Age-group differences in instructed emotion regulation effectiveness: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abstract

Several theories of emotional development in adulthood provide the rationale for anticipating enhanced emotion regulation effectiveness (i.e., successful, goal-consistent regulation of emotions) with age. However, the existing empirical evidence is ambiguous. The aims of the present systematic review and meta-analysis were to investigate age-group differences in instructed emotion regulation effectiveness, and to explore whether age-group differences in instructed emotion regulation effectiveness vary according to person factors (i.e., age gap between age groups, gender distribution), the specific strategy (i.e., type of emotion regulation strategy), and situational factors (i.e., intensity and type of emotion to-be-regulated, emotion regulation goal, experimental context). PsycINFO and PubMed were searched for studies assessing age-group differences in instructed emotion regulation effectiveness in physically healthy adults. The literature search yielded 18 relevant studies conducted in laboratories (n = 1,366) and no relevant studies conducted in naturalistic settings. The meta-analyses indicated no statistically significant overall age-group differences (g = −0.01, p = .878). A statistically significant small effect favoring older adults was identified in a subgroup meta-analysis of studies assessing attentional focusing (g = −0.22, p = .027), while no other statistically significant results were identified. Together, these findings, albeit limited to a laboratory setting, indicate that instructed emotion regulation effectiveness remains largely stable in adulthood. The findings are discussed with reference to theoretical work emphasizing age-related changes in motivation (e.g., Socioemotional Selectivity Theory) and resources (e.g., Strength and Vulnerability Integration model). Limitations include the small number of studies and the limited generalizability of the findings.

The effect of age on emotion regulation patterns in daily life: Findings from an experience sampling study

“…This is inconsistent with lifespan theories suggesting that aging is associated with more effective emotion regulation (Charles, 2010; Urry & Gross, 2010) and with previous cross‐sectional studies finding that aging is associated with greater self‐reported emotion regulation effectiveness (Kessler & Staudinger, 2009; Phillips, Henry, Hosie & Milne, 2008). However, it is consistent with a recent meta‐analysis, showing no differences between young and older adults in performance‐based emotion regulation effectiveness assessed in experimental settings (Mikkelsen et al ., 2021). One explanation for this discrepancy in findings may be study design.…”

“…A considerable amount of research on aging and emotion regulation has been conducted within the past decades (Allen & Windsor, 2019; Gurera & Isaacowitz, 2019; Helion, Krueger & Ochsner, 2019; Isaacowitz, 2022; Mikkelsen, Tramm & O'Toole, 2021). However, research specifically investigating the effect of age on emotion regulation effectiveness and emotion regulation dynamics in daily life is sparse (Isaacowitz, 2022).…”

Linking Cognitive Reappraisal and Expressive Suppression to Mindfulness: A Three-Level Meta-Analysis

“…Different ages may influence the correlation between mindfulness and emotion regulation. This age difference may be caused by psycho-social development factors and life goal selection factors [47]. On the one hand, with the continuous maturation of body and mind and the enrichment of interpersonal experience, individuals are more inclined to adopt conscious strategies to regulate emotions.…”

Emotion regulation monitoring in aging: the predictive effects of age and effort in determining emotion regulation failure

“…Positive reappraisal was more effective for older adults whereas detached reappraisal was more effective for younger adults (Shiota & Levenson, 2009), although these results were not corroborated in a recent study (Livingstone & Isaacowitz, 2019). A meta-analysis of laboratory studies of emotion regulation found that effectiveness was largely stable in aging (Mikkelsen et al, 2021); similar results were found in a recent experience sampling study investigating the effectiveness of each family of regulation strategies in aging (Livingstone & Isaaowitz, 2021).…”