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You Do Not Have to Get through This Alone: Interpersonal Emotion Regulation and Psychosocial Resources during the COVID-19 Pandemic across Four Countries

Author

Listed:
  • Olenka Dworakowski

    (URPP “Dynamics of Healthy Aging”, University of Zurich, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland
    Department of Psychology—Gerontopsychology, University of Zurich, 8050 Zurich, Switzerland)

  • Zilla M. Huber

    (URPP “Dynamics of Healthy Aging”, University of Zurich, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland
    Department of Psychology—Gerontopsychology, University of Zurich, 8050 Zurich, Switzerland)

  • Tabea Meier

    (School of Education and Social Policy, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA)

  • Ryan L. Boyd

    (Independent Researcher, Washington, DC 20036, USA)

  • Mike Martin

    (URPP “Dynamics of Healthy Aging”, University of Zurich, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland
    Department of Psychology—Gerontopsychology, University of Zurich, 8050 Zurich, Switzerland
    Competence Center Gerontology, University of Zurich, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland)

  • Andrea B. Horn

    (URPP “Dynamics of Healthy Aging”, University of Zurich, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland
    Department of Psychology—Gerontopsychology, University of Zurich, 8050 Zurich, Switzerland
    Competence Center Gerontology, University of Zurich, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland)

Abstract

While experiencing the unpredictable events of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are likely to turn to people in order to regulate our emotions. In this research, we investigate how this interpersonal emotion regulation is connected to affective symptoms, above and beyond intra personal emotion regulation. Furthermore, we explore whether perceived psychosocial resources moderate these associations, i.e., if individuals reporting healthier social connections benefit differently from interpersonal emotion regulation. N = 1401 participants from the USA, UK, Germany, and Switzerland completed an online survey that included text samples. Affective symptoms (depression, adjustment disorder, fear of COVID-19) were examined based on self-reported as well as language-based indicators. As psychosocial resources, we examined social support, loneliness, attachment style, and trust. We defined latent variables for adaptive and maladaptive interpersonal emotion regulation and analyzed how they were associated with affective symptoms controlling for intrapersonal emotion regulation. Further, we analyzed how they interacted with psychosocial resources. Maladaptive interpersonal emotion regulation strategies were associated with affective symptoms. With lower psychosocial resources, the associations between interpersonal emotion regulation and depressive symptoms were more pronounced. The results highlight that maladaptive interpersonal emotion regulation is associated with worse mental health. These effects are not buffered by more psychosocial resources and are stronger for people with low psychosocial resources.

Suggested Citation

  • Olenka Dworakowski & Zilla M. Huber & Tabea Meier & Ryan L. Boyd & Mike Martin & Andrea B. Horn, 2022. "You Do Not Have to Get through This Alone: Interpersonal Emotion Regulation and Psychosocial Resources during the COVID-19 Pandemic across Four Countries," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-20, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:23:p:15699-:d:984219
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Theo G van Tilburg & Stephanie Steinmetz & Elske Stolte & Henriëtte van der Roest & Daniel H de Vries & Deborah Carr, 2021. "Loneliness and Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Study Among Dutch Older Adults," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 76(7), pages 249-255.
    2. Manfred E Beutel & Elmar Brähler & Jörg Wiltink & Matthias Michal & Eva M Klein & Claus Jünger & Philipp S Wild & Thomas Münzel & Maria Blettner & Karl Lackner & Stefan Nickels & Ana N Tibubos, 2017. "Emotional and tangible social support in a German population-based sample: Development and validation of the Brief Social Support Scale (BS6)," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(10), pages 1-12, October.
    3. Katherine Pascuzzo & Ellen Moss & Chantal Cyr, 2015. "Attachment and Emotion Regulation Strategies in Predicting Adult Psychopathology," SAGE Open, , vol. 5(3), pages 21582440156, September.
    4. Albert Satorra & Peter Bentler, 2010. "Ensuring Positiveness of the Scaled Difference Chi-square Test Statistic," Psychometrika, Springer;The Psychometric Society, vol. 75(2), pages 243-248, June.
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