Negative mood regulation and the emotional disclosure paradigm: a closer look at individual differences

Abstract

This study aimed to examine an individual differences variable, namely Negative Mood Regulation Expectancies (NMR), on effects of written emotional disclosure regarding depressive symptomatology, level of intrusion and avoidance and intensity of negative and positive emotions regarding the written stressful experience. A total of 119, 17-28 years old university students (72 females, 47 males) were participated. The study consisted of three writing sessions and a follow-up session four weeks after the writing procedure. Participants who were divided into three groups (low, middle, high) depending on their NMR scores, were randomly assigned to either a written emotional disclosure condition or a control writing condition. Participants from two conditions (experimental vs control) with different NMR levels were compared on their BDI scores and health scores. Results indicated that participants in the disclosure group with lower NMR levels experienced a lower increase in their BDI scores compared to those in the control group with lower NMR levels. Results also revealed that neither experimental condition nor NMR level had effect on differences in health complaints, number of sick days, frequency of illnesses or frequency of doctor visits. Results suggests the importance of examining individual differences on the effects of emotional disclosure in order to understand for whom this procedure works best.