Loss-related mental states impair executive functions in a context of sadness

Abstract

Stress and anxiety have been shown to temporally impair executive functions, but the role of other emotions, such as sadness, has been inconclusive. Moreover, the role of affect regulation in this relationship has not been extensively studied. The present research investigated whether certain types of mental states (mental output resulting from the use of affect regulation within a specific context or with respect to a specific material or theme) relative to the context of loss would predict impairment of executive functions. Participants were randomly assigned to read either a loss-related newspaper article inducing sadness or a neutral newspaper article. Results showed that low mental states relative to loss (maladaptive affect regulation) predicted impairment of executive functions following an induction of sadness, but not following the neutral induction. Conversely, high mental states (adaptive affect regulation) were not predictive of impairment of executive functions in both the sadness and neutral condition. These findings have implications for the boundaries within which emotion can disrupt high-order cognitive processes.

Mentalization, emotional dysregulation and attachment to alternative attachment figures in retrospectively defined earned secure adults

“…The total score is derived through an equation using weighted values. The MST has good reliability, with Cronbach's α coefficient values ranging from .51 to .79 in this study, which is acceptable considering that the subscales are composed of only four items and include different aspects of each mental state (Beaulieu-Pelletier et al, 2021). The reflective thinking scale, however, presents an exception with unacceptable reliability (α = .07 and McDonald's ω = .35), similar to Tohme et al's (2021) findings.…”

Contribuciones de las funciones ejecutivas sobre los procesos emocionales: una revisión sistemática

“…En algunas investigaciones se reportan participantes con menor uso de estrategias de la regulación emocional como la reevaluación cognitiva, en la que se encuentra de base la disfunción ejecutiva y fallas en el cambio atencional, lo que sugiere que la disfunción ejecutiva juega un papel transdiagnóstico en la psicopatología. Así pues, podría entenderse la reevaluación cognitiva como la tendencia a participar activa y cognitivamente en el control emocional, lo que implica cambiar la interpretación de la situación para cambiar la experiencia emocional (Li et al, 2018;Waring et al, 2019;Moreno-Manso et al, 2020;Quinn & Joormann, 2020;Beaulieu-Pelletier et al, 2021;Shakehnia et al, PsicoesPacios / VoL. 17 n. 31 / juLio-diciembre, 2023 / iSSn-e: 2145-2776 2021; Gong et al, 2022).…”