of culture on emotion regulation, little is known about cultural differences in emotion regulation in children and adolescents. In this study, the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents (ERQ-CA) was used and tested for its measurement invariance between Chinese and German children and adolescents. Cultural similarities and differences in the use of cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression were examined, as well as the associations of these strategies with behavior problems and prosocial behavior. The sample consisted of 765 Chinese and 431 German students (M.sub.age = 12.46 years, SD = 1.12). Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis revealed partial scalar measurement invariance of the ERQ-CA. A latent mean comparison showed more frequent use of both strategies in Chinese compared to German students. The results of the multi-group structural equation model showed similar patterns of relationships between emotion regulation strategies and youth behavior across groups. Cognitive reappraisal was associated with fewer behavior problems and more prosocial behavior, whereas expressive suppression was related to more behavior problems. In summary, the current findings indicate that the ERQ-CA allows comparisons of emotion regulation between Chinese and German children and adolescents. Furthermore, the relevance of the cultural context for emotion regulation and the promotion of adaptive regulation strategies is highlighted., Author(s): Ziwen Teuber [sup.1] , Sophia Schreiber [sup.1] , Jana-Elisa Rueth [sup.1] , Arnold Lohaus [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) https://ror.org/02hpadn98, grid.7491.b, 0000 0001 0944 9128, Department of Psychology, Bielefeld University, [...]

While literature maintained a strong association between emotion regulation skills and suicidal behavior, relatively less is known as to what extent this relationship goes through different dimensions of perceived social support. The purpose of the present study is to examine the possible mediator role of divergent aspects of perceived social support (family, friends, and significant other) in the relationship between difficulties in emotion regulation and suicide tendency. Conveniently selected 641 college students (430 female, 211 male) living in the different regions of Turkey constituted the sample of the present study. The findings indicated that perceived family, friends, and significant other support mediated the relationship between difficulties in emotion regulation and suicide tendency, with perceived family support being the strongest mediator. The entire model explained 51% of the variance in suicide tendency among college students. Regarding suicide tendency, males reported significantly higher scores than females. Our findings underscore that although difficulties in emotion regulation posed a significant risk factor for suicide tendency, perceived social support from family, friends, and significant other remained resilience factors that highlight the need to promote university students' social support systems., Author(s): Berkan Demir [sup.1] , Zeynep Hatipoglu Sümer [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.449350.f, 0000 0004 0369 647X, Department of Educational Sciences, Bartin University, , Kutlubeyyazicilar, 74100, Bartin, Turkey (2) grid.6935.9, [...]

Due to the high rate of comorbidity of social anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder, this study aimed to examine the mediation effect of depressive symptoms on the association between emotion regulation, negative self-evaluation, and social anxiety symptoms. The population of this study consisted of all students of the Faculty of Architecture, Islamic Azad University. The sample included 284 of the students based on convenience sampling method. Depressive symptoms were measured by Beck Depression Inventory-II (Beck et al., 1996 (See CR7)), emotion regulation was measured by Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (Garnefski et al., Personality and Individual Differences, 30(8), 1311-1327, 2001 (See CR29)), social anxiety was measured by Social Phobia Inventory (Connor et al., Depression and Anxiety, 14(2), 137-140, 2001 (See CR23)) and, negative self-evaluation was measured by Consequences of Negative Social Events Questionnaire (Wilson and Rapee, Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 19(3), 245-274, 2005 (See CR84)). We used Path analysis to test the significance of mediation. The result of the study indicated that the direct and indirect effects of all maladaptive emotion regulation strategies, negative self-evaluation and evaluation from the others', and depression components on social anxiety symptoms components was positive and significant.From these results, we conclude that high levels of depressive symptoms accompanied by high levels of maladaptive emotion regulation and high levels of negative self-evaluation can lead to increased social anxiety symptoms. The theoretical and practical issues have been discussed., Author(s): Sima Haji Ali Akbari Mehrizi [sup.1] , Omid Amani [sup.2] , Atefe Mohamadi Feyzabadi [sup.3] , Zoha Ebrahimi Baye Kolae [sup.4] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.444893.6, 0000 0001 0701 9423, [...]

Interoception, a multifaceted concept defined as the perception of internal bodily signals, is crucially involved in mental health in general and in emotion regulation in particular, being interoceptive sensibility (IS) one of the most studied interoceptive processes. The main objective of this study was to explore the relationships between IS and emotion regulation processes, analyzing the role of the eight IS dimensions assessed by the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness-2 (MAIA-2) in alexithymia, emotion dysregulation, and depression. Additionally, this study also aimed to validate the MAIA-2 in a Spanish sample. To do so, 391 healthy adults, native Peninsular Spanish speakers (61.0% women, M.sub.age = 29.00, SD.sub.age = 11.40), completed the MAIA-2 and other self-reported questionnaires to measure alexithymia, emotion dysregulation, and depressive symptoms. Results showed that lower scores on the IS dimensions that involve an accepting attitude toward the bodily signals (e.g., not-worrying) were related to alexithymia and emotion dysregulation, which, in turn, predicted depression. Moreover, the eight-factor structure of the MAIA-2 was confirmed with acceptable fit indices. This study highlights the multidimensional nature of the IS and the relevance of IS dimensions that involve a positive appraisal of the body in regulating emotions., Author(s): Lorena Desdentado [sup.1] [sup.2] [sup.3] , Marta Miragall [sup.2] [sup.3] , Roberto Llorens [sup.4] [sup.5] , Rosa María Baños [sup.1] [sup.2] [sup.3] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.5338.d, 0000 0001 2173 [...]

