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Purpose: Higher rates of depression are associated with autistic traits; however, the precise association between autistic traits and depression has yet to be fully elucidated. Good interpersonal emotional regulation and social self-efficacy are crucial for mental health; therefore, in this study, we investigated the relationships between autistic traits, interpersonal emotional regulation, social self-efficacy, and depression. Patients and Methods: In total, 1024 participants (613 females and 411 males) aged 16 to 23 years old (M =  19.03, SD =  0.95) completed questionnaires that were designed to evaluate their autistic traits, interpersonal emotion regulation, social self-efficacy and depression. Data were analyzed by Spearman correlation and mediation effects analyses. Results: Autistic traits were significantly and positively correlated with depression (r = 0.39, p < 0.001), and autistic traits were shown to positively predict depression (B = 0.28, p < 0.001). Interpersonal emotion regulation and social self-efficacy were found to play a serial mediating role between autistic traits and depression (indirect effect = 0.020, p = 0.006). Conclusion: This study is a supplement to the mechanism of the relationship between autistic traits and depression. Interpersonal emotion regulation and social self-efficacy are important predictors of possible depression in individuals with high autistic traits. These findings suggest combining interpersonal emotional regulation training and exploring the clinical value of interpersonal emotional regulation interventions in individuals with high autistic traits and autism spectrum disorder, aiming to build social confidence, reduce negative moods, restore social functioning, and other aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has recently been a surge in sport psychology research examining various aspects of the interpersonal and social processes related to emotions and emotion regulation. The purpose of this study was to review the literature related to the interpersonal experience, expression, and regulation of emotions in sport, in order to provide a comprehensive overview of the studies that have been conducted to date. A scoping review of the literature (Grant, M. J., & Booth, A. [2009]. A typology of reviews: An analysis of 14 review types and associated methodologies. Health Information and Libraries Journal, 26(2), 91–108) using a systematic search process returned 7,769 entries that were screened for inclusion; the final sample of studies included in the review consisted of 79 relevant articles and 8 dissertations. The results describe the interconnected findings on athletes' self-regulation of emotions in social contexts, interpersonal emotion regulation, collective emotions (group-based emotions, emotional contagion, and effervescence), emotional expressions, and individual and contextual moderators (e.g. personality, culture, norms, gender, roles, and situational/temporal aspects). We identify key issues to advance theory and research, including: the need for programmatic research to investigate these processes, their effects, and underlying mechanisms; greater theoretical and conceptual clarity; more research among diverse populations (e.g. female athletes, youth athletes); the need to consider interconnected emotional phenomena in future research; and the need for applied intervention research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research examining initiation and outcomes of ER has primarily examined when people regulate their own emotions. In the present study, we investigated what predicts the initiation and outcomes of interpersonal emotion regulation (IER). We also examined whether the associations varied by major depressive disorder (MDD), which is characterized by several emotion regulation challenges, including in IER. Adults with and without MDD (N = 215) completed a 14-day EMA protocol, reporting on their emotional experience, recent events, and recent IER interactions. For IER initiation, we examined two features of subjective emotional experiences: participants' affect (negative affect, positive affect) and emotional awareness (attention to emotion, emotional clarity), and two situational characteristics: event unpleasantness and goal interruption. For IER outcomes, we focused on sharing partners' characteristics. Analyses utilized multilevel modeling. We focus on reporting within-person findings. Participants were more likely to initiate IER when the situation was more unpleasant and when goals were interrupted. Regarding IER outcomes, the extent to which participants experienced improved feelings about the problem and relational closeness varied depending on who was the sharing partner. Additionally, perceived warmth of sharing partner was associated with better IER outcomes. Initiating IER did not differ by MDD status, whereas associations between perceived warmth and IER outcomes did. Findings elucidate factors relevant to the IER process and serve to provide important insight into the contexts in which individuals might seek others to support their regulation and when the sharing partner were the most helpful in IER. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Empathic behavior is crucial in promoting positive social outcomes and strengthening interpersonal bonds. Research on how empathy modulates responses to others' emotions remains scarce yet is fundamental for elucidating mechanisms of impaired social functioning in psychopathology and its treatment. Two ecological momentary assessment studies (N s = 125 and 204) investigated participants' empathy and usage of interpersonal emotion regulation strategies in 5537 social interactions. We measured empathy, a multi-faceted construct, as dissected into its components of mentalizing and experience sharing in Study 1, while Study 2 additionally investigated empathic concern and personal distress. Findings revealed that empathizers engage in significantly increased other-focused regulation, especially when feeling empathic concern. We also found differences in the strengths of the links between empathy and responses to others' emotions: When we mentalize, share others' emotions, or feel concerned, we choose more relationship-oriented strategies, including validation and soothing, and less cognitive reappraisal and avoidance to regulate others' emotions. In contrast, when personally distressed by others' emotions, we select more cognitive reappraisal and avoidance and less relationship-oriented strategies. Both studies relied on regulator reports. Empathy facets distinctly shape our responses to others' emotions and can make us increasingly emotionally responsive and relationship-oriented. Understanding these dynamics can enhance the treatment of affective disorders characterized by deficits in social functioning. • Two ecological momentary assessment studies examining links between empathy and everyday interpersonal emotion regulation. • Mentalizing, experience sharing, and empathic concern were associated with increased use of relationship-oriented strategies. • Personal distress was linked to using less relationship-oriented strategies and more cognitive reappraisal or avoidance. • Empathic responses to others' emotions may be effectively utilized and targeted in therapeutic settings. • Addressing disturbances in interpersonal emotion regulation may is essential for improving social outcomes in psychopathology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Interpersonal