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Author(s): Mónica Guzmán-González [sup.1] , Karina Navarro [sup.2] , Karla Tay-Karapas [sup.1] [sup.3] Author Affiliations: (1) https://ror.org/02akpm128, grid.8049.5, 0000 0001 2291 598X, School of Psychology, Universidad Católica del Norte, , [...], This study examined emotion regulation difficulties (i.e., nonacceptance, daily interference, lack of awareness, lack of control, and lack of clarity) as possible mediators of the association between adult attachment and forgiveness in the context of divorce/separation, and the moderating role of sex and joint children. A sample of 1,185 participants completed measures of attachment, emotion regulation difficulties and forgiveness. Results revealed that in the whole sample attachment anxiety was only directly whereas attachment avoidance was indirectly associated with the degree of forgiveness to the ex-partner through lack of awareness. However, multigroup analysis showed that patterns observed in the whole sample are different for men and women having children or not with the ex-partner. The findings of this research show the importance of attachment and emotion regulation difficulties to understand the process of dealing with resentment and hostility towards an ex-partner in the context of divorce/ separation and demonstrate how sex and parenting differences modulate these relations. Among other aspects, the model had a greater explanatory power in people without joint children. In sum. these findings and their implications are discussed and the importance of considering moderating variables when examining forgiveness and other indicators of adjustment to divorce/separation is highlighted.

Introduction: Understanding how adults experience and regulate their emotions is strongly linked to attachment orientations. Numerous studies indicate emotional regulation difficulties in both attachment avoidance and anxiety. Additionally, emotional Event-Related Potentials (ERPs), such as the Late Positive Potential (LPP), reveal the process of emotional information at the cerebral level, and thus, LPP is commonly used in studies examining emotion regulation processes. For instance, when individuals are asked to use cognitive strategies to increase, maintain, or decrease their emotional responses to stimuli, changes in LPP amplitude can reflect the effectiveness of these regulation strategies. However, little is known about the potential moderating effect of the LPP during the implementation of emotional regulation strategies in the relationship between attachment dimensions and emotional dysregulation. To address this oversight, the purpose of the present study was to examine the association between both dimensions of attachment, anxiety and avoidance, and emotional dysregulation, as well as the moderating role of the LPP during the induced implementation of cognitive reappraisal. Methods: Brain activity was recorded using EEG from n = 63 adults while they performed a task in which they were instructed to either reappraise or suppress emotions elicited by unpleasant images. To assess the associations between LPP, emotional dysregulation, and attachment orientations, the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale Spanish version (DERS-E) and the Experiences in Close Relationships questionnaire (ECR-12) were used. Results: Interestingly, we found that greater LPP amplitudes during reappraisal implementation intensified the association between attachment anxiety and emotional regulation difficulties. Conversely, this relationship was non-significant under lower levels of LPP amplitude—Providing supporting evidence for the moderating role of LPP. Discussion: Our results highlight how attachment anxiety can influence the ability to regulate emotions. This study provides new insights into how variations in LPP contribute to the effectiveness of emotion regulation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescence and emerging adulthood are two life stages marked by notable cognitive and socioemotional changes. During both periods, friendships play an increasingly significant role and can significantly impact individuals positively or negatively. Despite the evolving nature of these relationships, parents remain crucial to the development of both adolescents and emerging adults, playing a key role in their well-being. This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of attachment to friends in the relationship between parental attachment and the well-being of Chilean adolescents and emerging adults. In a cross-sectional correlational study, 363 adolescents (48.2% female) aged 14 to 17 years (M = 15.33, SD = 0.95) and 199 emerging adults (67.8% female) aged 18 to 29 years (M = 22.42, SD = 2.53) completed the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment and the Pemberton Happiness Index Scale to assess general, eudaimonic, hedonic, and social well-being. Results of path analyses indicated that, for both adolescents and emerging adults, a more secure attachment to parents was directly associated with higher scores in all well-being dimensions. Additionally, more secure parental attachment was indirectly associated with better eudaimonic and social well-being through a more secure attachment to friends. These findings suggest that enhancing parental attachment could be a valuable focus in clinical interventions aimed at improving overall well-being in adolescents and emerging adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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.

Stressors arising from the COVID-19 pandemic can spill over into the quality of couple relationships, with negative consequences on mental health. The mental health impact of COVID-19 might be particularly pronounced in disadvantaged populations such as LGBT people. This study aimed to examine direct and indirect dyadic associations between emotional impact of COVID-19 and depressive symptoms through relationship satisfaction in male same-sex couples. Using a cross-sectional design, 158 male same-sex Chilean couples completed self-report measures of the emotional impact of COVID-19, relationship satisfaction and depressive symptoms. We used the actor-partner interdependence mediation model for indistinguishable dyads to explore the direct and indirect dyadic associations. Results indicated that each partner's perceived emotional impact of COVID-19 was associated with his own higher depressive symptoms directly and indirectly, through his own lower relationship satisfaction. The other partner's perceived emotional impact of COVID-19 was associated with one's own higher depressive symptoms only directly. Our findings reinforce the notion that satisfactory couple relationships can act as a protective factor against depression in the LGBT population. Programs to promote adaptive coping strategies to deal with the emotional impact of the COVID-19 pandemic may have beneficial effects for the emotional adjustment of male same-sex couples, also by promoting relationship satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterosexism is not only expressed through sexual prejudice as an external stressor, but also as an internalized rejection toward one's own (and others') sexually diverse identity. That is, lesbian women and gay men themselves internalize negative societal attitudes toward their sexual orientation and identity—a phenomenon called internalized homonegativity. A wealth of research shows that internalized homonegativity negatively affects the health and social adjustment of gay and lesbian people. However, the literature has documented this trend from an individual (over a dyadic) perspective, and largely among gay (over lesbian) samples. To address this oversight, we analyzed data from 210 gay and lesbian couples in Chile to examine both actor and partner effects of internalized homonegativity on their sexual satisfaction. Results from moderation analyses from an actor-partner interdependence model (APIM) approach show that partners' internalized homonegativity negatively affects actor sexual satisfaction, a pattern significantly moderated by gender; that is, only observed among lesbian couples. Our results further demonstrated that these effects hold above and beyond the actor and partner effects of age and relationship satisfaction, as well as relationship length. These results are consistent with the broader literature, which discusses the specific features of internalized homonegativity in lesbian women, characterized—among other aspects—by restrictive social demands over their sexuality. Accordingly, our findings highlight the deleterious relational consequences of internalized homonegativity and offer a relevant empirical contribution to the understanding of specific minority stress dynamics among lesbian women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]