Is Interpersonal Emotion Regulation Beneficial for All? Examining the Relationship With Psychological Well-Being in the Context of Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety.

INTRODUCTION

Interpersonal emotion regulation (IER) involves seeking out others to modify one's own emotions and is theorized to benefit health and well-being. While there is evidence of the association between IER and subjective well-being, it is unclear how IER processes are associated with psychological well-being and whether the associations between IER and well-being are similar at different levels of psychopathology, such as depression and anxiety symptoms.

METHODS

Participants (N = 147) completed measures of psychological well-being, depression, anxiety, and IER within their social networks (i.e., how frequently they seek IER from social network partners and the efficacy of these IER attempts).

RESULTS

We found that perceived efficacy of IER, but not frequency of IER, was positively associated with psychological well-being, above and beyond overall social network quality and size. Additionally, symptoms of depression and anxiety each moderated the relationship between IER-efficacy and psychological well-being, such that the relationship between IER-efficacy and psychological well-being was weaker at higher levels of symptoms. These findings are consistent with the possibility that IER is less beneficial for those experiencing greater psychological distress.

DISCUSSION: These findings highlight the importance of understanding for whom and under what circumstances IER is most strongly associated with well-being.