Self-Report Measures of Positive Reappraisal With a Focus on Older Adults: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Positive reappraisal is a meaning-based cognitive emotion regulation strategy of identifying positive meaning within negative experiences and is particularly relevant to older adults. There is currently no single accepted self-report measure. We conducted a systematic literature review of existing positive reappraisal self-report measures. Reliability and validity information were reported for all eight measures, with most internal consistency values exceeding .60. However, there were some concerns with factor structure and content validity. After careful review, the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, COPE Inventory and Illness Cognition Questionnaire appear to be the most useful and robust measures of positive reappraisal generally, and are also suitable for older adult samples. A more consistent use of measures in the literature will further positive reappraisal research.Positive reappraisal is a meaning-based cognitive emotion regulation strategy of identifying positive meaning in negative experiences. The construct originates from Lazarus and Folkman's (1984) transactional model of stress,

A Comparison of Single-Session Positive Reappraisal, Cognitive Restructuring and Supportive Counselling for Older Adults with Type 2 Diabetes

“…Positive Reappraisal was measured with two different subscales to capture both belief level and frequency, with both measures reported to be acceptable measures of the construct for older adults (Nowlan et al 2015c). As positive reappraisal involves both believing that there has been positive change from the stressor and thinking about that aspect to facilitate coping, it is important to assess both level of positive reappraisal belief and frequency of positive reappraisal thinking.…”

Meaningful coping with chronic pain: Exploring the interplay between goal violation, meaningful coping strategies and life satisfaction in chronic pain patients

“…Descriptions of meaningful coping strategies often consist of different types of cognitive processing which integrate the experiential information (like goal violation) with pre‐existing structures (the orienting system). Examples of such cognitive processes are positive reappraisal and downward comparison , strategies regularly mentioned in the literature on coping with medical stressors (e.g., Boehmer, Luszczynska & Schwarzer, ; Nowlan, Wuthrich & Rapee, ). Positive reappraisal can be defined as “the process of finding some personally‐relevant positive meaning from an experience in the face of its negative reality” (Nowlan et al ., , p. 475).…”

“…Examples of such cognitive processes are positive reappraisal and downward comparison , strategies regularly mentioned in the literature on coping with medical stressors (e.g., Boehmer, Luszczynska & Schwarzer, ; Nowlan, Wuthrich & Rapee, ). Positive reappraisal can be defined as “the process of finding some personally‐relevant positive meaning from an experience in the face of its negative reality” (Nowlan et al ., , p. 475). The goal of positive reappraisal is not to distort reality by extreme or unrealistic optimism, but to approach the event from a different angle, enabling the identification of positive value or gain in the event.…”

“…Research indicates that positive reappraisal and downward comparison can be adaptive strategies in coping with severe illness. In a literature review on positive reappraisal in older adults, Nowlan and colleagues () found that this coping strategy predicted improved functional, physical, and mental health for older adults with serious health problems. Similar positive effects of positive reappraisal have been found for cancer patients (Brady & Helgeson, 2000; Park, Edmonston, Fenster & Blank, ) and for arthritis patients (Groarke, Curtis, Coughlan & Gsel, ).…”

The impact of positive reappraisal on positive (and negative) emotion among older adults

“…Cognitive emotion regulation was measured with the 36-item Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ; Garnefski et al, 2001), which assesses how people use their thoughts to manage their emotions across nine emotion regulation strategies, and has been found to be an acceptable measure of positive reappraisal for older adults (Nowlan et al, 2015b). Five strategies are considered adaptive (positive reappraisal, acceptance, refocus on planning, putting into perspective, and positive refocusing) and four strategies are considered maladaptive (self-blame, other-blame, catastrophizing, and rumination).…”