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

Abstract

Cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression have long been considered the two most important emotion regulation strategies. Increasingly, studies have found that mindfulness has a relationship with them. However, the magnitude and direction of the relationship between them have yet to reach a consistent conclusion. To this end, a three-level meta-analysis was used to explore the relationship between mindfulness, cognitive reappraisal, and expressive suppression. Thirty-six studies were included in the meta-analysis through a literature search, including 36 samples with 83 effect sizes and a total of 12,026 subjects. The three-level random effects model showed that mindfulness was positively correlated with cognitive reappraisal to a low to moderate degree but was not correlated with expressive suppression. The moderating effect analysis showed that the relationship between mindfulness and cognitive reappraisal was slightly closer in males than in females. The study found a relatively stable positive relationship between mindfulness and cognitive reappraisal, an adaptive emotion regulation mode, while the relationship with expressive suppression was insignificant. The finding supported the affect regulation training model and also shed light on potential areas for future studies.

Cognitive reappraisal and empathy chain-mediate the association between relative deprivation and prosocial behavior in adolescents

“…In the present study, we focus on two widely studied emotion regulation strategies: expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal. Previous studies have shown that the two emotion regulation strategies operate in contrasting effects ( Zhou et al, 2023 ), and differ in terms of psychological processes and physiological mechanisms ( Bebko et al, 2011 ; Hermann et al, 2014 ). Considering with these findings and referencing relevant literature ( Zhang et al, 2023 ), the present study explored the mediating effect of cognitive reappraisal and/or expressive suppression, respectively.…”

Mental health latent profiles and emotion regulation in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: A cross-sectional study

“…This study further emphasizes the importance of increasing the use of cognitive reappraisal and reducing the utilization of expressive suppression as an emotion regulation strategy in coping with stressors associated with polycystic ovary syndrome. Previous studies have provided evidence that mindfulness (Zhou et al, 2023), cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) (Dryman and Heimberg, 2018) are effective in enhancing cognitive reappraisal, and exposure therapy is effective in reducing expressive suppression (Dryman and Heimberg, 2018). Therefore, therapists should incorporate CBT directly and repeated cognitive restructuring exercises and exposure therapy into intervention programs aimed at improving the mental health of women with PCOS.…”