A scale measuring generalized expectancies for negative mood regulation (NMR) was developed. The construct was defined as the expectancy that some behavior or cognition will alleviate a negative mood state. Data from five samples of college undergraduates (N = 1,630) were reported. Internal consistency, discriminant validity from social desirability, and temporal stability were demonstrated for a 30-item scale derived from an initial pool of 50 items. Further analyses revealed (a) modest correlations of the 30-item scale with internal-external control, (b) that high scorers on the NMR scale reported few symptoms of depression, and (c) that the NMR scale predicted a different pattern of emotions than the Beck Depression Inventory did. Discussion focused on possible roles for expectancies for negative mood regulation in the coping process and directions for future research on the mood regulation process.

A scale measuring generalized expectancies for negative mood regulation (NMR) was developed. The construct was defined as the expectancy that some behavior or cognition will alleviate a negative mood state. Data from five samples of college undergraduates (N = 1,630) were reported. Internal consistency, discriminant validity from social desirability, and temporal stability were demonstrated for a 30-item scale derived from an initial pool of 50 items. Further analyses revealed (a) modest correlations of the 30-item scale with internal-external control, (b) that high scorers on the NMR scale reported few symptoms of depression, and (c) that the NMR scale predicted a different pattern of emotions than the Beck Depression Inventory did. Discussion focused on possible roles for expectancies for negative mood regulation in the coping process and directions for future research on the mood regulation process.

Three studies assessed the impact of generalized expectancies for negative mood regulation on the severity of depression individuals experience following the end of a romantic relationship. The Negative Mood Regulation Scale (NMR) measured these expectancies. In Study 1 (n = 583), the NMR predicted college students' reports of initial depression in the first week after the relationship ended. Study 2 (n = 114) demonstrated that subjects with higher expectancies used active coping strategies more than did those with lower expectancies. Study 3 (n = 78) provided prospective data that showed subjects' NMR scores to predict initial depression in the first week after a relationship ended-when that relationship ended subsequent to their taking the NMR. Results support the importance of expectancies for negative mood regulation as determinants of emotional reactions to distressing events, and they support the validity of the NMR.

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