emotion regulation (IER) involves the use of strategies by individuals to regulate their emotions through interactions with others. Research has shown that the IER is correlated with psychological symptoms and well-being. However, few studies have investigated the longitudinal relationships between IER and its related constructs. Methods: A cross-lagged panel design was used to examine the reciprocal relationship between IER strategies and perceived social support and their impact on depressive symptoms. Data were collected from 213 emerging Korean adults (136 females; Mage = 25.4), categorized as students, job-seekers, or workers, on three occasions with six-month intervals. Results: Enhancing positive affect, an upregulation strategy for positive emotions, predicted an increased perception of social support and, consequently, a reduction in depressive symptoms. Soothing strategies were directly associated with increased depressive symptoms. Other IER strategies aimed at downregulating negative emotions did not have any significant effect on the perception of social support or depressive symptoms. Furthermore, perceived social support did not predict longitudinal changes in the tendency to use IER strategies. Conclusions: These findings suggest that IER strategies, especially those that focus on upregulating positive emotions, may enhance the perception of social support. This offers a promising avenue for designing interventions to support emerging adults facing difficulties in a variety of social and relational transitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document consists of two research articles that delve into the intricacies of emotions and relationships. The first article focuses on the reasons why individuals conceal their emotions and the consequences it has on their relationships. The second article explores the integration of empathy and interpersonal emotion regulation. Both articles offer valuable insights into the complex dynamics of emotions and relationships, emphasizing the need for further research in this area. [Extracted from the article]

The present study aimed to explore the effectiveness of two typical intrapersonal strategies (cognitive reappraisal, CR; expressive suppression, ES) on interpersonal emotion regulation (IER), and uncover the physiological synchrony pattern underlying this. A sample of 90 friend dyads (N = 180) was randomly assigned to the CR, the ES, or the control group. In each dyad, the target underwent a negative emotional task (induce sadness by recalling a negative event), and the regulator was assigned to implement the CR strategy, the ES strategy, or no action to down-regulate the targets’ negative emotions. Self-reported results showed that compared to the control group, both CR and ES strategies decreased the targets’ negative emotions, and increased the targets’ positive emotions, indicating a successful IER effect. And the ECG results revealed that relative to the control condition, both CR and ES strategies evoked stronger physiological synchrony (heart rate synchrony and heart rate variation synchrony) during the emotion regulation stage of IER. Overall, these findings demonstrated the similar efficacy of reappraisal and suppression strategies implemented by the regulators to improve the targets’ negative emotions, and suggested that the physiological synchrony might have an important relational meaning during the IER process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During times of stress, we look to close others for support. Social support conversations are critical for relationship maintenance and well‐being. Yet, certain ways of talking about problems—such as co‐ruminating—can exacerbate stress. Since social support and co‐rumination are both dyadic processes, it is important to examine physiological responses during these conversations in a dyadic manner. Little research has examined physiological synchrony of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) during social support conversations or co‐ruminative conversations. The current research capitalizes on an experimental manipulation of co‐rumination using a sample of close friends (147 dyads) and romantic partners (113 dyads) to examine physiological covariation in the context of support. Across both samples, dyads exhibited significant physiological covariation in pre‐ejection period reactivity (PEP). Contrary to our hypothesis, dyads in the co‐rumination condition did not show more covariation. Close friend dyads did, however, exhibit more covariation as compared to romantic dyads. We also found significant variability in physiological covariation across dyads, with a minority of dyads exhibiting negative covariation of PEP reactivity. The homogeneity of the samples limits the generalizability of the findings and highlights the need for more diverse samples in future work. These findings underline the need for further exploration into the mechanisms that contribute to distinct patterns of physiological synchrony, the conditions in which negative synchrony occurs, and what predicts especially strong positive synchrony. This work extends our understanding of physiological synchrony of the sympathetic nervous system during support conversations and emphasizes the importance of considering heterogeneity in physiological processes. Impact statement: This research capitalizes on two dyadic experiments to examine physiological covariation during supportive conversations, examining whether certain ways of providing support affects synchrony. The findings show that not only does physiological covariation of the sympathetic nervous system occur, but it is variable across dyads and stronger for close friends as compared to romantic partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

UNLABELLED: People often try to improve others emotions. However, it is unclear which interpersonal emotion regulation strategies are most effective and why. In 121 candid dyadic conversations between undergraduate students via video conferencing, target participants recounted a stressful event to regulator participants. Three strategies used by regulators during these conversations to change targets emotions were obtained from the regulator after the conversation: extrinsic reappraisal, extrinsic suppression, and extrinsic acceptance. Perceived regulator responsiveness was obtained from targets to examine the social consequences of extrinsic emotion regulation and its mediating role in successful extrinsic emotion regulation. We found that regulators extrinsic reappraisal use was associated with improved target emotions measured across two distinct classes of outcomes: targets emotions during the conversation and targets perception that the regulator improved their emotions. Regulators extrinsic suppression and acceptance, in contrast, were not related with improved target emotions or perceptions of improvement. Instead, all extrinsic regulatory strategies were associated with improved targets emotions when mediated by targets perceptions of regulator responsiveness. Finally, observer-ratings of regulators extrinsic reappraisal and suppression use were found to be consistent with regulators self-ratings and follow the same pattern of results on the outcome measures. These findings provide insight into why the social regulation of emotions can succeed or fail and hold implications for interventions aimed at guiding people toward more successfully improving others emotions. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42761-023-00183-4.