The psychological phenomenon of Parental Burnout (PB) results from an imbalance between continuous exposure to chronic parenting stress and available coping resources. The study's aim was to examine relationships between mothers' perceived burden of treatment and PB, and their ability to utilize emotion work (EW) as a psychological coping resource. Ninety-eight Israeli mothers (46 had children with special needs with disabilities-W-SND, and 52 had children without special needs-WO-SN) completed questionnaires assessing their perception of burden of treatment, EW and PB. According to the findings, mothers of children W-SND reported significantly higher PB, a higher perceived burden of treatment and deeper EW than mothers of children WO-SN. Additionally, among all the mothers, a positive significant correlation was found between perceived burden of treatment and PB, while among mothers of children W-SND, positive correlations were found between their perceived burden of treatment and deep EW, and between deep EW and PB. These findings suggest that among mothers of children W-SND, PB is related to their perception of the burden of treatment and to performing deep EW. Additional psychological, cultural and environmental factors should be investigated, in order to gain new perspectives regarding PB as a psychological phenomenon that affects parenting and the ability to utilize coping mechanisms for mothers generally and for mothers of children W-SND especially., Author(s): Yifat Findling [sup.1] , Sivia Barnoy [sup.2] , Michal Itzhaki [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.22098.31, 0000 0004 1937 0503, Nursing Department, Ashkelon Academic College, , Ashkelon, Israel (2) grid.12136.37, [...]

The current 6-month follow-up study investigated 1) the relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at baseline (T1), trauma centrality and two types of cognitive emotion regulation (CER) at 3-month follow-up (T2), and psychiatric co-morbidity and posttraumatic growth (PTG) at 6-month follow-up (T3), 2) whether trauma centrality at T2 would mediate the impact of initial PTSD on psychiatric co-morbidity and PTG at T3, and 3) whether the two types of CER at T2 (i.e., adaptive CER and maladaptive CER) would respectively mediate the effect of initial PTSD on psychiatric co-morbidity and PTG at T3. Seven hundred and fifty-seven traumatized Chinese adolescents (Male = 400, Female = 357) from two secondary schools participated in the study and completed a demographic page, the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5, the Centrality of Events Scale, the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, the General Health Questionnaire-28, the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, and the Educational Stress Scale for Adolescents. After controlling for demographic variables and academic stress, PTSD at baseline was positively associated with trauma centrality at T2, two types of CER at T2, and PTG at T3, but negatively related to psychiatric co-morbidity at T3. Trauma centrality at T2 did not mediate the impact of initial PTSD on psychiatric co-morbidity and PTG at T3. Both types of cognitive emotion regulation at T2 (i.e., adaptive CER and maladaptive CER) respectively mediated the effect of initial PTSD on PTG at T3 and but not that on psychiatric co-morbidity at T3. Following past trauma, Chinese adolescents might experience psychological distress as well as positive changes over time. These traumatic outcomes could be affected by adolescents' thinking patterns about trauma, as opposed to by their concept of self. Adaptive thinking patterns promoted the positive effect of trauma onto personal growth, whereas the maladaptive patterns impaired the development of growth., Author(s): Na Wang [sup.1] , Man Cheung Chung [sup.2] , Fangsong Liu [sup.3] , Yabing Wang [sup.4] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.10784.3a, 0000 0004 1937 0482, Department of Educational Psychology, The [...]

The COVID-19 pandemic is increasing negative consequences on mental health around the globe. To date, research on what psychological factors could influence individuals' distress is still scarce. The current study aims to test a multiple mediation model to examine the role of Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU) and emotional regulation (i.e., expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal) as joint factors, which can increase understanding of psychological distress due to the COVID-19 outbreak. An online survey measuring fear of COVID-19, IU, emotional regulation, and psychological distress was administered to 3863 Italian adults (females 73.3%; M.sub.age = 36.44; SD = 14.74) during lockdown. Results showed that IU partially mediated the effect of fear of COVID-19 on depression, anxiety and stress. Moreover, individuals with difficulties in managing the uncertainties due to their fear of COVID-19 may be at risk for heightened use of expressive suppression and depression. However, individuals with both higher IU and expressive suppression showed lower level of stress. High cognitive reappraisal has a mediational effect on the relationship between fear of COVID-19, IU, and lower psychological distress. Findings suggest that IU and emotional regulation should be targeted for informing the development of tailored treatments to reduce the negative consequences of the outbreak., Author(s): Salvatore Gullo [sup.1] , Omar Carlo Gioacchino Gelo [sup.2] [sup.3] , Giulia Bassi [sup.4] [sup.5] , Gianluca Lo Coco [sup.1] , Gloria Lagetto [sup.3] , Giovanna Esposito [sup.6] , [...]

