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The role of affect regulation in health behavior change.

Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: This research explores the relationship between affect regulation and health behavior change through two studies. Study 1 tested whether difficulties with affect regulation are associated with lower health-related behavioral intentions. Study 2 introduces the Calibrate and Qualify Model to examine the role of cognitive reappraisal in predicting health-related intentions and behavior. We posit that reappraisal could impact health behaviors either by shaping the favorability of health-related attitudes, norms, and perceived behavioral control, thereby increasing intentions and subsequently behavior (Calibrate Route) or by serving as a moderator, such that healthful cognitions better predict intentions and behavior at high levels of cognitive reappraisal (Qualify Route). METHOD: = 807) of eight health-related behaviors that tested the Calibrate and Qualify Model predictions using measures of cognitive reappraisal, RAA variables, and habit. RESULTS: Difficulties in emotion regulation, and limited access to affect regulation strategies in particular, predicted intentions to perform health behaviors (Study 1). Findings from Study 2 supported the Calibrate Route: cognitive reappraisal predicted intentions, and the reappraisal-intention relation was mediated by RAA variables. Supporting the Qualify Route, we observed a three-way interaction between habit, reappraisal, and intention, indicating that cognitive reappraisal combined with strong intentions attenuated the influence of habit on behavior. CONCLUSIONS: Our research suggests that affect regulation is an important consideration for predicting and understanding health behaviors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).
DOI: 10.1037/hea0001507
Language: English
Field: Psychology
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4409540516
FWCI: 3.628
Cites:
Cited by: 5
Related to: 10