Interpersonal emotion regulation involves having emotions changed in a social context. While some research has used the term to refer to instances where others are used to alter one's own emotions (intrinsic), other research refers to goal-directed actions aimed at modifying others' emotional responses (extrinsic). We argue that the self-other distinction should be applied not only to the target (who has their emotion regulated) but also to the means (whether the agent uses themselves or others to achieve the regulation). Based on this, we propose interpersonal emotion regulation can take place when an agent changes a target's emotions by affecting a third party's emotion who will shift the emotion of the target in turn (direct other-based interpersonal ER) or by impacting a third party's emotion (indirect other-based interpersonal ER). We discuss these processes and the conditions that lead to their emergence reconciling findings from different fields and suggesting new research venues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study investigated the role of emotion regulation in relation to the links between fear of missing out (i.e., FOMO) and two components of problematic internet use: problematic social media use and doomscrolling. Methods: Participants (N = 603, Mage = 30.41, SDage = 7.64; 49.1% male-identifying) completed measures of fear of missing out, intrapersonal and interpersonal emotion regulation, and problematic social media use, and doomscrolling. A parallel mediation model was tested to examine the nature of the associations between fear of missing out, intrapersonal, and interpersonal emotion regulation, in accounting for variance in the outcome measures. Results: Analyses revealed that the effect of fear of missing out on problematic social media use was fully mediated by both intrapersonal and interpersonal emotion regulation. In contrast, the effect on doomscrolling was fully mediated by intrapersonal emotion regulation only. Conclusions: Findings clarify the role of emotion regulation in explaining the relationship between fear of missing out and two types of problematic internet use, indicating a need to consider individual differences in emotion regulation in an evolving social media landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Can 'a distress shared is a distress halved' be universally applied? The relationship between sharing distress with others and individuals' psychological health may oscillate depending on how and where it is shared. This meta‐analysis aimed to examine (1) whether the relationship between sharing distress and psychological distress is moderated by the manner of sharing (i.e. general tendency to share distress with others [general distress sharing] vs. ruminatively fixating on the negatives during the sharing [co‐rumination]) and (2) cultural context (Eastern vs. Western). A total of 110 effect sizes from 105 studies (91 articles on general distress sharing and 84 articles on co‐rumination) were included in the analysis with sharing manner as a moderator. For the cross‐cultural analyses, 61 studies were included with 47 studies conducted in Western cultures and 15 studies conducted in Eastern cultures. Whereas generally sharing distress was negatively related to psychological distress, co‐rumination showed a positive correlation with psychological distress. Culture significantly moderated co‐rumination but not general distress sharing in relation to psychological distress. General distress sharing was consistently associated with decreased psychological distress across cultures. In contrast, co‐rumination was related to deleterious psychological health only among Westerners, while Easterners showed a non‐significant association with psychological distress. Our results align with the increasing importance of taking contextual factors into account in the field of emotion regulation literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People vary in the effectiveness with which they can change the way that others feel, yet we know surprisingly little about what drives these individual differences in interpersonal emotion regulation success. This paper provides a framework for describing 'success' in interpersonal emotion regulation and synthesizes extant theory and research regarding how personality and cognitive ability relate to interpersonal emotion regulation success. In doing so, our review brings together work from several related fields to offer an integrative framework to generate and guide future research that aims to understand why some people are proficient at influencing the emotions of others and why some are not, often suffering additional unintended consequences, such as diminished work or relationship success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mothers and fathers of children on the autism spectrum may differ in their perception of their interpersonal resources and risk factors. Fathers (114) and mothers (507) of children on the autism spectrum participated in the study. Fathers (vs. mothers) reported lower interpersonal resources (interpersonal emotion regulation and perceived support from friends and formal sources, but not family) and higher levels of interpersonal risk factors (social, not emotional, loneliness). A serial mediation model indicated that parents' gender predicted interpersonal emotion regulation which in turn related to parents' social loneliness directly and indirectly through perceived social support. Fathers of children on the autism spectrum may differ from mothers in perceptions of interpersonal resources and risk factors related to parents' social belonging needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the social nature of emotions, research to date has focused on emotion regulation at the intrapersonal level. Thus, the efficacy of specific emotion regulation strategies within a social dynamic is unclear. This study investigated the relationship between affective convergence and the efficacy of two emotion regulation strategies: reappraisal and suppression. In Study 1, 37 university students in Korea participated in a 2 × 2 laboratory experiment that manipulated emotion regulation strategies and affective convergence (divergence) through a live social interaction with a confederate. The reduction in negative affect was measured to indicate the efficacy of emotion regulation strategies. In Study 2, 248 North American participants completed a 2 × 2 online experiment that included the manipulation of emotion regulation strategies and affective convergence (divergence). To assess each strategy's efficacy, we measured participants' reduction in negative affect and their working memory performance through Stroop task scores. The findings showed that reappraisal was more efficient than suppression when participants received a companion's feedback that was affectively divergent from their own. However, reappraisal was less efficient