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An ecological momentary assessment evaluation of emotion regulation abnormalities in schizophrenia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 January 2018

Katherine Frost Visser ,
Farnaz Zamani Esfahlani ,
Hiroki Sayama  and
Gregory P. Strauss
Katherine Frost Visser
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, GA, USA
Farnaz Zamani Esfahlani
Affiliation:
Department of Systems Science and Industrial Engineering, Binghamton University, NY, USA
Hiroki Sayama
Affiliation:
Department of Systems Science and Industrial Engineering, Binghamton University, NY, USA
Gregory P. Strauss*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, GA, USA
*
Author for correspondence: Gregory P. Strauss, E-mail: gstrauss@uga.edu
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Abstract

Background

Prior studies using self-report questionnaires and laboratory-based methods suggest that schizophrenia is characterized by abnormalities in emotion regulation (i.e. using strategies to increase or decrease the frequency, duration, or intensity of negative emotion). However, it is unclear whether these abnormalities reflect poor emotion regulation effort or adequate effort, but limited effectiveness. It is also unclear whether dysfunction results primarily from one of the three stages of the emotion regulation process: identification, selection, or implementation.

Method

The current study used ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to address these questions in the context of everyday activities. Participants included 28 outpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia (SZ) and 28 demographically matched healthy controls (CN) who completed 6 days of EMA reports of in-the-moment emotional experience, emotion regulation strategy use, and context.

Results

Results indicated that SZ demonstrated adequate emotion regulation effort, but poor effectiveness. Abnormalities were observed at each of the three stages of the emotion regulation process. At the identification stage, SZ initiated emotion regulation efforts at a lower threshold of negative emotion intensity. At the selection stage, SZ selected more strategies than CN and strategies attempted were less contextually appropriate. At the implementation stage, moderate to high levels of effort were ineffective at decreasing negative emotion.

Conclusions

Findings suggest that although SZ attempt to control their emotions using various strategies, often applying more effort than CN, these efforts are unsuccessful; emotion regulation abnormalities may result from difficulties at the identification, selection, and implementation stages.

Keywords

Affectexperience samplingpsychosis
Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 48 , Issue 14 , October 2018 , pp. 2337 - 2345
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018 

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Footnotes

Preliminary data presented at the 2017 International Congress on Schizophrenia Research and the 2016 Society for Affective Science Annual Conference. Funding: NIMH K23MH092530 and State University of New York Interdisciplinary Collaboration Grant to Dr Strauss.

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