Work

Socioemotional Dynamics of Emotion Regulation and Depressive Symptoms: a Person-specific Network Approach

Year: 2018

Type: article

Abstract: Socioemotional processes engaged in daily life may afford or constrain individuals’ emotion regulation in ways that affect psychological health and the aging process. In particular, multiple theories of aging suggest that the dynamic interplay between social contact and emotional experience contributes to healthy aging. Using multiple bursts of intensive experience sampling data obtained over one year from 150 persons age 18 to 89 years, this study examines the temporal dynamics of individuals’ daily socioemotional lives, and quantifies those dynamics in terms of regulation inefficiency. In line with expectations, regulation inefficiency was associated with experience of depressive symptoms, both between-persons and within-persons, and particularly so among individuals who experienced more life events. The findings highlight the utility of a person-specific network approach in study of emotion regulation, and the opportunity life events provide for “testing the limits” of systemic function.

Source: Innovation in Aging

DOI: 10.1093/geroni/igy023.056