Although the COVID-19 crisis is a worldwide threat to individuals' physical health and psychological well-being, not all people are equally susceptible to increased ill-being. One potentially important factor in individuals' vulnerability (versus resilience) to ill-being in the face of stress is emotion regulation. On the basis of Self-Determination Theory, this study examined the role of three emotion regulation styles in individuals' mental health during the COVID-19 crisis, that is, integration, suppression, and dysregulation. Participants were 6584 adults (77% female, M.sub.age = 45.16 years) who filled out well-validated measures of emotion regulation, depression, anxiety, life satisfaction, and sleep quality. To examine naturally occurring combinations of emotion regulation strategies, hierarchical k-means clustering was performed, yielding 3 profiles: (a) low scores on all strategies (indicating rather low overall levels of worry; 27%), (b) high scores on integration only (41%), and (c) high scores on suppression and dysregulation (32%). Participants in the profiles scoring high on suppression and dysregulation displayed a less favorable pattern of outcomes (high ill-being, low life satisfaction, and poorer sleep quality) compared to the other two groups. Between-cluster differences remained significant even when taking into account the corona-related worries experienced by people. Overall, the findings underscore the important role of emotion regulation in individuals' mental health during mentally challenging periods such as the COVID-19 crisis. Practical implications and directions for future research are discussed., Author(s): Joachim Waterschoot [sup.1] , Sofie Morbée [sup.1] , Branko Vermote [sup.1] , Katrijn Brenning [sup.1] , Nele Flamant [sup.1] , Maarten Vansteenkiste [sup.1] , Bart Soenens [sup.1] Author Affiliations: [...]

The current study examined the mediating roles of emotion regulation strategies (i.e., cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) and resilience in the relationship between perceived parental support and depressive symptoms among college students during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in China. A large sample of Chinese college students (N = 2, 423) participated in this investigation. Results indicated that perceived parental support was negatively related to depressive symptoms. The two emotion regulation strategies and resilience partially and serially mediated the relation between perceived parental support and depressive symptoms. Theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed., Author(s): Baojuan Ye [sup.1] , Shunying Zhao [sup.1] , Yadi Zeng [sup.1] , Chuansheng Chen [sup.2] , Yanzhen Zhang [sup.3] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.411862.8, 0000 0000 8732 9757, Center of [...]

This study sheds light on the extent to which the five facets of mindfulness (observing, describing, acting with awareness, nonjudging, and nonreactivity), decentering, and reappraisal predict psychological distress via emotion regulation difficulties. The study sample is comprised of 620 undergraduate students (429 females and 191 males). The participants' ages range between 18 and 30 years (M.sub.age = 21.88, SD = 1.68). Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was employed to test the proposed model, which explained 57% of the total variance in psychological distress. According to the results, we conclude that decentering is indirectly associated with psychological distress, while neither a direct nor an indirect relationship was found between reappraisal and psychological distress. The various dimensions of mindfulness, describing, nonjudging, and nonreactivity, were indirectly related to psychological distress via emotion regulation difficulties. Both direct and indirect associations between acting with awareness and psychological distress were observed. These results reveal that decentering, describing, acting with awareness, nonreactivity, and nonjudging are significantly related to psychological distress through emotion regulation difficulties. Individuals who had higher decentering, acting with awareness, non-reactivity, and non-judging scores were less likely to report psychological distress, which was also associated with fewer emotion regulation difficulties. We discuss our results within the framework of the psychological distress literature and provide potential implications of these conclusions for future research and practice., Author(s): Fatma Zehra Ünlü Kaynakçi [sup.1] , Oya Yerin Güneri [sup.2] [sup.3] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.411822.c, 0000 0001 2033 6079, Department of Educational Sciences, Guidance and Psychological Counseling, Eregli Faculty [...]

Although Postpartum Depression affects many women and often has comorbidity with anxiety symptoms, little is known about the evolution of depression/anxiety symptoms over time and the factors that can influence that. The associations between emotion regulation difficulties and psychopathological symptoms have been studied, however, there are scarce longitudinal studies in the postpartum period that analyse the role of these difficulties in these symptoms over time. The main goal of this study was to characterize the depression and anxiety symptoms of mothers with high risk for Postpartum Depression over the postpartum period (from 3/4 months until 9/11 months postpartum), and to understand the role of emotion regulation difficulties in the evolution of these symptoms. A sample of 156 mothers with high risk for Postpartum Depression participated in a longitudinal online survey (three different assessment moments - 3/4 months postpartum, 5/6 months postpartum and 9/11 months postpartum), containing several assessment instruments that evaluated different constructs (e.g., depressive, anxiety symptoms, emotion regulation difficulties). Our study showed a reduction of depressive symptoms from 3/4 to 5/6 months postpartum. Approximately 30% of mothers showed comorbid depressive and anxious symptoms. Emotion regulation difficulties related significantly with depressive and anxious symptoms in each assessment moment, but not configured as mediators in the relation between these symptoms. These results emphasized the importance of early intervention in mothers with high risk for Postpartum Depression, the importance to not neglect the anxious and comorbid symptoms and highlight the importance of interventions based on transdiagnostic approaches., Author(s): Catarina Cardoso [sup.1] , Ana Fonseca [sup.1] [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.8051.c, 0000 0000 9511 4342, University of Coimbra, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, , Coimbra, Portugal (2) [...]