than suppression in reducing negative affect when participants received a companion's feedback that was affectively convergent with their own. In addition, using reappraisal resulted in better working memory performance in the affective divergence condition but not the affective convergence condition. The findings suggest that the efficacy of emotion regulation strategies depends on interpersonal-level affective constructs, namely, affective convergence (divergence). Future research should revisit the efficacy of emotion regulation strategies under a social dynamic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eating disorders (EDs) are associated with emotion regulation difficulties. However, most studies have examined intrapersonal emotion regulation difficulties and strategies without consideration of interpersonal emotion regulation (IER). Thus, it remains unknown whether intrinsic IER (i.e., how people regulate their emotions through others) is associated with disordered eating. The present study examined whether putatively maladaptive IER strategies such as reassurance seeking and venting were associated with ED cognitions, behaviors, and symptom severity. Additionally, we examined whether IER strategy use varied as a function of probable ED diagnosis. A sample of 181 college students (Mage = 20.01 years, SD = 2.18) from a large northeastern university completed self-report measures of disordered eating, IER strategies, and intrapersonal emotion regulation difficulties. As predicted, reassurance seeking was associated with most ED symptomatology and ED symptom severity except for fasting frequency. Venting was only associated with body dissatisfaction. Associations between reassurance seeking and ED symptom severity and excessive exercise frequency remained significant even after controlling for sex and intrapersonal emotion regulation strategies. Finally, participants with a probable ED diagnosis reported greater reassurance seeking but not venting compared to nonprobable ED cases. These findings highlight the important associations between IER strategy use and disordered eating, namely, reassurance seeking. Additional research is needed to examine the associations between IER strategy use and disordered eating longitudinally. Emotion regulation difficulties have consistently been associated with eating disorder symptomatology; however, most studies have examined intrapersonal emotion regulation, while ignoring interpersonal emotion regulation. We found that reassurance seeking was differentially associated with eating disorder symptomatology and symptom severity. Even after controlling for sex, intrapersonal emotion regulation strategies, reassurance seeking accounted for variance in symptom severity and excessive exercise frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novice supervisees inevitably experience intense emotional challenges during their practicum experience. Their supervisors often must help them manage their emotional reactions, suggesting the relevance of emotion regulation (ER) theory to supervision practice. Five doctoral supervisors described examples of their counseling practicum supervisees' client-based (e.g. countertransference, trauma-related responses) and supervision-based (e.g. constructive feedback) ER challenges and how they responded. Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) analysis revealed supervisors responded in line with process model of ER, including individualized other-focused and interpersonal emotion regulation (IER) strategies. Findings suggest further investigations could advance supervision research and practice as well as inform ER theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) have difficulties regulating emotion on their own. As people also use social resources to regulate emotion (i.e., interpersonal emotion regulation [IER]), we examined whether these difficulties extend to IER in current and remitted MDD compared to those with no psychiatric disorders (i.e., controls). Adults with current MDD (n = 48), remitted MDD (n = 80), and controls (n = 87) assessed via diagnostic interviewing completed 2-week experience sampling, reporting on how frequently (IER frequency), from whom (sharing partners), and why (IER goals) they sought IER; how the sharing partners responded (sharing partner's extrinsic IER strategies and warmth); and how their feelings about the problem and the sharing partner changed following IER (IER outcomes). Using multilevel modeling, the current-MDD group did not differ from controls in IER frequency and sharing partners, but the current-MDD group demonstrated a more mixed (albeit generally adaptive) profile of received IER strategies and benefited similarly or more from certain IER strategies than the other two groups, suggesting that IER may be a promising avenue for effective emotion regulation in current MDD. The remitted-MDD group sought IER most frequently and demonstrated the most adaptive profile of received IER strategies, and they and the current-MDD group reported seeking more types of IER goals than controls. People with remitted MDD seem highly motivated to pursue IER support and their pursuit takes place in particularly supportive social contexts. Research is needed to examine mechanisms driving these group differences and how IER predicts the course of MDD. General Scientific Summary: In efforts to investigate whether emotion regulation (ER) difficulties in major depressive disorder (MDD) extend to social context, this study examined everyday interpersonal emotion regulation (IER) among adults with current MDD, those whose MDD was in remission, and a healthy control group using the experience sampling method. Although groups showed many similarities in IER processes, they differed in several aspects of IER, including intrinsic IER frequency and goals, extrinsic IER strategies received from others, and IER outcomes following certain IER strategies. This research represents initial efforts to elucidate the characteristics and utility of everyday IER at different stages of MDD and provides preliminary evidence that IER may be a promising avenue for effective ER in MDD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People often get support from others in regulating their emotions, a phenomenon known as interpersonal emotion regulation (IER). However, the relative effectiveness of specific IER strategies for improving emotional and relational wellbeing in daily life is unclear. Here, we report two preregistered, ecological momentary assessment studies, in which we examined how the use of six key IER strategies relates to emotional and relational wellbeing among romantic couples in daily life. Study 1 focused on enacted IER as reported by the regulator, whereas Study 2 focused on perceived IER as reported by the regulated partner. Using a dyadic experience sampling design (6 beeps/day for 7 days), Study 1 (N = 136) showed that when people