Regulation of positive emotions in youth: Relations with affect and depression

The main goal of the current study was to investigate the role of Regulation of Positive Emotions (RPE) or the “ability to manage responses to positive emotions” in youth development of depression. In order to accomplish this goal it was first necessary to develop a measure of RPE; thus, development and validation of a new self-report measure of RPE (i.e. the Youth Regulation of Positive Emotions Scale; YRPES) was a preliminary goal of this study as well. The YRPES was preliminarily investigated in an emerging adult sample (N=548) while the primary analyses were conducted in a school sample of typically developing youth grades 5 through 8 (N=254). Participants completed measure of emotion regulation, affect, and anxiety and depression symptoms. Youth participants were assessed at two time points approximately 6-months apart. Results provided support for the construct of RPE which was related to higher levels of Positive Affect (PA) and lower levels of depression symptoms in youth. RPE provided incremental validity in predicting both PA and depression symptoms relative to established measures of emotion regulation. Support was also found for a mediation model in which PA partially mediated the association between RPE and Depression. While RPE did not significantly predict depression symptoms at follow up after controlling for initial symptom, changes in RPE were significantly associated with changes in depression symptoms. This association was also partially mediated by changes in PA. Relations of RPE with NA, anxiety symptoms were also investigated as were the moderating effects of gender and age. Implications for future research and interventions that include positive emotion regulation strategies are discussed

Observed positive and negative behaviors in children: relation to anxiety and depression symptoms

The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file.Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on August 21, 2009)Includes bibliographical references.Thesis (M.A.) University of Missouri-Columbia 2008.Dissertations, Academic -- University of Missouri--Columbia -- Psychology.[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Anxiety and depression are difficult to differentiate, especially in children. Research has demonstrated that children's self-reported positive and negative affect and cognitions are differentially related to anxiety and depression. Specifically, negative affect and cognitions have been related to both anxiety and depression, whereas positive affect and cognitions have been uniquely negatively related to depression. However, little research has directly examined the relation of positive and negative behaviors to anxiety and depressive symptoms. The present study examined whether children's observed positive and negative behaviors during a speech task differentially related to anxious and depressive symptoms. Positive and negative behavior composites were formed based on several overt behaviors coded from video recordings of the children's speeches. Positive behaviors were significantly associated with depression but not anxiety symptoms. Negative behaviors were not significantly related to anxiety or depression symptoms. Implications for the role of positive and negative behaviors in the etiology, assessment, and treatment of anxious and depressive disorders are discussed