University students have to face many challenges including different social and educational settings, these changes can negatively affect their performance and develop symptoms of anxiety. Mindfulness and cognitive emotion regulation can be considered as key factors in getting awareness about one's weakness and ability to improve it. Therefore, the present research aimed to explore the relationship between mindfulness and anxiety among students. Further, moderating role of adaptive and maladaptive emotion regulation(ER) strategy was investigated in the relationship between mindfulness and anxiety. A convenient sample of 210 students including both male (104) and female (106) age ranged between 18 to 26 years was drawn from various universities. The Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), Mood and Anxiety Symptom Questionnaire (MASQ), and Cognitive Emotional Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ) were used to measure the variables under study. Correlational analysis indicated a negative relationship of mindfulness with anxiety and adaptive CER strategy whereas anxiety has a positive relationship with maladaptive CER. Furthermore, interactive effect showed moderating role of adaptive and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies in relation with mindfulness and anxiety. Results revealed that maladaptive CER are considered as contributing factors as they lead to higher level of anxiety when combine with low level of mindfulness. Moreover, it was also suggestive fact that less use of adaptive CER strengthens the negative relationship between mindfulness and anxiety leading towards anxiety symptoms. Implications and suggestions have also been discussed., Author(s): Sadia Malik [sup.1] , Aisha Perveen [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.412782.a, 0000 0004 0609 4693, Department of Psychology, University of Sargodha, , Sargodha, Pakistan Introduction Students' mental health has [...]

The present study tested the impact of family context on psychological functioning and its mediating and moderating variables in a sample of Filipino emerging adults who have been exposed to Typhoon Haiyan. Particularly, the current study examined the moderating role of trauma type in the indirect effect family functioning (FF) on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms via emotion regulation difficulties (ERD). Trauma-exposed students (N = 324, aged 19-28 years) from various regions devastated by Typhoon Haiyan participated in this study. The mediation analyses demonstrated that out of the six aspects of ERD, nonacceptance of emotional responses (Nonacceptance) and lack of emotional clarity (Clarity) successfully mediated the association between low FF and higher PTSD scores. Subsequent moderated mediation analysis showed that Typhoon Haiyan survivors with additional exposure to interpersonal trauma showed higher levels of PTSD symptoms from the indirect impact of unhealthy family functioning via difficulties in accepting negative emotional responses. This study demonstrates the continued relationship of family functioning and psychological adjustment occurring in emerging adulthood and suggests the role of trauma type as a potential contextual factor in further understanding the relationship between emotion regulation difficulties and PTSD symptoms. Empirical contributions and clinical implications are discussed., Author(s): Michael C. Pan [sup.1] [sup.2] , Eunjoo Yang [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.222754.4, 0000 0001 0840 2678, School of Psychology, Korea University, , 145 Anamro Seongbukgu, 02841, Seoul, South [...]

The purpose of the present study was to determine the mediator and moderator roles of difficulty in emotion regulation (DER), repetitive negative thinking (RNT), and emotional invalidation (EI) in the relationship between negative affectivity (NA) and emotional distress. 384 students of University completed the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), Repetitive Negative Thought Questionnaire (RNTQ-10), The Perceived Invalidation of Emotion Scale (PIES), the short version of Adult Temperament Questionnaire (ATQ), and also depression, anxiety and stress questionnaire (DASS-21). The data was then analyzed by AMOS and SPSS software, using the path analysis method. The results of SEM indicated that the Conceptual model of the current study is in a good fit with observed values (CFI = 0.997Ø NFI = 0.998Ø RMSE = 0.077). Path analysis showed that negative affectivity can predict anxiety and depression in both direct and indirect ways with the mediating role of difficulty in emotion regulation and repetitive negative thinking. Furthermore, emotional invalidation moderates the relationship between negative affectivity and emotion regulation. An individual's mood traits and emotional invalidation have been shown to work together to cause anxiety and depression through difficulty in emotion regulation. Furthermore, negative affectivity (NA) Predisposes individuals to be trapped in a repetitive negative thinking cycle which makes them vulnerable to anxiety and depression., Author(s): Shahram Mohammadkhani [sup.1] , Faraz Attar [sup.1] , Mehdi Akbari Author Affiliations: (1) grid.412265.6, 0000 0004 0406 5813, Department of Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Education, Kharazmi University, [...]

Cognitive vulnerability may be a useful predictor of depression, and difficulty in emotion regulation is considered to be a core symptom of depression. The current study aims to examine the role of individual differences in executive dysfunction that predict depressive symptoms and the mediating role of emotion regulation strategies. A total of 1017 Chinese college students (84.0% females, M.sub.age = 20.25) completed the Dysexecutive Questionnaire, Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, and Self-Rating Depression Scale. The results show that (1) executive dysfunction, depressive symptoms, and emotion regulation are significantly correlated, and (2) executive dysfunction has a significant direct effect on depressive symptoms and significant indirect effects on depressive symptoms through reappraisal and expressive suppression. These findings provide new insights into pathways from executive function to depressive symptoms through different emotion regulation strategies, suggesting novel treatment approaches., Author(s): Qi Hui [sup.1] , Chong Yao [sup.1] , Xuqun You [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.412498.2, 0000 0004 1759 8395, Key Laboratory for Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience of Shaanxi Province [...]

