Situation selection for the regulation of emotion responses: Non-meaningful choice options retain partial physiological regulatory impact.

Situation selection consists in choosing an upcoming emotional situation in order to regulate emotions. It was found to be a strategy with powerful effects on emotional negative experience and physiological arousal. Situation selection is supposed to be efficient through the empowering effect of choice itself. In the present study, we wanted to replicate results on Situation selection efficiency and explore its limits by examining the implications of a non-meaningful choice procedure preceding the emotional trigger, expecting that even this non-meaningful choice would be regulatory. Sixty-one participants (40 females, mean age 21.4 years) were presented with emotional pictures, either with no particular instruction (no regulation) or with the task to make a choice between two options. This task was either a classical Situation selection task, with the label corresponding to the image that could be later seen (Word Situation selection), or non-meaningful options (Non-word Situation selection). The effect of Situation selection for negative experience was replicated. Effects on physiological arousal showed reduced heart rate and respiratory rate at the end of the viewing period, particularly for positive viewing. In negative viewing, Non-word Situation selection did not reduce negative experience, but did reinforce the calming effect of Situation selection on heart and respiratory rate. These results confirm Situation selection as a valid emotion regulation strategy, particularly regarding physiological arousal. Significant understanding of the options seems to constitute a strategic part of the regulation on the full spectrum of emotion responses but is not mandatory if only some specific physiological responses are targeted

The regulatory effect of choice in Situation Selection reduces experiential, exocrine and respiratory arousal for negative emotional stimulations

Abstract Situation selection is a seldom studied emotion regulation strategy that entails choosing an upcoming emotional situation. Two mechanisms may drive its regulatory effect on emotional responses. One relates to the evaluation of the chosen option, people generally selecting the most positive. The other one implies that having the choice regarding the upcoming emotional situation is already regulatory, independently of what we choose. This research aimed at investigating this latter hypothesis. In a within-subject design, we compared emotional responses of 65 participants when they viewed negative and positive images they could select (use of Situation selection) vs. when they were imposed the exact same images (Situation selection not used). Results show that having the choice in negative contexts decreased negative experience, skin conductance, and respiration reactivity, while enhancing expressivity and cardiovascular reactivity. In positive contexts, choosing generally reinforced the image calming effect. Thus, contrary to other strategies that are efficient for negative but usually impair positive reactions (e.g., distraction), Situation selection may be used widely to reduce negative experience, while avoiding depletion of positive responses. This is particularly notable in emotion experience. Remarkably, these effects are not driven by the content of the situations, but by the act of choosing itself

Factors associated with repetitive violent behavior of psychiatric inpatients.

A small number of psychiatric inpatients displays a large proportion of Violent Behaviors (VB). These can have a major impact on both victims and patients themselves. This study explored personal, situational and institutional risk factors and their combined effects, which could lead to repetitive VB (three or more assaults). Data from 4518 patients, aged 18 to 65, admitted to an acute psychiatric care facility, were included in the analysis. VB, defined as physical aggressions against another person, were assessed by the Staff Observation Aggression Scale-Revised. 414 VB were reported during the study period, involving 199 patients. 0.75 % of all patients were repetitively violent and committed 43% of all VB. Factors that were linked to repetitive VB were living in sheltered housing before hospitalization, suffering from schizophrenia with substance abuse comorbidity, cumulating hospitalization days and some situational factors, like the fact of being in nursing offices and pharmacies. When all personal, situational and institutional factors were considered together, the combined effects of length of stay and living in sheltered housing increased the risk of repetitive VB. We have identified a small group of vulnerable patients for whom new modalities of inter-institutional networking should be developed to prevent repetitive VB