Previous studies suggest that the association between emotion regulation and adolescent adjustment may depend on the type of emotion being managed (Feng et al., 2009), on the extent to which adolescents feel capable of modulating their emotional experiences (Bandura et al., 2003), and on the level of instability of the emotional experience (Maciejewski et al., 2015). In the present study we examined (1) how reciprocal associations between anger, anxiety, sadness, and happiness, and selfefficacy in managing such emotions differed between adolescents throughout their daily lives; and (2) how daily fluctuations in emotional experiences and self-efficacy regulating emotions affected one another. This study included 103 Italian adolescents (53% males; Mage = 16.77, SD = .78). Data were gathered with a mobile ecological momentary assessment. For 15 days, adolescents were prompted via mobile-phones to respond to questions about whether they were feeling angry, sad, anxious, and happy, and how much they believed they were capable of regulating that emotion in that moment (Bandura et al., 2003). Adolescents experienced all examined emotions at low to moderate levels across the study period. Overall, adolescents with higher self-efficacy managing anger, sadness, and anxiety had lower overall anger, sadness, and anxiety, whereas adolescents with high anger, sadness, and anxiety felt no self-efficacy over the entire 15-day period. Teens with higher overall levels of selfefficacy managing happiness experienced higher overall happiness, and teens with the lowest overall levels of happiness felt no self-efficacy in managing happiness. Moreover, if a teen felt higher than usual self-efficacy managing sadness or expressing happiness on a typical day, they also felt less sadness and more happiness than usual on that day, and vice-a-versa. This study contributes to clarify the importance of emotion specificity and of self-efficacy about emotion regulation when clarifying the role of emotion regulation over adolescent adjustment.
Anger, Sadness, Anxiety, Happiness, and Self-Efficacy Beliefs about Emotion Regulation: A Mobile Ecological Momentary Assessment with Italian Adolescents
Favini, A.
2019-01-01
Abstract
Previous studies suggest that the association between emotion regulation and adolescent adjustment may depend on the type of emotion being managed (Feng et al., 2009), on the extent to which adolescents feel capable of modulating their emotional experiences (Bandura et al., 2003), and on the level of instability of the emotional experience (Maciejewski et al., 2015). In the present study we examined (1) how reciprocal associations between anger, anxiety, sadness, and happiness, and selfefficacy in managing such emotions differed between adolescents throughout their daily lives; and (2) how daily fluctuations in emotional experiences and self-efficacy regulating emotions affected one another. This study included 103 Italian adolescents (53% males; Mage = 16.77, SD = .78). Data were gathered with a mobile ecological momentary assessment. For 15 days, adolescents were prompted via mobile-phones to respond to questions about whether they were feeling angry, sad, anxious, and happy, and how much they believed they were capable of regulating that emotion in that moment (Bandura et al., 2003). Adolescents experienced all examined emotions at low to moderate levels across the study period. Overall, adolescents with higher self-efficacy managing anger, sadness, and anxiety had lower overall anger, sadness, and anxiety, whereas adolescents with high anger, sadness, and anxiety felt no self-efficacy over the entire 15-day period. Teens with higher overall levels of selfefficacy managing happiness experienced higher overall happiness, and teens with the lowest overall levels of happiness felt no self-efficacy in managing happiness. Moreover, if a teen felt higher than usual self-efficacy managing sadness or expressing happiness on a typical day, they also felt less sadness and more happiness than usual on that day, and vice-a-versa. This study contributes to clarify the importance of emotion specificity and of self-efficacy about emotion regulation when clarifying the role of emotion regulation over adolescent adjustment.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
