Emotion regulation and psychological health across adulthood

描述(由申请人提供)：应激性生活事件(SLEs)，如失去工作或亲人死亡，会增加个人患衰弱心理健康问题的风险(增加精神健康问题，如抑郁、幸福感下降)。然而，一些人表现出令人印象深刻的韧性，在面对SLEs时保持甚至增加了心理健康就是明证。了解导致个体在成年期对SLEs反应的巨大差异的因素对于预防和治疗精神健康问题以及促进福祉具有明显的意义。在中青年中，情绪调节是一个关键的弹性因素，它指的是人们用来改变情绪的过程。然而，老年人实施一些最有效的情绪调节的能力似乎有所下降(例如，独立的重新评估)。因此，我们必须探索其他类型的情绪调节，以确定那些对个人年龄最有用的情绪调节。理论表明，这些类型的情绪调节在这方面是有希望的，既不依赖可能随年龄下降的资源(例如执行功能)，也不依赖随年龄增长而改善的资源(例如产生积极情绪、情绪理解)。有三种情绪调节方式符合这些标准： 第一，高度练习并因此自动化的情绪调节(自动情绪调节)；第二，产生积极的情绪(积极的重新评价)；第三，不加判断地承认消极的情绪经历(接受)。这些理论考虑加上初步证据，导致了一个有希望的假设，即这三种类型的情绪调节能力(ERAS)可能会提高弹性，更广泛地说，随着年龄的增长，个人的幸福感会增强。现在需要研究来澄清这三个时代是否真的随着年龄的增长而改善，以及它们是否以及如何在成年后的高压力环境中保护人们。我们将使用多种方法来解决三个具体目标。在目标1中，我们将评估这三个时代在成年后的变化。在目标2中，我们将确定三种ERA在促进成年后心理健康方面的作用。在目标3中，我们将确定它们转化为更好的心理健康的机制。我们将在21岁至80岁最近经历过系统性红斑狼疮的不同社区样本以及匹配的无压力样本中解决这些目标。解决这些目标是创新的，因为它将有助于我们理解时代如何在成年期变化，以及三种特别有希望的ERA是否以及如何保护成年人免受SLEs的不利心理健康影响并促进福祉。这项研究将对情绪调节、压力和心理健康的科学模型的发展做出重大贡献。 健康老龄化，以及促进成年人复原力的有效干预措施。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Stressful life events (SLEs) such as losing one's job or the death of a loved one increase an individual's risk for debilitating psychological-health problems (increased mental-health problems such as depression, decreased well-being). However, some individuals exhibit impressive resilience, as evidenced by maintained or even increased psychological health in the face of SLEs. Understanding the factors that contribute to the vast individual variation in responses to SLEs across adulthood has clear implications for the prevention and treatment of mental-health problems as well as the promotion of well-being. A pivotal resilience factor in younger and middle-aged adults is emotion regulation, which refers to the processes people use to alter their emotions. However, older adults appear to exhibit declines in the ability to implement some of the most effective types of emotion regulation (e.g., detached reappraisal). Therefore, we must explore other types of emotion regulation to identify those most useful to individuals as they age. Theories suggest those types of emotion regulation are promising in this regard that either do not rely on resources that may decline with age (e.g., executive functions) or that rely on resources that improve with age (e.g., generating positive emotion, emotion understanding). Three types of emotion regulation fulfill these criteria: First, highly practiced and thus automatized emotion regulation (automatic emotion regulation); second, generating positive emotion (positive reappraisal); and, third, acknowledging negative emotional experiences without judgment (acceptance). These theoretical considerations together with preliminary evidence lead to the promising hypothesis that these three types of emotion regulation abilities (ERAs) may promote resilience and, more generally, enhance well-being in individuals as they age. Research is needed now to clarify whether these three ERAs indeed improve with age and whether and how they protect people in high-stress contexts across adulthood. We will use a multi-method approach to address three specific aims. In Aim 1, we will assess changes in these three ERAs across adulthood. In Aim 2, we will determine the three ERA's role in promoting psychological health across adulthood. In Aim 3, we will identify mechanisms by which they translate into better psychological health. We will address these aims in a diverse community sample of individuals aged 21 to 80 who have recently experienced a SLE, as well as a matched, no-stress sample. Addressing these aims is innovative because it will contribute to our understanding of how ERAs change across adulthood, and whether and how three particularly promising types of ERA protect adults from adverse psychological-health effects of SLEs and promote well-being. This research will make a significant contribution to the development of scientific models of emotion regulation, stress, and healthy aging, as well as to effective interventions that promote resilience in adults.