UC Riverside Undergraduate Research Journal

Negative emotion differentiation (NED) refers to experiencing negative emotions as being different from each other (e.g., sadness vs. fear). Prior literature has linked emotion regulation (ER) to internalizing psychopathology. The current study in- vestigates how NED among pre-adolescent youth may moderate this relationship. Participants include 106 youth ranging from ages 7 to 11 (55.6% male, Mage = 9.3 years). NED scores were computed as the variance in self-reports of nega- tive emotions across multiple time points. ER processes were measured using autobiographical emotion interviews and resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) during a baseline task. Children’s anxiety and depression symptoms were evaluated using validated measures. NED is expected to (1) relate to depressive symptoms, (2) moderate the effectiveness and selection of both adaptive and maladaptive ER strategies, and (3) moderate the relationship between RSA and psychopathology. Initial correlational and independent t-test analyses revealed that NED was not directly associated with psychopathology. Instead, NED was positively related to separation anxiety for youth who did not use support-seek- ing strategies. NED was also higher for children who did not use cognitive re- framing strategies compared to children who did. Additional analyses revealed that resting RSA had a protective effect against some facets of psychopathology based on specific regulation strategies used. These findings have implications for inter- ventions (e.g., mindfulness) that can improve mental health outcomes for youth.

KEYWORDS: Emotion differentiation, emotion regulation, child psychopa- thology, respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA)