Poster #33 - A Systematic Review of the Relation Between Aspects of Anger Regulation and Youth Depression Symptoms

• In Event: Poster Session 14

Abstract

There is a robust link between the development of depression in children and adolescents and the experience of anger, as well as the experience and expression of other related emotions such as irritability and frustration (Silk et al., 2011; Stringaris et al., 2009; Stringaris et al., 2012). Additionally, there is a large body of evidence supporting the relationship between difficulties regulating negative emotions, including anger, and depression symptoms, with some evidence that emotion dysregulation is a causal factor in the development of depression (Aldao et al., 2016; Schäfer et al, 2017). It would follow that increases in the experience of anger and irritability among depressed youth are related to underlying deficits in anger regulation. However, few depression-related studies focus on anger regulation, instead focusing on emotion regulation more broadly or sadness regulation. It is currently unclear what specific deficits in anger regulation are most strongly associated with elevated depression symptoms and what ways of regulating anger may be most protective against depression.
Thus, the current systematic review investigates the evidence that anger regulation is related to depression among youth and possible moderators of this relation. The review identified 32 studies, across 11 different countries, that examined the relation between anger regulation (i.e., anger dysregulation, anger coping, anger suppression, anger rumination, and broad anger regulation) and depression symptoms among youth between the ages of 6 and 19. We qualitatively examined the power, quality, and effect sizes of these studies, as well as three possible moderators of these effects (age, community vs clinical sample, and social identity [i.e., race, gender, and country of origin]).
Results revealed that higher levels of anger dysregulation and anger rumination were moderately and consistently correlated with elevated depression symptoms, although few studies examined anger rumination (n=3, r = 0.43 to 0.57) compared to anger dysregulation (n=21, r = 0.1 to 0.57). Fifteen studies examined the relation between anger coping and depression and typically found a small, negative relation between the two (r =-0.07 to -.38), which seemed less likely to occur among East Asian samples. Lastly, the relation between anger suppression and depression was inconsistent, with only 8 of 15 studies finding a significant relation (r = -0.02 to 0.51). Age and country of origin seemed to be important moderators for the relation between anger suppression and depression, with older children, East Asian, and Asian American children reporting a stronger relation between the two.
Overall, these results suggest that anger regulation, especially anger dysregulation and anger rumination, is associated with elevated depression symptoms among youth. When considering the impact of anger suppression on youth depression symptoms, it may be especially important to consider social identity and context. Further research would benefit from examining the longitudinal relation between anger regulation and change in depression over time to determine if it is an etiological factor in the development of depression. Additionally, future research should examine other strategies (e.g., anger reappraisal, anger acceptance) and the unique contribution of anger regulation in comparison to other emotions (e.g., happiness, sadness).

Authors

• Valerie Scelsa, Miami University - Ohio
  Presenting Author

• Aaron M. Luebbe, Miami University - Ohio