The study explored the quality of conflictual discussion between intimate partners and their emotional experience subsequent to emotion regulation (ER) manipulation. It differentiated between integrative ER (IER), which involves an interested stance to emotional experience, and two types of regulation aimed at minimizing emotions: emotional distancing (minimization of emotional experience) and suppression of expressive behavior (minimization of emotional expression). The sample included 140 intimate couples randomly assigned to one of four conditions (IER, distancing, suppression, and control). Following the selection of a specific relational conflict to discuss, one of the partners received manipulation instruction; the other (naïve) partner was oblivious to the instruction. During a 10-min discussion, the naïve partner’s skin conductance level was continuously assessed. The partners’ self-reported perceptions of quality of experience and discussion were measured after the discussion. In general, the results provide preliminary support for the hypothesis that taking an interest in one’s emotional experience during a conflictual discussion results in better communication and higher perceptions of discussion productivity. Furthermore, in contrast to the IER condition, in the emotional distancing condition, the naïve partners’ physiological arousal increased as the discussion progressed. Hence, the results support the hypothesis that taking an interest in and accepting one’s negative emotions promote adaptive communication in conflictual discussions between intimate partners.

This study examined the emotional costs and well‐being of postsecondary students with learning disabilities (LD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who faced a sudden shift to emergency remote teaching (ERT) during the COVID‐19 pandemic. The study was conducted with 237 postsecondary students in Israel from June to July 2020. With regard to online learning, the LD/ADHD subjects reported significantly higher levels of stress, anxiety, and depression and lower well‐being than their neurotypical counterparts. However, no significant differences were found in emotional costs and well‐being when the same students had experienced online learning prior to the pandemic. These findings have practical implications for policymakers in academia with regard to the emotional toll of online learning among students with LD/ADHD and their specific needs when facing ERT during the COVID‐19 pandemic as well as the contribution of previous online learning when facing ERT.

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Research suggests that empathy may lead to either sympathy, involving emotional identification with another person, accompanied by caring and concern, or personal distress, that is emotional reaction to another's condition that is aversive and self-centered (Eisenberg et al., 2010). While the former frequently predicts prosocial behavior, the latter is hypothesized to predict it only when helping is the easiest way to alleviate the distress of the helper (Batson, 1991). Drawing on self-determination theory, we hypothesized that autonomy supportive parenting (taking the child’s perspective and providing choice) may predict the child’s integrative emotion regulation, and this may predict emotional identification with others in need (i.e., sympathy). In contrast, the autonomy suppressive practice of conditional regard may predict dysregulation of emotions, leading to personal distress when facing a close friend’s adversity. Participants included 147 college students and 147 close friends. Target participants reported perceptions of their mothers’ behaviour and their own emotion regulation styles, while close friends reported perceptions of target participants’ sympathy and personal distress responses. Results support the study’s hypotheses and provide insights into the socialization of emotion regulation and empathy. Keywords: parental conditional regard, autonomy support, emotion regulation, empathetic capacity

The aim of the current study was to examine the emotional resilience, satisfaction with life, social support, and anxiety during the vaccination process of the Israeli population after the end of the third lockdown, according to religiosity degree. We hypothesized that a higher degree of religiosity (ultra-Orthodox and religious participants) would be associated with higher levels of resilience and with lower levels of anxiety than in secular individuals. In addition, it was hypothesized that satisfaction with life, social support, anxiety, and religiosity will predict resilience and anxiety. Nine hundred and ninety-three native Jewish Hebrew-speaking respondents representing ultra-Orthodox, religious, observant, and secular Jews participated in this study. Ultra-Orthodox participants showed higher resilience and satisfaction with life than other groups, and lower levels of anxiety. Satisfaction with life and social support predicted higher resilience. It is suggested that religious faith as well as satisfaction with life may provide a source of strength and resilience in stressful life events.