This study aimed to examine the associations between perceived stress, coping, emotion dysregulation, affect and psychosomatic symptoms in higher education. Participants were 183 first-year undergraduates (84% female) that completed the Perceived Stress Scale, the Brief-COPE, the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, the PANAS, and the Manifestations of Physical Discomfort Questionnaire. Significant gender differences were found in perceived stress and psychosomatic symptoms (both higher in women), and in coping (emotional vs. humour support strategies higher for women and men, respectively). Process analysis showed that emotion dysregulation partially mediated the association between perceived stress and affect and psychosomatic symptoms. Only positive reframing partially mediated the association between perceived stress and positive affect. Emotion dysregulation seems to play an important role in the development of negative affect and psychosomatic symptoms in higher education students. This could encourage institutions to promote developmental programs targeting emotion regulation to support students in the transition to higher education., Author(s): Ricardo João Teixeira [sup.1] [sup.2] , Tânia Brandão [sup.3] [sup.4] , Artemisa Rocha Dores [sup.5] [sup.6] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.8051.c, 0000 0000 9511 4342, CINEICC, Faculty of Psychology and [...]

Despite theoretical support for the conceptualization of emotion dysregulation as a pathway linking peer victimization to psychopathology, there is a dearth of empirical support for this association. Hence, the present study aims to investigate if emotion dysregulation acts as a mechanism linking peer victimization to social anxiety and comorbid disordered eating symptoms and behavior. Data was collected from 411 undergraduates from a technical institute in India, using self-report instruments. Mediation analyses showed that online victimization exerted its influence on social anxiety and disordered eating through a lack of emotional awareness. These findings may have important clinical implications for preventive interventions that seek to reduce the prevalence of psychopathology among youth confronting peer-related stressors., Author(s): Koninika Mukherjee [sup.1] , Dilwar Hussain [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.417972.e, 0000 0001 1887 8311, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, , 781039, Guwahati, [...]

Emotion dysregulation is considered a central feature of gambling disorder. However, research has mainly focused on the examination of the role played by negative emotional states, neglecting processes related to positive emotionality. Recently, some authors developed a useful tool to measure dysregulation of positive emotions, the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale-Positive (DERS-P), which has been successfully used in a study investigating substance use disorder. The role played by dysregulation of positive emotions in gambling disorder was investigated in order to bridge the gap in the literature. We administered the Impulsive Behavior Scale Short Form (UPPS-P) and the DERS-P to a sample of disordered gamblers (n = 95) using the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) as well as group of non-gamblers or non disordered gamblers (n = 105). We found that disordered gamblers, compared to controls, scored higher on the negative and positive urgency subscale of the UPPS-P as well as on the impulse and non-acceptance subscales of the DERS-P. Moreover, these scales positively correlated with the severity of gambling disorder. However, in a unique model of multiple regression analysis, only the positive urgency dimension was a significant predictor of the SOGS scores. Dysregulation of positive emotions seems to be involved in gambling disorder. Specifically, our study suggested that the difficulty to accept positive emotional states in non-judgmental way accounts for the disorder. However, the proneness to act rashly under the influence of positive emotional states appears to be the stronger predictor of gambling disorder severity in this sample., Author(s): G. Rogier [sup.1] , F. Colombi [sup.1] , P. Velotti [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.7841.a, Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, , Via degli Apuli [...]

Self-discrepancy theory posits that people experience emotional vulnerabilities to specific emotions when they have discrepancies between their actual, ideal and ought selves. The purpose of the current study was to test the effect of self-discrepancies (discrepancies between actual self and ideal, ought, and undesired selves) on depression and anxiety in a Turkish population, and to examine the moderator roles of emotion regulation and resilience in the relationship between self-discrepancies and negative emotions. Data were obtained from 729 participants. Results showed that ideal self-discrepancy is related to depression, but not anxiety. However, contrary to self-discrepancy theory (SDT), it was found that ought self-discrepancy is related to depression, but not anxiety. Additionally, undesired self-discrepancy is related to both depression and anxiety. According to moderation analyses resilience - but not emotion regulation - moderates both the relationships between ideal self-discrepancy and depression and undesired self-discrepancy and depression. Finally, both resilience and emotion regulation moderate the relationship between ought self-discrepancy and anxiety. This study presents an examination of SDT in a Turkish population, which is a relatively understudied non-Western culture. Furthermore, it presents the influence of emotion regulation and resilience on self-discrepancies, which enhances the understanding of SDT., Author(s): Derya Gürcan-Yildirim [sup.1] , Tülin Gençöz [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.411445.1, 0000 0001 0775 759X, Department of Psychology, Atatürk University, , Erzurum, Turkey (2) grid.6935.9, 0000 0001 1881 7391, [...]

