Publication Date

2019

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Orcutt, Holly K.

Degree Name

M.A. (Master of Arts)

Legacy Department

Department of Psychology

Abstract

Emotion dysregulation can often be attributed to an inability to employ a range of regulatory strategies across varying stressful situations (i.e., regulatory flexibility). Therefore, it remains clinically relevant to determine the mechanisms that facilitate regulatory flexibility. Although mindfulness and regulatory flexibility have been linked, relations between mindfulness facets and regulatory flexibility have not yet been considered. This study aimed to determine which facets of self-reported trait mindfulness are related to regulatory choice flexibility. Using a previously validated performance-based emotion regulation choice paradigm, undergraduates (N = 78; 62.8% female; Mage = 19.82, SD = 2.03) chose to use either reappraisal or distraction in response to negative emotional images of low- and high-intensity. Consistent with previous research, use of distraction was significantly affected by trial intensity, F(1, 77) = 286.09, p < .001, p2 = .79, such that participants demonstrated a relative preference for reappraisal across low-intensity trials (76.84%) and distraction across high-intensity trials (63.25%). Additionally, controlling for the other mindfulness facets, a regression analysis revealed that the only facet significantly associated with regulatory choice flexibility was nonjudging of inner experience (β = -.40, p < .01). The unexpected negative directionality indicates this facet is associated with less regulatory flexibility.

Extent

78 pages

Language

eng

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

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