Positive affect regulation in anxiety disorders

Abstract

Although individual differences exist in how people respond to positive affect (PA), little research addresses PA regulation in people with anxiety disorders. The goal of this study was to provide information about responses to PA in people with symptoms of social phobia, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, agoraphobia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. The tendency to dampen PA and the ability to savor PA were examined in an undergraduate sample. Analyses examined the unique links between these reactions and symptoms of anxiety disorders, controlling for a history of depression. Given the high comorbidity of depression and anxiety, exploratory analyses further controlled for generalized anxiety disorder. Results demonstrated that one or both measures of affect regulation made a unique and substantial contribution to predicting each anxiety disorder except agoraphobia, above and beyond prediction afforded by symptoms of depression and generalized anxiety disorder. Clinical implications and areas for future research are discussed.

Turning the pink cloud grey: Dampening of positive affect predicts postpartum depressive symptoms

“…In another cross-sectional study students with clinically significant levels of depressive symptomatology self-reported significantly higher levels of dampening than the controls (Nelis et al 2013). Also in students, lifetime history of depressive symptoms was found to be positively associated with higher dampening scores (Eisner et al 2009). Finally, in a series of three cross-sectional studies, Werner-Seidler et al (2013) confirmed that the phenomenon was related to depressive symptoms in students, while they additionally showed that also clinically depressed adults reported higher levels of dampening than never-depressed controls.…”

Fears of Negative Emotions in Relation to Fears of Happiness, Compassion,Alexithymia and Psychopathology in a Depressed Population: A Preliminary Study

“…The authors highlight the importance of not only encouraging patients to participate in enjoyable situations but actually practicing allowing one to feel pleasant emotions. Raes et al [25] found that dampening positive affect predicts depressive symptoms and is also related to symptoms of panic disorder, social phobia, generalized anxiety disorder and OCD [26]. Weeks et al [27][28][29] found that some socially phobic people are fearful of positive evaluations as well as negative evaluation.…”

State-dependent changes of prefrontal–posterior coupling in the context of affective processing: Susceptibility to humor

“…On the other hand, the present data, as well as previous findings (Reiser et al, 2012), provided indications that decreased functional coupling during the exposure to negative affect expressions is related to a less efficient control and shutting down of negative emotions. Whereas deficient inhibitory processes and the associated sustained processing of negative emotions are common to negative affective dispositions such as depression (Chida & Hamer, 2008;Goeleven, De Raedt, Baert, & Koster, 2006;NolenHoeksema, 1991;Siegle, Granholm, Ingram, & Matt, 2001), positive emotional responsiveness and the maintenance of positive affective states may promote successful functioning (Catalino & Fredrickson, 2011;Eisner, Johnson, & Carver, 2009;Ong et al, 2006;Rottenberg et al, 2002). Nevertheless, there may also be a downside to a more loose prefrontal-posterior coupling and the associated weak control over positive emotional perceptions and representations.…”