Emotion expressivity in the Dutch:Validation of the Dutch translation of the Berkeley Expressivity Questionnaire

When examining emotions and emotion regulation, we discriminate between emotion experience and emotion expressivity. Research shows that the two are modestly related. The Berkeley Expressivity Questionnaire (BEQ) was designed to assess positive and negative expressivity, as well as the intensity of the expressive behavior. The current article reports on 2 studies that examined the reliability and validity of the Dutch translation of the BEQ. In Study 1, we performed a confirmatory factor analysis of the BEQ items in two samples that differed in age (young adults and adults), correlated the facet and total scores with measures of behavioral control, affective response tendencies, and emotion regulation strategies, and examined sex differences. Results confirmed the three-factor structure and further showed that factors were correlated, and two items loaded on all factors. Internal consistency was good, and test–retest reliability was excellent. As expected, emotion expression was larger in women. Convergent and divergent validity were confirmed. Behavioral control measures were inversely related to emotion expression. Although neuroticism and depression were associated with negative expressivity, extraversion, openness, and agreeableness were associated with positive expressivity. Emotion regulation strategies generally showed association patterns in the expected directions. In Study 2, we report on the predictive value of the BEQ facet scores for the emotional response to acute social evaluative stress. Results showed that only expression intensity was significantly associated with a larger emotional stress response. In conclusion, the Dutch version of Berkeley Expressivity Questionnaire is a reliable and valid instrument to be used in the Dutch settin

The Effectiveness of Transdiagnostic Applications of Competitive Memory Training (COMET) on Low Self-Esteem and Comorbid Depression:A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Background: Low self-esteem is a relevant transdiagnostic condition in the etiology, manifestation, and aggravation of different types of psychopathology. While low self-esteem is expected to ameliorate automatically after successful treatment of the principal emotional disorder the patient is suffering from, this does not always happen. Therefore, several specific interventions for enhancing low self-esteem have been developed, amongst them competitive memory training or COMET. The current meta-analysis investigated the efficacy of COMET in a variety of patient populations. Methods: Several databases were simultaneously examined after which 11 randomized COMET studies were identified. They encompassed a total of 662 patients with a diversity of emotional disorders of whom 344 had been treated in the experimental COMET conditions. Effects of COMET were expressed as Hedges’ g and were assessed on self-esteem and comorbid depression. When heterogeneity or publication bias were detected, original outcomes were corrected. Results: Low self-esteem was enhanced (g = 0.50; after correction g = 0.61), while comorbid depression was reduced (g = 0.68; after correction g = 0.54). Conclusions: COMET is a promising transdiagnostic intervention producing moderate enhancements in low self-esteem and moderate reductions in comorbid depression compared to control conditions in a variety of emotional disorders. Study Registration: Prospero ID: CRD42021237905

Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder symptoms as a risk factor for postpartum depressive symptoms

For women with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) trait symptoms, coping with childbearing and parenting could be associated with postpartum depressive symptoms. Therefore, the possible relationship between OCPD trait symptoms and trajectories of postpartum depressive symptoms was examined. A cohort of 1427 women was followed from late pregnancy until 12 months’ postpartum. Trajectories of postpartum depressive symptoms were determined using growth mixture modeling with five repeated assessments. Next, the relationship between OCPD trait symptoms and these trajectories was examined through multinomial regression. Three postpartum depressive symptom trajectories were identified: (1) low symptoms (92%), (2) increasing-decreasing symptoms (inverted u-shape) (5%), and (3) increasing symptoms (3%). OCPD trait symptoms were associated with a higher likelihood of the trajectories increasing-decreasing symptoms (OR 1.26; 95% CI 1.14–1.39) and increasing symptoms (OR 1.16; 95% CI 1.02–1.32), compared to reference trajectory (low symptoms), adjusted for age, educational level, unplanned pregnancy, previous depressive episode (s), and parity

Effects of emotion regulation strategies on mothers’ self-reported, physiological, and facial expressive responses to infant laughing

Objective. Mothers’ affective responses to infant laughing are essential in parent-child interaction. This experimental study examined whether instructing mothers to employ emotion regulation strategies can change their self-reported, physiological, and facial expressive responses to infant laughing. Design. Using a within-subjects design, mothers (N = 100, age M = 30.87 years) were exposed to infant laughing sounds while receiving enhancement, suppression, and no emotion regulation instructions. Positive affect, perception of laughing, intended sensitive and insensitive caregiving responses, skin conductance level, and facial expressions in response to infant laughing were measured. Results. Enhancement resulted in increased positive affect, a more positive perception of the laugh, more intended sensitive caregiving responses, and, compared to suppression, fewer intended insensitive caregiving responses. Moreover, enhancement resulted in lower sad and, compared to suppression, higher happy facial expressi-vity. In contrast, suppression resulted in a less positive perception. Enhancement did not affect skin conductance level. Conclusions. Enhancement can have beneficial effects on mothers’ self-reported and facial expressive responses to infant laughing in an experimental setting. Enhancement instructions may be used to increase mothers’ positive feelings in response to infant laughing and to promote sensitive caregiving behaviors and positive facial expressions, which may benefit affective mother-child interchanges

Experimental manipulation of emotion regulation changes mothers’ physiological and facial expressive responses to infant crying