COVID-19 pandemic period presents a unique context for the investigation of anxiety symptoms among adolescents and their parents. This study investigated adolescents' and their parents' anxiety symptoms, the effects of parental cyberchondriasis and adolescents' emotion regulation on anxiety symptoms. The sample consisted of 155 adolescents (xÌ = 14.63, SD = 2.04) and one of their parents (N = 155). The results showed that after controlling for adolescents' gender and emotion regulation, parental cyberchondriasis and anxiety accounted for an important variance in adolescents' anxiety. Especially higher parental anxiety and compulsion were associated with higher anxiety, whereas higher distress was associated with lower anxiety. Besides, two dimensions of cyberchondriasis, compulsion, and distress, together with adolescent anxiety, predicted parental anxiety during COVID-19. While compulsion was negatively associated with anxiety, distress, and adolescent anxiety were positively associated with it. The dimensions of cyberchondriasis affected anxiety differently among adolescents and their parents. The results were discussed in terms of the implications for intervention from the ecological viewpoint., Author(s): Gülendam Akgül [sup.1] , Derya Atalan Ergin [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.448653.8, 0000 0004 0384 3548, Çankiri Karatekin University, , Çankiri, Turkey (2) grid.436380.a, 0000 0001 2179 4856, National [...]

It is well documented that emotion regulation difficulties are linked with various forms of psychopathology including anxiety and depression but the literature is still inconclusive regarding whether emotion regulation difficulties are transdiagnostic or pathology-specific. We speculate that certain types of emotion regulation difficulties may be transdiagnostic while others may show specificity. The present study attempts to empirically validate this speculation and tries to explore the common (transdiagnostic) and unique domains of emotion regulation difficulties associated with psychometrically identified subclinical groups of anxious and anxious-depressed individuals. University and college students (N = 192) were assessed on self-report measures of emotion regulation difficulties, positive-negative affect, depression, and trait and free-floating anxiety and classified into anxious, anxious-depressed, and normal groups based on the results of cluster analysis. Both subclinical groups reported overall higher levels of emotion regulation difficulties than normals, with anxious-depressed group showing more difficulties than anxious group. While difficulty engaging in goal-directed behaviour, lack of emotional awareness and emotional clarity were common across anxious and anxious-depressed groups, the anxious-depressed group showed a unique profile of emotion regulation difficulties characterized by non-acceptance of emotional response, impulse control difficulties, and limited access to emotion regulation strategies. Findings of discriminant function analysis revealed that while anxious-depressed group was characterised by difficulties in regulating emotions, the anxious group presented difficulties in emotional insight. The findings highlight the possible role of both unique and transdiagnostic components of emotion regulation difficulties in the development/maintenance of psychopathologies and have significant implications for predicting future development and psychotherapeutic management of these disorders., Author(s): Meenakshi Shukla [sup.1] , Rakesh Pandey [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.411507.6, 0000 0001 2287 8816, Department of Psychology, Banaras Hindu University, , 221005, Varanasi, India Introduction Emotion regulation difficulties [...]

In recent years, numerous terrorist attacks have been perpetrated, inducing a reaction even in people who were not directly exposed. In this scenery, we measured people's blatant dehumanization of Arabs in the aftermath of the attack that took place in Manchester, UK in 2017. The goal of the present work was to assess how dehumanization of a whole group blamed for the attack was influenced by physiological regulation and trait emotional intelligence (trait EI). Further, we measured how this relation changed over time. Participants' trait EI and psychophysiological regulation (as indexed by heart rate variability) were measured, a first time, in the immediate after math of the terrorist attack. After watching a video of the attack, participants were presented with a measure of blatant dehumanization. The same procedure was repeated 2 weeks later. Findings indicated that at Time 1 there was no effect of either physiological regulation or trait EI, as participants showed an overall tendency to dehumanized Arabs. At Time 2, however, dehumanization was predicted by an interaction between physiological regulation and trait EI. Among people displaying high reactivity when watching the video, those with low trait EI had a tendency to dehumanize Arabs more so than those with high trait EI (no significant effect of trait EI was found for people with low reactivity). The contributions of the present work to both theory and social policy are discussed., Author(s): Sara Scrimin [sup.1] , Enrico Rubaltelli [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.5608.b, 0000 0004 1757 3470, Department of Developmental and Socialization Psychology, University of Padova, , Via Venezia, 8, 35131, [...]

Author(s): Lusmenia Garrido-Rojas [sup.1] , Mónica Guzmán-González [sup.2] , Rodolfo Mendoza-Llanos [sup.3] , Diana Rivera-Ottenberger [sup.4] , Paula Contreras-Garay [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.411964.f, 0000 0001 2224 0804, Department of [...], Previous studies have described the increase in depressive symptoms in divorced and separated individuals. However, the factors associated with depression have been little explored in this particular context. The aim of the present study was to assess the degree to which difficulties in emotional regulation are associated with depressive symptomatology in divorced and separated individuals. A sample of 1189 Chilean individuals, separated or divorced, completed self-reported measures of difficulties in emotional regulation and depression. The results obtained allow us to conclude that difficulties in emotional regulation, over other individual factors, such as early risk situations or circumstances of separation, are associated with higher rates of depression in men and women, explaining 41% of the variance of the depressive symptomatology. Emotional regulation difficulties are associated with greater depressive symptomatology in divorced/separated individuals. We discuss the clinical implications of these results, as well as future lines of research.