reported to have given advice or encouraged their partner to suppress their emotions, their partners experienced impaired emotional wellbeing. When people reported to have distracted their partner, their partner experienced enhanced positive affect and felt closer to their partner. The use of interpersonal reappraisal, acceptance and ignoring was unrelated to partners' momentary wellbeing. Using a dyadic daily diary design (1 beep/day for 12 days), Study 2 (N = 361) showed that perceptions of one's emotions being ignored by the partner were associated with impaired emotional and relational wellbeing on the same day. The perceived use of other IER strategies was unrelated to momentary wellbeing. Taken together, the present set of studies illuminates how IER processes shape people's emotions and relationships in ecologically valid settings. Our findings indicate that enacted and perceived regulatory behaviors are associated with differential outcomes, highlighting the complex nature of interpersonal emotion dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interpersonal emotion regulation is the dynamic process where the regulator aims to change the target's emotional state, which is presumed to engage three neural systems: cognitive control (i.e., dorsal and ventral lateral PFC, etc.), empathy/social cognition (i.e., dorsal premotor regions, temporal-parietal junction, etc.), and affective response (i.e., insula, amygdala, etc.). This study aimed to identify the underlying neural correlate (especially the interpersonal one), of interpersonal emotion regulation based on two typical strategies (cognitive appraisal, expressive suppression). Thirty-four female dyads (friends) were randomly assigned into two strategy groups, with one assigned as the target and the other as the regulator to downregulate the target's negative emotions using two strategies. A functional near-infrared spectroscopy system was used to simultaneously measure participants' neural activity. Results showed that these two strategies could successfully downregulate the targets' negative emotions. Both strategies evoked intrapersonal and interpersonal neural couplings between the cognitive control, social cognition, and mirror neuron systems (e.g., PFC, temporal-parietal junction, premotor cortex, etc.), whereas cognitive reappraisal (vs expressive suppression) evoked a broader pattern. Further, cognitive reappraisal involved increased interpersonal brain synchronization between the prefrontal and temporal areas at the sharing stage, whereas expressive suppression evoked increased interpersonal brain synchronization associated with the PFC at the regulation stage. These findings indicate that intrapersonal and interpersonal neural couplings associated with regions within the abovementioned systems, possibly involving mental processes, such as cognitive control, mentalizing, and observing, underlie interpersonal emotion regulation based on cognitive reappraisal or expressive suppression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emotional intelligence (EI) has gained significant popularity as a scientific construct over the past three decades, yet its conceptualization and measurement still face limitations. Applied EI research often overlooks its components, treating it as a global characteristic, and there are few widely used performance-based tests for assessing ability EI. The present paper proposes avenues for advancing ability EI measurement by connecting the main EI components to models and theories from the emotion science literature and related fields. For emotion understanding and emotion recognition, we discuss the implications of basic emotion theory, dimensional models, and appraisal models of emotion for creating stimuli, scenarios, and response options. For the regulation and management of one's own and others' emotions, we discuss how the process model of emotion regulation and its extensions to interpersonal processes can inform the creation of situational judgment items. In addition, we emphasize the importance of incorporating context, cross-cultural variability, and attentional and motivational factors into future models and measures of ability EI. We hope this article will foster exchange among scholars in the fields of ability EI, basic emotion science, social cognition, and emotion regulation, leading to an enhanced understanding of the individual differences in successful emotional functioning and communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although research suggests distressed individuals benefit from others' empathy, it is unclear how an individual's level of empathy influences dyadic responses during emotional situations. In the current study, female participants (N = 140; 70 dyads) were paired with a stranger. One member of each dyad (the experiencer) was randomly assigned to undergo a stressful task and disclose negative personal experiences to their partner (the listener). Experiencers paired with listeners higher in dispositional emotional empathy had less negative affect during emotional disclosure and lower sympathetic nervous system reactivity during the stressful task and disclosure. Listeners higher in emotional empathy reported more negative affect in response to their partner's distress. Furthermore, for listeners higher in emotional empathy, those who more accurately rated their partner's emotions were more physiologically influenced by their partners. Findings shed light on interpersonal functions of empathy and suggest a stranger's level of emotional empathy regulates distressed partner's emotions and physiology.

[Antecedents] Interpersonal emotional regulation (IER) is the deliberate attempt to influence others’ emotions. There is not enough research on IER in the context of romantic couples. [Aim] The aim of the present study was to develop and validate an instrument to assess couples’ IER and understanding its functioning at both an individual and dyadic level. [Method] Participants were 764 adults and 91 dyads. Three studies were carried out: first, to study the psychometric properties of the scale and its validity; second, to understand the functioning of the scale at a dyadic level; third, to analyse the predictive capacity of the instrument. [Results] Our 11-item scale has four factors: observe, ask, validate, and soothe feelings. These factors are doubly evaluated: as an agent (SIERC-A) and as a target (SIERC-B). The scale showed good psychometric properties and adequate internal consistency. It presents convergent validity with emotional competences, and divergent validity with emotional dysregulation and insecure attachment. At a dyadic level, there is an actor-partner effect of IER on couple adjustment. Finally, IER seems to predict relationship satisfaction, sexual satisfaction, and life satisfaction. [Discussion] This new instrument can be a useful tool for assessment and intervention in couple therapy and research.

