Inside–out: the role of anger experience and expression in the development of postpartum mood disorders

PURPOSE: Among negative emotions, anger has not been studied in as much depth in her connection to postpartum mood disorders. The study aimed to investigate the role of anger as a potential vulnerability factor increasing the risk of Maternity Blues (MB) and Postpartum Depression (PPD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Pregnant women in their third trimester of pregnancy underwent the following tests: the State Trait Anger Expression Inventory 2 - STAXI-2 (baseline visit), the Blues Questionnaire -BQ (3 and 5 days after delivery), and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale - Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) (3 and 6 months following delivery). RESULTS: One hundred ten subjects were included in this study. The prevalence rate of mothers with MB was about 35%, whereas about 4% of women developed a PPD. Significant positive correlations were found among State anger (SANG), Trait anger (TANG), anger expression out (AXO) and in (AXI) and postpartum depressive disorders, as measured by blues questionnaire (BQ) and EPDS. CONCLUSIONS: Anger experience and expression can be considered as vulnerability factors for postpartum mood disorders onset. Particularly, the expression of angry feelings toward other persons or objects in the environment (AXO) predicts the onset of MB, whereas holding in or suppressing angry feelings (AXI) could be a risk factor for subsequent PPD

Age, anger regulation and well-being

Emotion regulation has been argued to be an important factor in well-being. The current study investigated the effects of adult aging on emotional expression, emotional control and rumination about emotional events, focusing on an emotion which is particularly important in social interaction: anger. Measures of anger regulation and well-being were obtained in a sample of 286 adults aged between 18 and 88. Older adults expressed anger outwardly less often, and reported more inner control of anger using calming strategies compared to their younger counterparts. These age differences were not explained by variance in social desirability of responding. Age improvements in negative affect and anxiety were partly explained by age differences in anger regulation suggesting an important role for anger management in good mental health amongst older adults. Further, age improvements in quality of life were explained by variance in anger regulation indicating that improved management of emotions with age is an important factor in maintaining well-being in old age

An introductory overview on personality and healthy aging: setting a foundation for the current volume

Worldwide efforts to promote healthy aging have increased in recent years, given the longer life expectancies. The current volume was organized in order to discuss how personality science may be employed in these efforts. In this introduction, we discuss the previous efforts to link personality constructs to the promotion of healthy aging. In so doing, we set the stage for the remaining chapters that target specific topics along this front. The importance of promoting healthy aging has never been clearer. Individuals are living longer lives than ever before, which places greater importance on identifying factors that promote health maintenance and improve quality of life. Though the final endpoint may be the same for all, individuals differ greatly in the extent to which they enact healthy lifestyle behaviors across the lifespan, and in their likelihood for experiencing negative health risks. In recent decades, efforts to identify why some individuals experience more or less positive aging trajectories have pointed to the value of considering personality science. Though the notion that individuals’ personality dispositions are valuable for predicting health outcomes is not new (for a review of the classic work on trait anger and hostility, see Siegman, 1994), what has changed in recent years is (a) our definitions, taxonomies, and understanding of personality dispositions, (b) the knowledge base regarding why and for whom personality characteristics lead to healthier aging outcomes, and (c) the methodological and analytic approaches taken for studies in this field. The current volume reflects an effort to present new findings, developments, and techniques in order to continue progress for research on personality traits and healthy aging. The focus is less on absolute coverage of any one domain of research or methodological expertise, and instead is intended to provide a smattering of new ideas and theoretical insights from some of the researchers at the forefront of the field. It is difficult to situate the included chapters within broad domains, given that each chapter touches upon both advances in measurement and advances in theory. First, authors will discuss their ongoing efforts to move beyond the personality taxonomies and self-report methods that may have unduly handicapped the precision with which we can predict healthy aging outcomes. Building from this background, researchers from both within and outside psychology present new methods and analytic techniques to add to the researchers’ toolbox. Second, across entries, the authors will consider explanatory frameworks that expand upon existing models in order to further our understanding of when, for whom, and why personality constructs predict aging trajectories. Prior to these chapters, though, we first provide a brief overview of the existing knowledge and frameworks on personality and healthy aging and, in so doing, alert the reader to areas of need that will be addressed in the current volume

Application of the Spielberger's State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory in clinical patients Aplicação do inventário de expressão de raiva estado-traço de Spielberger em pacientes clínicos

OBJECTIVE: To examine the factor structure of the Portuguese version of State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI) in clinical patients. METHOD: 400 subjects from an internal medicine outpatient unit and 200 from a medical ward were recruited. Patients answered questions about clinical data, the STAXI, and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Raw score of the STAXI was submitted to reliability assessment and factor analysis. RESULTS: Internal consistency using the Cronbach's alpha coefficient was of 0.84. The STAXI significantly correlated with BDI at r=0.352 (p<0.01). The final solution of Principal Component Analysis identified five meaningful factors: Trait-Anger, State-Anger, Anger-Control, Anger-Out, and Anger-In. This structural model is close to the original theoretical construct of Spielberger's STAXI. CONCLUSION: The Portuguese version of STAXI presented an adequate factorial structure that permits the evaluation of anger dimensions among clinical patients.<br>OBJETIVO: Avaliar o construto e as propriedades psicométricas da versão em português do Inventário de Expressão de Raiva Estado-Traço (STAXI) em pacientes clínicos. MÉTODO: 400 indivíduos de uma unidade ambulatorial e 200 de uma enfermaria de clínica médica foram recrutados. Foram coletadas informações sobre aspectos clínicos, o STAXI e o Inventário de Depressão de Beck (BDI). Os escores brutos do STAXI foram submetidos à análise de confiabilidade e análise fatorial. RESULTADOS: A consistência interna pelo coeficiente alfa de Cronbach foi de 0,84. O STAXI se correlacionou significativamente com BDI (r=0,352; p<0,01). A análise de Componentes Principais identificou cinco fatores significativos: Raiva-traço, Raiva-estado, Controle-de-raiva, Raiva-para-fora e Raiva-para-dentro. Esse modelo estrutural é similar ao apresentado originalmente por Spielberger. CONCLUSÃO: A versão em português do STAXI apresenta uma estrutura fatorial adequada que permite a avaliação das dimensões da raiva em pacientes clínicos