Author(s): Karol Lewczuk [sup.1] [sup.2] , Dorota Kobylinska [sup.2] , Marta Marchlewska [sup.3] , Magdalena Krysztofiak [sup.2] , Agnieszka Glica [sup.2] , Viktoriia Moiseeva [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.440603.5, 0000 [...], Previous research suggests that insecurely attached individuals may, in some cases, have a higher risk of developing negative health symptoms than securely attached ones. We conducted two studies (Study 1, n = 191; Study 2, n = 216) aimed at broadening this finding. We analysed the relationships between two distinct dimensions of insecure attachment (anxious and avoidant) and several classes of negative physical and mental health symptoms. Additionally, we placed emotion regulation difficulties in the role of potential mediator of these relationships. Our results indicated that both anxious and avoidant attachment were positively related to health symptoms on the level of bivariate correlations. However, when both of them were controlled within one mediation model, it was only attachment anxiety, and not attachment avoidance, that proved to be a significant, positive predictor of most health symptom classes: vegetative, agoraphobic, social phobia symptoms and global symptom severity index (which reflects a broad range of negative health symptoms). These relationships were indeed mediated by emotion regulation difficulties. Our results support the notion that (1) different dimensions of insecure attachment can have differential consequences for physical and mental health, and (2) emotion regulation can be one of the mechanisms that explain the links between attachment and health.

Author(s): Gonca Özyurt [sup.1] , Yusuf Öztürk [sup.2] , Merve Onat [sup.3] , Caner Mutlu [sup.4] , Aynur Akay [sup.5] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.411795.f, 0000 0004 0454 9420, Department of [...], Depression is a common mental health problem in adolescence. In this study it was aimed to investigate attachment properties, emotion regulation skills and anger expression patterns in adolescents diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD) and to compare the results with healthy controls' findings. Effects of having comorbid anxiety disorder (AD) to these psychological properties were also evaluated. The study was planned as three-centered, single-disciplinary, a cross-sectional study with a control group in Turkey. Depression group was consisted of 97 adolescents while control group was 101 adolescents. All participants were administered Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), and State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI). Depression group had statistically lower scores in peer attachment and parent attachment, and higher scores in all subscales of DERS compared to the controls. Due to STAXI, it was observed that depression group obtained statistically significant higher scores in trait anger, repression of anger, expression of anger and statistically lower scores in control of anger, compared the controls. There was no difference in state anger between groups. In depression group, there were no significant differences for any promising psychiatric properties between adolescents with MDD and those with MDD + AD. The findings of this study supported that anger expression and emotional regulation difficulties were related with depression and that this relationship was also associated by attachment security. These findings are important for clinical practice to increase understanding of the association between attachment security, emotion regulation, anger expression and depression.

Author(s): Emilia E. Mikrut [sup.1] , Aliza A. Panjwani [sup.2] , Rebecca Cipollina [sup.3] , Tracey A. Revenson [sup.2] [sup.4] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.264091.8, 0000 0001 1954 7928, Department of [...], Parents of adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer experience distress comparable to other caregiver populations, but remain understudied. This study tested the social cognitive processing model of emotional adjustment to cancer. We hypothesized that social constraints on emotional disclosure would inhibit cognitive processing and be related to greater fear of cancer recurrence (FCR), potentially negatively influencing psychological adjustment. Data were collected through an online cross-sectional survey study of 66 parents of AYAs with cancer (aged 15-39) and analyzed using bootstrapping techniques for ordinary least squares regression. One-third of the parents reported moderate to severe depressive symptoms. Serial mediation analyses indicated that greater social constraints were related to poorer cognitive processing and higher FCR, and, ultimately, greater depressive symptoms. Alternative models were tested and were not significant. Future psychosocial interventions for parents of AYAs with cancer should include improving cancer-related communication between parents and their social network.

Author(s): Evangelos C. Karademas [sup.1] , Christoforos Thomadakis [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.8127.c, 0000 0004 0576 3437, Department of Psychology, University of Crete, , Rethymno, Greece Introduction The efforts to [...], In this prospective study, we examined whether physical and psychological functioning of patients with a cardiovascular disease is related to their partners' emotion regulation strategies through both persons' affect. The final sample consisted of 104 patients (25 women) and their partners. All couples were of the opposite sex and married. Two spouse emotion regulation strategies (i.e., cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) were assessed at baseline; patient and spouse positive and negative affect was assessed 2 months later; patient functioning were assessed 4 months later. Spouse cognitive reappraisal, but not expressive suppression, was associated with patient functioning in an indirect way, with spouse and patient affect serving as mediators in-sequence. Specifically, spouse cognitive reappraisal was related to spouse affect which was associated with patient affect. In turn, patient affect was related to patient functioning. This adds to our understanding of the dyadic relationships between chronic patients' and partners' self-regulation processes and may also guide relevant psychological interventions.