Previous studies have suggested difficulties in emotion regulation in narcissists. However, interpersonal emotion regulation (IER), which is used in interpersonal interactions, has not been sufficiently examined despite its importance in narcissism. This study examined the effects of narcissistic tendencies on the perceived effectiveness of IER mediated by fears of compassion. We asked 228 university students to recall their most recent IER experiences and measured the perceived effectiveness of IER, narcissistic tendencies, and fears of compassion. Structural equation modeling and mediation analysis of data from 217 participants showed that narcissistic grandiosity was negatively associated with the perceived effectiveness of IER through fear of compassion for others, narcissistic vulnerability through fear of compassion for others, and avoidance of compassion from others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Being faced with multimorbidity (i.e., being diagnosed with at least two chronic conditions), is not only demanding in terms of following complicated medical regimes and changing health behaviors. The changes and threats involved also provoke emotional responses in the patients but also in their romantic partners. This study aims at exploring the ways of emotional co-regulation that couples facing multimorbidity express when interviewed together. Method: N = 15 opposite sex couples with one multimorbid patient after an acute health crisis that led to hospitalization were asked in a semi-structured interview about how they found ways to deal with the health situation, what they would recommend to other couples in a similar situation, and how they regulated their emotional responses. Interviews were analyzed qualitatively following open, axial, and selective coding, as in the grounded theory framework. Results: Emerging categories from the romantic partners' and the patients' utterances revealed three main categories: First, overlapping cognitive appraisals about the situation (from fighting spirit to fatalism) and we-ness (construing the couple self as a unit) emerged as higher order factor from the utterances. Second, relationshiprelated strategies including strategies aimed at maintaining high relationship quality in spite of the asymmetric situation like strengthening the common ground and balancing autonomy and equity in the couple were often mentioned. Third, some couples mentioned how they benefit from individual strategies that involve fostering individual resources of the partners outside the couple relationship (such as cultivating relationships with grandchildren or going outdoors to nature). Discussion: Results underline the importance of a dyadic perspective not only on coping with disease but also on regulating the emotional responses to this shared challenging situation. The utterances of the couples were in line with earlier conceptualizations of interpersonal emotion regulation and dyadic perspectives on we-disease. They broaden the view by integrating the interplay between individual and interpersonal regulation strategies and underline the importance of balancing individual and relational resources when supporting couples faced with chronic diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The ability of adolescents to regulate their emotions and take advantage of their parents' guidance may affect how they experience their transition to adulthood and their tendency to develop current and future mental health problems. The present study had two aims; first, to test the effectiveness of interpersonal emotion- regulation (ER) compared to self-ER. Second, to examine how interaction between parent/adolescent anxiety influences the effectiveness of interpersonal compared to self-ER. Methods: 39 couples of parents (13 males; 26 females, 39–61 years of age) and adolescents (17 males; 22 females, 13–18 years of age) participated in the study. Adolescents viewed negative emotional images with low or high intensity. For each image, they were instructed to either choose and apply a regulatory strategy (i.e., self ER) or to apply a regulatory strategy chosen by their parents (i.e., interpersonal ER). Results: It was found that in low anxiety parents- low anxiety adolescents, the effectiveness of self and interpersonal ER were equal. In low-anxiety parents- high-anxiety adolescents, on the other hand, there was a significant advantage to interpersonal compared to self-ER. In high-anxiety parents, there was a significant advantage to self, compared to interpersonal ER in reducing distress, independent of the level of anxiety experienced by the adolescent. Conclusions: The study has significant clinical implications, providing a behavioral tool to decrease distress in highly anxious individuals during the challenging times of pre-adulthood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Insecure attachment is predictive of depression and emotion regulation is largely recognized as a mediator of such association. Despite the ability to refer to the social context to regulate emotions can be considered as a key aspect of depressive dynamics, most studies focused on intrapersonal forms of emotion regulation neglecting its interpersonal forms. In the present study, we investigated the role of interpersonal emotion regulation (IER) as mediator of the association between attachment insecurity and depression. Methods: Data were collected from 630 adults using scales assessing individual differences in the use of IER strategies, IER difficulties, attachment orientations, and depression symptoms. We tested the correlations between the considered variables and, additionally, a latent structural equation model was tested to determine the mediating role of IER in the relationship between attachment (anxiety and avoidance) and depression. Results: Positive associations between the use of IER and anxious attachment, and negative associations with avoidant attachment were found. Depression symptoms were significantly predicted by difficulties in IER (Venting and Reassurance-Seek), but not by IER strategies. The mediation analyses showed that attachment insecurity statistically predicted depression, mediated by IER difficulties. Conclusions: These results account for increasing risk of depression due to a vicious cycle in which anxious attached individuals use venting and reassurance-seek with the aim of decreasing their negative emotions, but reach the opposite result of exacerbating negative moods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uncertainty over what the future holds can be a source of anxiety and worry, and people use a variety of coping strategies in response to this distress. However, limited research has examined whether and how interpersonal factors might influence how exactly people choose to cope with uncertainty. In the current studies, we explore how perceptions of a romantic partner's strategy-specific support behaviors (e.g., support for bracing for the worst, support for maintaining optimism) relate to the coping strategies used by the person facing stressful uncertainty. Study 1 recruited doctoral students on the academic job market and found that those on the job market (support recipient) reported greater use of particular coping strategies to the extent that they perceived their partner (support provider) as supporting the use of that coping strategy. In Study 2, we built on those findings by recruiting law school graduates and their romantic partners as they awaited the law graduate's bar exam result. We largely