DURATION OF NEGATIVE EMOTION IN THE EVERYDAY LIVES OF PEOPLE WITH SELF-INJURIOUS THOUGHTS AND BEHAVIORS

Emotion dysregulation has been linked to self-destructive behaviors in a variety of populations. Duration of emotion is one understudied but nonetheless important aspect of emotion regulation. Relatively little is known about the time course of negative emotional episodes in everyday life. Recent technological advances have made it feasible and convenient to assess people in their real-time everyday lives. The present study employed one method of this type of naturalistic assessment, Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA), to investigate duration of negative emotion in response to negative events in people with self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITBs). This study found that, compared to individuals with no history of SITBs, those with a history of SITBs experienced longer duration of negative emotions following negative events. Furthermore, this relationship was mediated by emotion regulation self-efficacy. More extreme negative events predicted longer duration of negative affect (NA) for control participants, but did not affect duration of NA in subjects with SITBs. This study establishes a basis for studying experiences of emotion in everyday life as dynamic processes which can be monitored and quantified. Results of this study suggest that prolonged negative emotion may contribute to and reinforce SITBs and that beliefs about emotion regulation may contribute to further dysregulation and maladaptive attempts at regulating emotion.