Author(s): Xiaoyi Hu [sup.1] , Zhuo Rachel Han [sup.2] , Liu Bai [sup.3] , Mengyu M. Gao [sup.4] Author Affiliations: (Aff1) 0000 0004 1789 9964, grid.20513.35, Department of Special Education, [...], Little is known regarding the dynamic interactions between fathers and mothers in families of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) during the parenting process. This study used an actor-partner interdependence mediation (APIMeM) model to investigate the intrapersonal and interpersonal effects of emotion dysregulation and parenting stress on parenting behaviors among 211 pairs (total N = 422) of Chinese parents of children with ASD. The results indicated that for both fathers and mothers, there were significant indirect actor effects of parental emotion dysregulation on parents' own parenting behaviors through their own parenting stress. However, no significant direct or indirect partner effect was found in the analyses. These findings suggest that the emotional parenting dynamics occurred on the individual rather than the dyadic level in these families.

Author(s): Ihsan Bozanoglu [sup.1] , Ömer Faruk Simsek [sup.2] , Emin Altintas [sup.3] , Ercan Kocayörük [sup.4] Author Affiliations: (Aff1) 0000 0004 0595 9528, grid.411047.7, Department of Philosophy, Kirikkale University, [...], Although past research has provided important information about the relationship between attachment and mental health during the period of adolescence, the role of intervening variables in this association has been neglected. The aim of the present study was to illuminate the association between adolescents' secure attachment to parents and mental health, i.e., emotion regulation and depression, and to focus on the mediating role of language use operationalized by the gap between experience and language. Three-hundred seventy-four adolescents (220 females, 154 males) participated in the study. The data was analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results provided support for the intervening role of language use and it was further shown that the relationship between language use and depression is mediated by emotion regulation. Language use and emotion regulation are potential mediators between attachment to parents and depression. The effects of problematic attachment experiences on attachment might be intervened by focusing on language use of adolescents, which in turn could improve insight.

This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS; developed by Gratz & Roemer, 2004) in a Turkish sample. For this purpose, first, the factor structure of the scale was examined with a sample of 338 university students, and an identical factor structure with the original scale was obtained with the exclusion of a single item. Following the confirmation of the 6-factor structure of the scale with the current Turkish sample, the whole scale's and its six subscales' reliability coefficients were examined via internal consistency and test-retest reliability coefficients. These reliability analyses indicated satisfactory coefficients. As for the concurrent validity, the correlations of DERS and its subscales with measures of psychological distress were examined. This examination generally revealed strong correlations, although the awareness factor of DERS had relatively weaker correlations with the measures of psychological distress. Finally, concerning the criterion validity, all the measures of DERS could significantly differentiate the participants with 'high psychological distress' from those with 'low psychological distress'; however, for the awareness subscale the effect size was small. These findings were discussed in line with the relevant literature. DOI: 10.1002/jclp.20665

Anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) hypoactivations during cognitive processing characterize drug addicted individuals as compared with healthy controls. However, impaired behavioral performance or task disengagement may be crucial factors. We hypothesized that ACC hypoactivations would be documented in groups matched for performance on an emotionally salient task. Seven-teen individuals with current cocaine use disorders (CUD) and 17 demographically matched healthy controls underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging during performance of a rewarded drug cue-reactivity task previously shown to engage the ACC. Despite lack of group differences in objective or subjective task-related performance, CUD showed more ACC hypoactivations throughout this emotionally salient task. Nevertheless, intensity of emotional salience contributed to results: (i) CUD with the largest rostroventral ACC [Brodmann Area (BA) 10, 11, implicated in default brain function] hypoactivations to the most salient task condition (drug words during the highest available monetary reward), had the least task-induced cocaine craving; (ii) CUD with the largest caudal-dorsal ACC (BA 32) hypoactivations especially to the least salient task condition (neutral words with no reward) had the most frequent current cocaine use; and (iii) responses to the most salient task condition in both these ACC major subdivisions were positively intercorrelated in the controls only. In conclusion, ACC hypoactivations in drug users cannot be attributed to task difficulty or disengagement. Nevertheless, emotional salience modulates ACC responses in proportion to drug use severity. Interventions to strengthen ACC reactivity or interconnectivity may be beneficial in enhancing top-down monitoring and emotion regulation as a strategy to reduce impulsive and compulsive behavior in addiction. blood-oxygen-level-dependent fMRI | salience | brain-behavior dissociation | craving | cocaine use

The study of wisdom has recently become a subject of growing scientific interest, although the concept of wisdom is ancient. This article focuses on conceptualization of wisdom in the Bhagavad Gita, arguably the most influential of all ancient Hindu philosophical/religious texts. Our review, using mixed qualitative/quantitative methodology with the help of Textalyser and NVivo software, found the following components to be associated with the concept of wisdom in the Gita: Knowledge of life, Emotional Regulation, Control over Desires, Decisiveness, Love of God, Duty and Work, Self-Contentedness, Compassion/Sacrifice, Insight/Humility, and Yoga (Integration of Personality). A comparison of the conceptualization of wisdom in the Gita with that in modern scientific literature shows several similarities, such as rich knowledge about life, emotional regulation, insight, and a focus on common good (compassion). Apparent differences include an emphasis on control over desires and renunciation of materialistic pleasures. Importantly, the Gita suggests that at least certain components of wisdom can be taught and learned. We believe that the concepts of wisdom in the Gita are relevant to modern psychiatry in helping develop psychotherapeutic interventions that could be more individualistic and more holistic than those commonly practiced today, and they aim at improving personal well-being rather than just psychiatric symptoms.