replicated the pattern of findings from Study 1 when looking at law graduates' perceptions of their partner's support attempts; however, partners' reports of their support efforts were unassociated how law graduates coped, despite finding no mean-level differences between the two parties' perceptions of support efforts. Further analyses revealed that, depending on the coping strategy, either partners' own coping efforts or their perceptions of the law graduate's coping efforts predicted the type of support they provided. We discuss implications of these findings for relationship functioning and interpersonal support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interpersonal trauma, or trauma involving maltreatment by someone that a survivor has a close, personal relationship with (i.e., betrayal trauma), may be particularly predictive of alterations in interpersonal and emotion regulation processes. Social support may facilitate interpersonal emotion regulation (IER) and posttraumatic functioning, though this process may be particularly difficult for survivors of betrayal trauma. The current study includes a sample of female-identifying betrayal trauma survivors with clinically significant PTSD symptomology (N = 70). Thematic analysis was utilized to investigate how these survivors describe their affective experience and the factors that impact their willingness and comfort to engage with others during times of distress. Most participants were able to describe their emotional experiences, but provided brief, simplistic descriptions. Generally, participants reported feeling wary of sharing negative emotions with others due to fear of judgment or being seen as a burden. Findings allow us to better understand how survivors make sense of and differentiate their emotions, and their experienced benefits of or barriers to IER. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teaching is an emotion-laden process during which teachers are inevitably confronted with emotional disturbance. This study examines how Chinese EFL teachers transform emotional disturbance into well-being through interpersonal emotion regulation (IER). Previous research has examined teacher emotion regulation at an individual level, yet the interpersonal perspective has not been sufficiently adopted. In order to have an in-depth investigation of teachers' IER, three Chinese EFL teachers were selected; qualitative data were collected from narrative reflections, interviews, class observation, and field notes. The findings reveal that (1) EFL teachers' trajectory of IER moves from deconstruction of emotional blocks in companionship and re-construction of emotional strength through trust to co-construction of emotional pedagogy with dialogues; (2) Intrinsic IER of teachers' own emotion and extrinsic IER of students' emotion were not separate but dynamically interacted; (3) Effective IER entails the interplay between teachers' readiness for reflective inquiry and learning peers' capacity for emotional support; (4) Teachers' IER is interwoven with ethical development. The study also suggests that effective teacher IER contributes to their professional learning in terms of triggering the revisitation of teaching conceptions and educational beliefs to better serve students' learning. This study sheds light on the construction of a social support system for the sustainability of teachers' emotional well-being as well as their professional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IntroductionBeing faced with multimorbidity (i.e., being diagnosed with at least two chronic conditions), is not only demanding in terms of following complicated medical regimes and changing health behaviors. The changes and threats involved also provoke emotional responses in the patients but also in their romantic partners. This study aims at exploring the ways of emotional co-regulation that couples facing multimorbidity express when interviewed together.MethodN = 15 opposite sex couples with one multimorbid patient after an acute health crisis that led to hospitalization were asked in a semi-structured interview about how they found ways to deal with the health situation, what they would recommend to other couples in a similar situation, and how they regulated their emotional responses. Interviews were analyzed qualitatively following open, axial, and selective coding, as in the grounded theory framework.ResultsEmerging categories from the romantic partners’ and the patients’ utterances revealed three main categories: First, overlapping cognitive appraisals about the situation (from fighting spirit to fatalism) and we-ness (construing the couple self as a unit) emerged as higher order factor from the utterances. Second, relationship-related strategies including strategies aimed at maintaining high relationship quality in spite of the asymmetric situation like strengthening the common ground and balancing autonomy and equity in the couple were often mentioned. Third, some couples mentioned how they benefit from individual strategies that involve fostering individual resources of the partners outside the couple relationship (such as cultivating relationships with grandchildren or going outdoors to nature).DiscussionResults underline the importance of a dyadic perspective not only on coping with disease but also on regulating the emotional responses to this shared challenging situation. The utterances of the couples were in line with earlier conceptualizations of interpersonal emotion regulation and dyadic perspectives on we-disease. They broaden the view by integrating the interplay between individual and interpersonal regulation strategies and underline the importance of balancing individual and relational resources when supporting couples faced with chronic diseases.

Interpersonal emotion regulation (ER) happens constantly in daily life and plays a role in the success of friendships and relationships. Interpersonal ER refers to the process in which an individual makes efforts to change the emotional experience of another person. Understanding the relationship between interpersonal ER strategies and goals proves necessary towards discerning the effectiveness of different interpersonal ER strategies in various situations. Building on existing research, common strategies used to regulate others’ emotions include helping a partner to accept their emotions (acceptance), change the way they think about their emotions (reappraisal), or inhibit their emotions (suppression). However, alternative strategies may prove to be equally, if not more, common. Additionally, the goals and behaviors associated with interpersonal ER have not been extensively studied. In the present study, I examine the goals associated with interpersonal ER strategies, including the exploration of an additional strategy: distraction. To examine which strategies and goals people are likely to use in a scenario in which a friend is expressing negative feelings, 347 students wrote narratives regarding how they would respond. As expected, acceptance and reappraisal were found to be the most common, while suppression was used least frequently. Results point to the importance of distraction as a common interpersonal ER strategy. Significant relationships were found between four distinct strategies and related goals and behaviors, suggesting that individuals are motivated by specific regulatory, instrumental, and social outcomes beyond basic regulation of emotions. Discussion focuses on how these findings point to newavenues in interpersonal ER research.

