This study assessed the extent and efficacy of three regulatory modalities of the emotions elicited by negative life events: rumination, distraction and social sharing. Despite the wide literature existing on this subject, to my knowledge this is the first study comparing these regulatory modalities, from adolescence to old age, in order to estimate their use and their effectiveness in function of the significance of the negative event and of the participants' gender and age. Eight hundred persons (400 female, 400 male) participated in this study: 200 adolescents (13-19); 200 young people (20-29); 200 adults (30-59); 200 old people (60- 89). They were randomly assigned to two research conditions: very significant vs. not very significant negative life events. Participants were asked to describe a very important negative life event or a not very important one and assess on 7-point scales when the event occurred, its appraisal, perceived importance and impact upon their beliefs, emotional intensity, the extent of rumination, distraction and social sharing, along with their relative frequency and duration, and their effectiveness to re-establish cognitive equilibrium and modulate the negative emotional burden; finally, the recovery from the event was assessed. Qualitative data were treated through log-linear analyses. Quantitative data were first reduced by performing principal component analyses and then submitted to mediational regression analyses to evaluate the incidence of event significance on the three regulatory modalities through mediator variables (referred to the perceived cognitive and emotional event impact), controlling for gender and age. Finally, multiple regression analysis was performed to assess the effectiveness of rumination, distraction and social sharing in recovering from the event. In brief, results showed that the significant events produced a higher cognitive and emotional impact than the less significant ones. Such impact, in turn, elicited a greater use of rumination and social sharing, a more consistent sense of pervasiveness of rumination and paradoxical effect of distraction. Instead, a suppression effect emerged on the use and perceived effectiveness of distraction. The recovery from the event was positively predicted by the temporal distance from the event and the perceived effectiveness of rumination and social sharing, whereas it was negatively predicted by the use and extent of rumination, the cognitive impact of the event and the paradoxical effect of distraction. Females were more affected by the event impact and resorted to rumination and social sharing more than males. With age the use of social sharing and distraction grew. The theoretical implications of these results are discussed.
Use and effectiveness of three modalities of emotion regulation after negative life events: Rumination, distraction and social sharing
MATARAZZO, Olimpia
2008
Abstract
This study assessed the extent and efficacy of three regulatory modalities of the emotions elicited by negative life events: rumination, distraction and social sharing. Despite the wide literature existing on this subject, to my knowledge this is the first study comparing these regulatory modalities, from adolescence to old age, in order to estimate their use and their effectiveness in function of the significance of the negative event and of the participants' gender and age. Eight hundred persons (400 female, 400 male) participated in this study: 200 adolescents (13-19); 200 young people (20-29); 200 adults (30-59); 200 old people (60- 89). They were randomly assigned to two research conditions: very significant vs. not very significant negative life events. Participants were asked to describe a very important negative life event or a not very important one and assess on 7-point scales when the event occurred, its appraisal, perceived importance and impact upon their beliefs, emotional intensity, the extent of rumination, distraction and social sharing, along with their relative frequency and duration, and their effectiveness to re-establish cognitive equilibrium and modulate the negative emotional burden; finally, the recovery from the event was assessed. Qualitative data were treated through log-linear analyses. Quantitative data were first reduced by performing principal component analyses and then submitted to mediational regression analyses to evaluate the incidence of event significance on the three regulatory modalities through mediator variables (referred to the perceived cognitive and emotional event impact), controlling for gender and age. Finally, multiple regression analysis was performed to assess the effectiveness of rumination, distraction and social sharing in recovering from the event. In brief, results showed that the significant events produced a higher cognitive and emotional impact than the less significant ones. Such impact, in turn, elicited a greater use of rumination and social sharing, a more consistent sense of pervasiveness of rumination and paradoxical effect of distraction. Instead, a suppression effect emerged on the use and perceived effectiveness of distraction. The recovery from the event was positively predicted by the temporal distance from the event and the perceived effectiveness of rumination and social sharing, whereas it was negatively predicted by the use and extent of rumination, the cognitive impact of the event and the paradoxical effect of distraction. Females were more affected by the event impact and resorted to rumination and social sharing more than males. With age the use of social sharing and distraction grew. The theoretical implications of these results are discussed.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
