Which emotion regulation strategy is efficient for whom? Reappraisal and suppression efficiency for adaptive and maladaptive personality profiles.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Laboratory experimental study with within-subject conditions and between-subject personality cluster analysis; level assigned by non-clinical design analogy.
PubMed 38801169 · doi:10.1111/jopy.12948
What was done
Personality structure was assessed in 102 young adults (mean age 20.75, SD 2.15) using the Five-Factor Model and the Maladaptive Personality Trait Model to identify personality clusters. Participants viewed positive and negative emotionally charged images under three conditions: cognitive reappraisal, expressive suppression, or passive viewing without regulation, while subjective emotional experience, expressivity, and physiological arousal were recorded.
What was found
Cluster analysis identified two adaptive clusters ("Adaptive Resilient" and "Anti-resilient") and two maladaptive clusters ("Maladaptive Resilient" and "Under-controlled"). For emotional experience in maladaptive profiles, reappraisal was efficient in the Maladaptive Resilient profile, but neither reappraisal nor suppression provided relief in the Under-controlled profile. The abstract provides no exact numerical values, effect sizes, or test statistics for experience, expressivity, or physiological arousal.
Why it matters
The findings demonstrate that the effectiveness of cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression depends on underlying personality profiles, indicating that individuals with under-controlled maladaptive traits may not derive relief from standard regulation strategies.
Limits
The abstract reports no numerical data, confidence intervals, or statistical test values. The sample was limited to young adults (mean age ~21), and the findings from a laboratory image-viewing task may not generalize to clinical populations or real-world emotional contexts.
Cited by
- supports Suppressing or repressing emotions acts as a major cognitive drain on willpower and mental energy.