Buffering Against the Emotional Impact of Pain: Mood Clarity Reduces Depressive Symptoms in Older Adults

Kennedy, Lindsay A.; Cohen, Taya R.; Panter, A. T.; Yamanis, Thespina J.; Jordan, Joanne M.; DeVellis, Robert F.

doi:10.1521/jscp.2010.29.9.975

Cited by 17 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 14 publications

(18 reference statements)

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“…In contrast, deficits in emotional clarity, and the concomitant inability to understand and alleviate negative affective states, ultimately might lead to the development of negative self-views, feelings of inadequacy or hopelessness, and other symptoms of depression. Indeed, deficits in emotional clarity are associated with neuroticism (Coffey, Berenbaum, & Kerns, 2003), negative affect (Gohm & Clore, 2002), and depressive symptoms (Kennedy et al, 2010; Salovey et al, 1995) in adults. Moreover, recent research links deficits in emotional clarity with depressive symptoms concurrently during middle childhood (Flynn & Rudolph, 2010), and both concurrently and prospectively during adolescence (Fernandez-Berrocal, Alcaide, & Pizarro, 2006; Salguero, Palomera, & Fernandez-Berrocal, 2012; Stange, Alloy, Flynn, & Abramson, 2013; Stange et al, 2013).…”

Section: Emotional Clarity and Depressive Symptomsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Prospective Examination of Emotional Clarity, Stress Responses, and Depressive Symptoms During Early Adolescence

Flynn

Rudolph

2014

The Journal of Early Adolescence

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This study examined the proposal that difficulty understanding one’s emotional experiences (i.e., deficits in emotional clarity) would interfere with the formulation of adaptive responses to interpersonal stress, which would then predict depressive symptoms. This process was examined across 3 years (fourth to sixth grade) during early adolescence. Participants included 636 youth (338 girls, 298 boys; X̅ age in fourth grade = 9.95, SD = .37) who completed measures assessing emotional clarity, stress responses, and depressive symptoms. Consistent with the hypothesized model, path analyses revealed that maladaptive interpersonal stress responses partially mediated the prospective contribution of deficits in emotional clarity to depressive symptoms. These findings implicate impairment in emotional understanding as a precursor to emerging interpersonal and psychological difficulties during a developmental stage of heightened vulnerability to depression, the transition to adolescence.

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Section: Emotional Clarity and Depressive Symptomsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Prospective Examination of Emotional Clarity, Stress Responses, and Depressive Symptoms During Early Adolescence

Flynn

Rudolph

2014

The Journal of Early Adolescence

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“…High levels of EC have been linked to adaptive coping and positive well-being (Gohm & Clore, 2000). EC also has been shown to protect against depressive symptoms caused by some, but not all, stressors, among older adults (Kennedy et al, 2010). In contrast, low EC predicts maladaptive interpersonal responses to stress and depressive symptoms in youth (Flynn & Rudolph, 2010).…”

Section: Emotion-regulatory Vulnerabilities To Depressionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emotion regulation characteristics and cognitive vulnerabilities interact to predict depressive symptoms in individuals at risk for bipolar disorder: A prospective behavioural high-risk study

Stange¹,

Boccia²,

Shapero³

et al. 2013

Cognition & Emotion

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Recent work has identified Behavioral Approach System (BAS) sensitivity as a risk factor for the first onset and recurrence of mood episodes in bipolar disorder, but little work has evaluated risk factors for depression in individuals at risk for, but without a history of, bipolar disorder. The present study evaluated cognitive styles and the emotion-regulatory characteristics of emotional clarity and ruminative brooding as prospective predictors of depressive symptoms in individuals with high versus moderate BAS sensitivity. Three separate regressions indicated that the associations between dysfunctional attitudes, self-criticism, and neediness with prospective increases in depressive symptoms were moderated by emotional clarity and brooding. Whereas brooding interacted with these cognitive styles to exacerbate their impact on depressive symptoms, emotional clarity buffered against their negative impact. These interactions were specific to high-BAS individuals for dysfunctional attitudes, but were found across the full sample for self-criticism and neediness. These results indicate that emotion-regulatory characteristics and cognitive styles may work in conjunction to confer risk for and resilience against depression, and that some of these relationships may be specific to individuals at risk for bipolar disorder.

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“…Indeed, among adults, lower levels of EC have been linked to less adaptive coping and less positive well-being (Gohm & Clore, 2000), as well as to less adaptive problem-solving behavior and poorer performance with complex problems compared to individuals with higher EC (Otto & Lantermann, 2006). Among older adults, higher EC also has been shown to protect against depressive symptoms caused by the stress of chronic pain (Kennedy et al, 2010). Among children, lower EC has been shown to predict depressive symptoms over time (Flynn & Rudolph, 2010).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Negative Inferential Style, Emotional Clarity, and Life Stress: Integrating Vulnerabilities to Depression in Adolescence

Stange

Alloy

Flynn

et al. 2013

Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology

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Objective Negative inferential style and deficits in emotional clarity have been identified as vulnerability factors for depression in adolescence, particularly when individuals experience high levels of life stress. However, previous research has not integrated these characteristics when evaluating vulnerability to depression. Method In the present study, a racially-diverse community sample of 256 early adolescents (ages 12 and 13) completed a baseline visit and a follow-up visit nine months later. Inferential style, emotional clarity, and depressive symptoms were assessed at baseline, and intervening life events and depressive symptoms were assessed at follow-up. Results Hierarchical linear regressions indicated that there was a significant three-way interaction between adolescents’ weakest-link negative inferential style, emotional clarity, and intervening life stress predicting depressive symptoms at follow-up, controlling for initial depressive symptoms. Adolescents with low emotional clarity and high negative inferential styles experienced the greatest increases in depressive symptoms following life stress. Emotional clarity buffered against the impact of life stress on depressive symptoms among adolescents with negative inferential styles. Similarly, negative inferential styles exacerbated the impact of life stress on depressive symptoms among adolescents with low emotional clarity. Conclusions These results provide evidence of the utility of integrating inferential style and emotional clarity as constructs of vulnerability in combination with life stress in the identification of adolescents at risk for depression. They also suggest the enhancement of emotional clarity as a potential intervention technique to protect against the effects of negative inferential styles and life stress on depression in early adolescence.

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Buffering Against the Emotional Impact of Pain: Mood Clarity Reduces Depressive Symptoms in Older Adults

Cited by 17 publications

References 14 publications

A Prospective Examination of Emotional Clarity, Stress Responses, and Depressive Symptoms During Early Adolescence

A Prospective Examination of Emotional Clarity, Stress Responses, and Depressive Symptoms During Early Adolescence

Emotion regulation characteristics and cognitive vulnerabilities interact to predict depressive symptoms in individuals at risk for bipolar disorder: A prospective behavioural high-risk study

Negative Inferential Style, Emotional Clarity, and Life Stress: Integrating Vulnerabilities to Depression in Adolescence

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