Meaning-making in the context of divorce: Links with emotion regulation

研究申请旨在研究个人在九个月的时间内适应生活中主要关系转变（离婚）的过程。心理和生理的变化过程将被检查的关系，在何种程度上的个人能够适应关系的损失到他的理解，他的生活史在一个连贯的方式。叙事连贯性的概念，或个人表现出平衡的程度，开放的，和可信的理解的方式，生活事件影响他/她，最初在成人依恋文献中开发的，将被应用到离婚的研究和评估作为一个预测增加的生理功能在离婚相关的情绪诱导任务。此外，鉴于早期创伤和损失的经验和调整以后的损失经验之间的已知联系，本研究将评估早期损失/创伤和心理和生理调整婚姻解体之间的关联。在一个90人（N=90）的样本中，在9个月的三个不同的场合测量，本项目的具体目标是（1）开发一个实现一个编码系统，以评估在四分钟的意识流语音样本中明显的关于离婚的叙事连贯性;（B）评估当个体思考他们的分离经历时，叙述连贯性的变化是否与生理反应模式的变化有关在实验室;以及（c）研究早期损失/创伤经历与离婚后心理和生理调整之间的关系。潜在增长曲线模型将被用来研究叙事连贯性的变化如何与生理学的变化相结合，以及早期的损失/创伤史如何与随着时间的推移对离婚的调整有关。本研究的总体目标是更好地了解与婚姻解体相关的认知组织如何与生理情绪调节相关。了解离婚后恢复的变化机制有可能为干预工作提供信息。公共卫生相关性：离婚是一个人可能经历的最有压力的生活事件之一，相当一部分成年人在婚姻解体后会患上可诊断的重度抑郁症。这项研究探讨了离婚后调整的预测因素，以及与这些情绪障碍如何对身体健康产生负面影响相关的因素。更好地理解这些主题对于阐明弹性过程和制定有效的治疗和预防方案至关重要。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed research application aims to examine the processes through which individuals adjust to a major relational transition in life, divorce, over the course of nine months. Both psychological and physiological change processes will be examined in relation to the degree to which the individual is able to fit the relational loss into his understanding of his life history in a coherent manner. The concept of narrative coherence, or the degree to which an individual demonstrates a balanced, open, and believable understanding of the ways in which life events affect him/her, originally developed in the adult attachment literature, will be applied to the study of divorce and evaluated as a predictor of increased physiological functioning during a divorce-related mood induction task. In addition, given the known links between early traumatic and loss experiences and adjustment to later loss experiences, this study will evaluate associations between early loss/trauma and psychological and physiological adjustment to marital dissolution. In a sample of 90 (N=90) measured at three separate occasions across 9-months, the specific aims of this project are to (1) develop an implement a coding system to evaluate narrative coherence with respect to divorce as evident during a four minute stream-of-consciousness speech sample; (b) evaluate whether changes in narrative coherence are related to changes in physiological response patterns over time when individuals think about their separation experience in the laboratory; and, (c) examine the association between early loss/trauma experiences and psychological and physiological adjustment to divorce. Latent growth curve modeling will be used to examine how changes in narrative coherence occur in tandem with changes in physiology, and how early histories of loss/trauma are related to adjustment to divorce over time. The overarching goal of this investigation is to better understand how cognitive organization related to marital dissolution is related to physiological emotion regulation. Understanding mechanisms of change in recovery from divorce has the potential to inform intervention efforts. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Divorce is among the most stressful life events a person can experience, and a significant proportion of adults develop diagnosable Major Depression following marital dissolution. This research examines the predictors of post-divorce adjustment and the factors that are associated with how these mood disturbances negatively impact physical health outcomes. A better understanding of these topics is critical for elucidating resiliency process and for developing effective treatment and prevention programs.