Pathways from Positive and Negative Affect to Depressive Symptoms: Multiple Mediation of Emotion Regulation Strategies

Abstract

The current study aims to examine the multiple mediations of emotion regulation strategies in the relationship between positive and negative affect and depressive symptoms in adolescents. Participants included 290 students attending middle schools in a mid-size city in Southeastern Anatolian region. Among students, 137 were females (47.2%) and 153 (52.8%) were males. Participants’ ages ranged between 9 and 15 with a mean of 12.12, <em>SD</em>=1.53. Research data were collected through Positive and Negative Affect Schedule for Adolescents, Emotion Regulation Scale for Adolescents, and Depression Scale for Children. Data analysis was conducted through descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficient, an approach based on Ordinary Least Squares Regression, and Bootstrap method. Research findings indicated that the mediation of external dysfunctional emotion regulation, internal dysfunctional emotion regulation, and external functional emotion regulation in the relationships between positive emotions and depressive symptoms was statistically significant. However, the mediation of internal functional emotion regulation was not found to be statistically significant. In the relationship between negative emotions and depressive symptoms, the mediation of internal dysfunctional emotion regulation and external functional emotion regulation was found to be statistically significant. In addition, the mediation of internal functional emotion regulation and external dysfunctional emotion regulation was not found statistically significant. Research findings were discussed based on the relevant literature and some suggestions for researchers were put forward.

Psychological Maltreatment and Loneliness in Adolescents: Social Ostracism and Affective Experiences

“…Affective experiences, especially negative affectivity, were found as the significant of whether the individual’s impact of the adverse childhood experiences was scored as negative (LaNoue et al, 2013). Consistent with the current outcomes, literature has suggested that positive affective experiences mitigate the negative impacts of adverse experiences on adolescents’ functional and mental health outcomes (Arslan, 2018c; Jennissen et al, 2016; Kansky & Diener, 2017; Moore & Diener, 2019; Pressman & Cohen, 2005; Yildiz & Kızıldağ, 2018), and positive affectivity may influence their use of resources and mechanism in coping process with psychological maltreatment and social ostracism. Further, given the mediating role of negative affectivity, adolescents with high levels of negative affectivity may be reflecting the impacts of maltreatment experiences on their current health and functioning (LaNoue et al, 2013), and; thereby, they may experience more psychosocial adjustment difficulties, such as loneliness.…”

“…Further, given the mediating role of negative affectivity, adolescents with high levels of negative affectivity may be reflecting the impacts of maltreatment experiences on their current health and functioning (LaNoue et al, 2013), and; thereby, they may experience more psychosocial adjustment difficulties, such as loneliness. Several research provides evidence supporting the role of affective experience on a variety of health and adjustment outcomes (Arslan, 2018c; Kansky & Diener, 2017; Moore & Diener, 2019; Yildiz & Kızıldağ, 2018). Jennissen et al (2016) for example reported that negative affective experience mediated the association of maltreatment with emotional dysregulation and psychopathology.…”

“Losing it” in the wake of a pandemic: The interactive effects of fear of COVID-19 virus and emotional regulation on paranoid cognition and outcomes.

“…The Cronbach α reliability of this aggregate scale was 0.68, and composite reliability (CR) was 0.69 in the present study. Past studies utilizing this scale show CR values in the 0.72–0.87 (Mazefsky et al, 2021; Yildiz & Kızıldağ, 2018).…”

Emotion Regulation Style and Daily Rumination: Potential Mediators between Affect and Both Depression and Anxiety during Adolescence

“…However, contrary to our hypothesis, no association between positive ER style and depressive symptoms was found, perhaps because there are other factors (e.g., family, cultural, and personal) involved in this relationship. For example, as indicated by Yildiz and Kizildağ [ 27 ], an adolescent with certain family and social conditions may exhibit depressive symptoms, even though he or she is employing positive ER strategies to cope with feelings about academic failure. Surprisingly, also against our expectations, a low positive association between positive ER style and anxiety symptoms was found.…”

“…The mechanism most frequently highlighted as a mediator or moderator of the relationship between temperamental factors (e.g., NA and PA) and the presence of depressive and anxiety symptoms is the regulation of emotions. For example, recent studies on this topic have stated that some styles of ER, labeled as poor or negative, mediate the relationship between both NA and PA and depression [ 27 ], and between NA and anxiety [ 28 ]. In addition, a moderating role of ER has been shown in the relationship between NA and depressive symptomatology [ 29 ].…”