This study examined whether instructing mothers to apply emotion regulation strategies can change mothers’ perception and reactivity to infant crying in an experimental within-subject design. Perception of crying, skin conductance level (SCL), facial expressivity, and intended caregiving responses to cry sounds were measured in mothers (N = 101, M = 30.88 years) who received suppression, reappraisal, and no emotion regulation instructions. Reappraisal resulted in lower SCL during exposure to crying and a less negative perception of crying compared to the suppression condition. In contrast, suppression resulted in increased facial expressions of sadness compared to the control condition. Thus, simple instructions on how to reframe thoughts about crying can change mothers’ perception of and reactivity to crying

Emotion expressivity in the Dutch: Validation of the Dutch translation of the Berkeley Expressivity Questionnaire

When examining emotions and emotion regulation, we discriminate between emotion experience and emotion expressivity. Research shows that the two are modestly related. The Berkeley Expressivity Questionnaire (BEQ) was designed to assess positive and negative expressivity, as well as the intensity of the expressive behavior. The current article reports on 2 studies that examined the reliability and validity of the Dutch translation of the BEQ. In Study 1, we performed a confirmatory factor analysis of the BEQ items in two samples that differed in age (young adults and adults), correlated the facet and total scores with measures of behavioral control, affective response tendencies, and emotion regulation strategies, and examined sex differences. Results confirmed the three-factor structure and further showed that factors were correlated, and two items loaded on all factors. Internal consistency was good, and test–retest reliability was excellent. As expected, emotion expression was larger in women. Convergent and divergent validity were confirmed. Behavioral control measures were inversely related to emotion expression. Although neuroticism and depression were associated with negative expressivity, extraversion, openness, and agreeableness were associated with positive expressivity. Emotion regulation strategies generally showed association patterns in the expected directions. In Study 2, we report on the predictive value of the BEQ facet scores for the emotional response to acute social evaluative stress. Results showed that only expression intensity was significantly associated with a larger emotional stress response. In conclusion, the Dutch version of Berkeley Expressivity Questionnaire is a reliable and valid instrument to be used in the Dutch settin

Physiological and emotional responses to evaluative stress in socially inhibited young adults

Background There are large individual differences in dealing with everyday social stress. Therefore, we investigated the association of social inhibition (and its facets) with the emotional and physiological responses to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Methods Undergraduate students (N = 312) completed the 15-item Social Inhibition Questionnaire (SIQ15) and participated in the TSST, while emotional and cardiovascular stress responses were recorded. We examined the effect of social inhibition across time with repeated-measures ANCOVAs. Findings During social stress (and recovery), social inhibition was associated with increased negative mood reactivity (especially the behavioral inhibition facet) and heightened sympathetic activation (especially the social withdrawal and interpersonal sensitivity). Physiological stress reactivity seems to be mostly α-adrenergic in women, and also β-adrenergic in men. Conclusions Emotional and physiological stress responses are associated with individual differences in social inhibition. This warrants more research on mechanisms that underlie the relations between social inhibition, stress and health

Physiological and emotional responses to evaluative stress in socially inhibited young adults

Background There are large individual differences in dealing with everyday social stress. Therefore, we investigated the association of social inhibition (and its facets) with the emotional and physiological responses to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Methods Undergraduate students (N = 312) completed the 15-item Social Inhibition Questionnaire (SIQ15) and participated in the TSST, while emotional and cardiovascular stress responses were recorded. We examined the effect of social inhibition across time with repeated-measures ANCOVAs. Findings During social stress (and recovery), social inhibition was associated with increased negative mood reactivity (especially the behavioral inhibition facet) and heightened sympathetic activation (especially the social withdrawal and interpersonal sensitivity). Physiological stress reactivity seems to be mostly α-adrenergic in women, and also β-adrenergic in men. Conclusions Emotional and physiological stress responses are associated with individual differences in social inhibition. This warrants more research on mechanisms that underlie the relations between social inhibition, stress and health

Materials and analysis code for "Age Differences in Social Inhibition among University Students and the General Population"

Objectives. Given the increased risk of socially inhibited (SI) individuals on internalizing psychopathology, insight into age and sex differences in adult social inhibition (SI) will improve our understanding of (mal)adaptive SI at different ages across the lifespan. This cross-sectional study examined age differences in SI and its underlying facets and whether these are moderated by sex. Methods. The Social Inhibition Questionnaire was administered to 847 undergraduate students (Mage=20.4±2.4; 72.4% women), and 2235 individuals from the general population (Mage=47.0±16.4; 50.1% women). Categorical CFA using means and variance-adjusted WSLMV estimation was fitted to replicate the three-factor SI model in the combined cohort data. We estimated the differences in the latent higher order SI scores, compared the mean scores on the three latent SI facets between age cohorts, subsamples, and sex, and investigated the moderation effect of sex on age cohort differences. Results. Highest SI levels were observed in the youngest age cohort (<21 years old), and the lowest in age cohort 61-70 years old. The oldest age cohort showed higher SI scores compared to the 61-70 years old cohort, which seems to be driven by higher interpersonal sensitivity and behavioral inhibition scores in older men. We found higher interpersonal sensitivity scores in students , and in women, and higher social withdrawal scores in men. Conclusions. Overall, we found that the youngest age cohort had the highest SI scores. Establishing norm scores to timely identify potential problematic SI levels related to psychopathology is warranted