Disentangling Cognitive and Behavioral Emotion Regulation Strategies in Adolescence: A Peer-Provocation Measure

• In Event: 3-161 - Unpacking Emotion Regulation within Adolescent Peer Relationships: Innovative Approaches

Integrative Statement

Emotion regulation is a multi-faceted construct that includes the cognitive and behavioral attempts of an individual to manage the internal experience and external expression of emotions. Traditionally, researchers have classified emotion regulation strategies as adaptive or maladaptive. However, whether a specific emotion regulations strategy is adaptive, depends on the specific context and type of emotion. In addition, many classifications of emotion regulation strategies do not take into account whether emotions are regulated with thoughts (cognitive regulation) or behaviors (behavioral regulation). Disentangling these aspects of emotion regulation strategies, is especially important in adolescence. Adolescents have to deal with changing peer contexts and are expected to rely more on internal than external emotion regulation strategies. Therefore, the current study describes the development and validation of a peer-provocation emotion regulation measure, through which we assessed cognitive and behavioral emotion regulation strategies.
In study 1, we pilot tested the peer-provocation measure with 159 Dutch adolescents (80% boys, Mage = 15.08, SD = 1.72) who followed Special Education due to socio-emotional problems. Adolescents reported how angry they would become after a peer provocation (i.e. foul play during a physical education lesson). Subsequently, we presented them with several cognitive and behavioral emotion regulation strategies and asked how likely it would be that they would use each of these strategies in the specific situation. Results showed that adolescents reported their anger to be 2.25 (SD = 1.27) on a scale from 1-7. Although reported anger was relatively low, the average reported use of regulation strategies ranged from 1.23 (SD = 0.81) to 5.17 (SD = 1.96).
In study 2, we adapted the initial version of the measure and examined the factor structure and validity with 269 adolescents (52% boys, Mage = 16.37, SD = 1.05). With the adapted peer provocation measure, adolescents reported higher average levels of anger (Manger = 4.75, SD = 1.29). Results provided evidence for a four-factor model of emotion regulation strategies, χ2(32) = 60.74, p < .001, CFI = .957, RMSEA =.058. The four factors were Cognitive Adaptive (Cognitive Reappraisal, Cognitive Distraction, Putting into Perspective), Cognitive Maladaptive (Self-blame, Rumination, Suppression), Behavioral Adaptive (Relaxation, Behavioral Distraction, Social Support) and Behavioral Maladaptive (Direct Expression, Indirect Expression, Avoidance). Next, we examined the incremental validity of the measure with two hierarchical regression analyses. Overall, the peer-provocation measure explained a significant amount of variance in internalizing and externalizing problems, on top of overall difficulties in emotion regulation. Behavioral maladaptive strategies were positively related to externalizing problems and negatively related to internalizing problems, whereas cognitive maladaptive strategies were positively related to internalizing problems (Table 1).
Overall, these results show that it is important to examine emotion regulation strategies in the specific context of peer relations. Moreover, the results show that it is possible to disentangle cognitive and behavioral emotion regulation strategies with an innovative measure. The finding that cognitive and behavioral aspects of emotion regulation strategies are differentially related to internalizing and externalizing problems has potential implications for transdiagnostic treatment approaches.

Authors

• Lysanne te Brinke, Utrecht University
  Presenting Author

• Hilde Schuiringa, Utrecht University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Ankie Menting, Utrecht University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Maja Dekovic, Utrecht University
  Non-Presenting Author