Negative Mood Regulation Expectancies Moderate the Relationship Between Psychological Abuse and Avoidant Coping

Abstract

This study explored the relationships among psychological abuse, attitudes about intimate partner violence (IPV), negative mood regulation expectancies (NMRE), and coping. Participants were 126 female college students in dating, cohabitating, or married relationships within the previous year. In one single session, they completed self-report scales measuring IPV, NMRE, and coping. Results indicated that women reporting higher levels of psychological abuse reported less negative attitudes toward IPV, engaged in less-active coping responses, and had lower NMRE. Psychological abuse was a significant predictor of avoidant coping, while NMRE significantly predicted both active and avoidant coping. In addition, the interaction of NMRE × Psychological abuse added incremental prediction of avoidant coping. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Generalized Expectancies for Negative Mood Regulation Among Youth in Grades 4 to 8

“…As the predictors entered at earlier steps in these regressions, especially PA and NA, had such strong relations with the criterion measures of depression and anxiety, these analyses provided stringent tests of the concurrent incremental validity of NMRE by demonstrating statistical uniqueness from affect and coping measures. Our findings parallel those reported in college student and adult samples using the NMR Scale (e.g., Catanzaro & Mearns, 2016; Davis et al, 2005; Kassel et al, 2006; Mearns et al, 2009; Shepherd-McMullin et al, 2015). This suggests that the NMRE construct can be extended downward to include children and adolescents in Grades 4 to 8.…”

“…These hypotheses have been supported in multiple studies in a wide variety of age groups and in several languages. Research has also consistently shown NMRE are positively correlated with adaptive, active coping responses, and negatively correlated with maladaptive, avoidant coping responses in samples ranging from college students to the elderly (Catanzaro & Mearns, 2016;Shepherd-McMullen, Mearns, Stokes, & Mechanic, 2015). Research has also demonstrated discriminant validity of NMRE from coping, from depression, and from trait positive affect (PA) and trait negative affect (NA) (Catanzaro et al, 2014;Catanzaro, Wasch, Kirsch, & Mearns, 2000).…”

Emotion regulation is associated with PTSD and depression among female adolescent survivors of childhood sexual abuse.

“…One important dimension of emotion regulation is one's self-perceived ability for regulating negative moods. Multiple studies demonstrate that self-perceived emotion regulation abilities are important predictors of affect, cognition, and behavior (e.g., Shepherd-McMullen, Mearns, Stokes, & Mechanic, 2015). Self-perceived emotion regulation may be especially important in PTSD, where traumatized individuals may maintain dysfunctional beliefs about their ability to cope with the aftermath (e.g., “I should be able to get over this”).…”

Attachment and psychological distress: The mediator role of Negative Mood Regulation Expectancies

“…Specifically, NMRE was shown to act as a moderator between childhood abuse and self‐injurious behavior among college students (Tresno, Ito, & Mearns, ). NMRE was also found to be associated with avoidant coping in women participants who reported experiencing psychological abuse (Shepherd‐McMullen et al, ).…”

“…That is, merely believing that one has the capacity to solve problems and cope with negative emotions may increase one's mood and at the same time facilitate healthy emotion regulation strategies. Besides, this capacity is believed to be a result of using active and adaptive coping strategies, consistently and repetitively (Shepherd‐McMullen, Mearns, Stokes, & Mechanic, ). In other words, NMRE is influential on one's coping performance on two different levels.…”