Interpersonal emotion regulation (IER) is the process by which individuals change their emotional experiences by socially interacting with others. While the literature on IER for in-person settings is growing, there is a dearth of research exploring IER in digital social interactions (i.e., via technology) – especially when considering the presence of psychopathology. The aim of this study was to compare perceived IER efficacy and use in digital versus in-person contexts and explore the impact that anxiety, depression, and stress have on IER. A sample of 93 university undergraduate students showed that participants perceived in-person IER as more efficacious than digital IER, and participants high in anxiety, depression, and stress tended to use both modalities of IER more than those low anxiety, depression, and stress. This study addresses a critical gap in our understanding of emotion regulation in digital environments and sheds light on how this is related to psychopathology and the psychotherapy experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although emotion regulation (ER) covers both intrapersonal and interpersonal emotion regulation (IER) strategies that individuals employ to adjust their different emotional experiences, studies have mainly focused on intrapersonal aspects of ER. However, recent studies have focused on interpersonal aspects of ER and have given cue about the importance of implications of such interactions. This study sought to explore the impact of the interaction of maladaptive intrapersonal ER strategies with interpersonal ER strategies on the fear of negative evaluation. With this aim, a community sample of 299 (236 females, M = 27.02, SD = 11.97) Turkish individuals completed an online survey composed of scales assessing IER, maladaptive cognitive ER, and fear of negative evaluation. The moderation analysis showed the interactive effect of soothing and maladaptive cognitive ER on fear of negative evaluation. Specifically, utilization of soothing habitually as an IER strategy is associated with greater fear of being negatively evaluated for individuals who seldom engage in maladaptive cognitive ER strategies (e.g., rumination). The findings point out the maladaptive function of soothing as an ER strategy for the sensitivity to negative social evaluations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although loneliness is an experience that mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may face, it has not been widely explored. Having a supportive social environment that is also effective in emotion regulation may provide feelings of security necessary for one to feel less lonely. The present study examined loneliness levels among mothers of children with ASD (vs. without ASD) and explored interpersonal resources (interpersonal emotion regulation and perceived social support) that might contribute to reduced loneliness. One-thousand-seven-hundred-and-83 mothers of children (546 with ASD, 1,237 without) completed a series of questionnaires. Mothers of children with ASD (vs. without ASD) reported higher levels of loneliness and lower levels of interpersonal emotion regulation efficacy for positive emotions and lower levels of perceived social support. A serial mediation model indicated that interpersonal factors fully mediated the association between being a mother of a child with ASD (vs. without) and loneliness. Moreover, a moderation mediation model showed that the tendency to approach others in order to regulate positive emotions moderated the association between perceived efficacy of such regulation and mothers' loneliness. Interpersonal emotion regulation for positive emotions and perceived social support may contribute to reduced loneliness, especially among mothers of children with ASD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to translate the Interpersonal Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (IERQ) into the Tamil language and examine its psychometric properties in the Indian cultural context. Data were collected from a dyadic sample of 340 married heterosexual couples (N = 680) currently residing in India. The mean age of husbands was 39.57 (SD = 6.10; 26 ≥ range ≤ 58), and the wives’ was 35.33 (SD = 5.72; 23 ≥ range ≤ 54). Descriptive results indicated that husbands and wives reported similar levels of interpersonal emotion regulation. Confirmatory factor analysis showed a 20-item model with four factors—enhancing positive affect, perspective-taking, soothing and social modeling, similar to the original version, fits the data well. Furthermore, the multiple-group analysis indicated robust measurement invariance across gender (husbands vs. wives), family type (joint vs. nuclear) and marriage type (arranged vs. love), indicating that the Tamil version of the IERQ operates similarly across these groups. Besides, the Tamil version of the IERQ showed good convergent and discriminant validity with measures of dyadic coping and relationship satisfaction. Implications for research and couples therapy in the Indian cultural context are discussed.

Emotion regulation is a transdiagnostic concept which has been frequently studied in the field of psychological health. Although these empirical studies in the relevant literature revealed important findings, it has also been currently mentioned that emotion regulation is mostly studied with certain tools having some limitations but it is not a uniform subject, and there are some contextual factors in emotion regulation which has been considered as having determinative role. In this sense, when we say emotion regulation now, we can refer several contextual factors such as relevant situation/event, emotion that is regulated, interpersonal conditions, spontaneous emergence of emotion regulation strategies, co-occurrence of various regulation methods, efficacy of the strategies and specific time frame of regulation. In this article, it is aimed to first describe emotion regulation which is frequently mentioned in national and international literature, and then, to review recent empirical research findings and to question limitations of traditional approaches toward emotion regulation by examining some salient contextual factors and finally, to present some relevant suggestions based on current approaches.

During adolescence, there is a notable surge in depressive symptoms, with negative interpretive bias (NIB) playing a crucial role, while interpersonal emotion regulation (IER) acts as a protective factor. However, adolescents exhibit significant variability in interpreting ambiguous information across social contexts. This study aimed to identify profiles of context-based NIB among adolescents across three contexts (parents-, teacher-, and peer-context) and explore their links with depressive symptoms and the role of IER. The key variables were assessed through experimental and questionnaire methods, utilizing data from a sample of 1832 adolescents (M = 14.54; SD = 1.93). The statistical analyses included latent profile analysis, Welch's ANOVA, Chi-square (χ2) tests, and moderation modelling. Four distinct profiles were identified, namely "all contexts unbiased", "parent-context biased", "teacher- and peer-contexts biased", and "all contexts biased". Membership in these profiles was significantly associated with depressive symptoms, with IER showing effectiveness in mitigating depressive symptoms among adolescents with NIB in specific contexts but not pervasive NIB. The findings highlight the importance of identifying context-based NIB in future prevention and early intervention strategies, while emphasizing the need to promote healthy social interactions among adolescents. • Four profiles of adolescents' context-based negative interpretive bias identified. • Patterns of context-based negative bias are linked to depressive symptoms. • Interpersonal emotion regulation helps reduce depressive symptoms in adolescents. • Social regulation reduces depressive symptoms in specific-context biased groups. • Social regulation is less effective for the group having pervasive negative biases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research examined for cultural differences of interpersonal emotion regulation in predicting psychological well-being between 331 Chinese and 166 Australian college students. Results of comparative analyses indicated lower enhancing positive affect, but higher perspective taking and social modeling in Chinese, than in Australians. Regression analyses indicated that enhancing positive affect was a positive predictors of psychological well-being whereas soothing was a negative predictor for two groups. Social modeling was a positive predictor only for Chinese. Overall, these findings indicate that different strategies of interpersonal emotion regulation have different relationships with psychological well-being while highlighting important differences between East and West cultures. • Chinese students scored lower on enhancing positive affect than Australian students. • Chinese students scored higher on perspective taking and social modeling. • Enhancing positive affect positively predicted psychological well-being. • Soothing negatively predicted psychological well-being. • Social modeling is a positive predictor only for Chinese students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]