The impact of reappraisal ability on adjustment to stressful life events

描述（由申请人提供）：压力生活事件（SLEs），如亲人的死亡，失业或离婚是成年期经常遇到的。对一些人来说，这些SLEs会导致衰弱和长期的后果，如抑郁症和焦虑症。然而，其他人在面对SLEs时表现出令人印象深刻的弹性。是什么因素导致了这种巨大的个体差异？对这个问题的一个可能的答案是关于重新评估的新研究，这是一种情绪调节，涉及对情绪事件的认知重构，从而使它们不那么情绪化。这项研究强烈暗示了对心理健康和幸福的重新评估。因此，个体使用重新评估的能力可能是一个关键的心理因素，可以预测个体在面对SLEs时的结果差异。此外，由于重评能力对情感反应强度具有强大的影响，而情感反应强度又是影响个体自我调节的重要风险因素，重评能力为我们指出了这些环节的关键中介机制，即情感反应强度的降低（情感反应性）。这些观察结果表明，理解重新评价能力可以为建立适应特殊语言环境的个体差异的科学模型提供关键。此外，这方面的知识具有至关重要的应用价值，因为它可以有效地指导干预措施，从而帮助预防许多人出现严重的心理健康问题。然而，我们对以下方面的了解还存在很大的差距：(1)重评价能力所涉及的确切心理过程，特别是在成人中；(2)重评价能力的个体差异在适应特殊语言环境中的作用；(3)它们影响适应特殊语言环境的机制。为了解决最紧迫的问题，重新评估及其在个体适应SLEs中的作用，我们建议招募一个年龄在21至60岁之间的社区样本，他们最近经历了SLEs。在这个样本中，我们将(1)在实验室范例中检验重评能力，特别关注理解可能支持重评能力的认知控制过程；(2)在纵向设计中检验重评能力的个体差异在适应SLEs中的预期作用；(3)检验这些影响是否由负性情感反应介导。综上所述，这些研究将促进我们对个体适应SLEs的关键过程的理解，从而对我们对个体心理健康和福祉的理解做出重大贡献。由于我们将对暴露于各种SLEs的不同年龄段（21-60岁）的不同人群进行研究，因此我们将能够广泛地测试所提出联系的特异性和普遍性。公共卫生相关性：本研究项目的目的是帮助理解面对压力生活事件时健康结果的巨大个体差异。它关注的是一个心理过程，理论和经验因素都认为这是至关重要的，即个人使用重新评估的能力，或者，认知重构压力事件的能力，从而使他们不那么情绪化。从长远来看，该项目的研究结果将对制定有效的、基于经验的早期识别和预防方案至关重要。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Stressful life events (SLEs) such as death of a loved one, unemployment, or divorce are frequently encountered in adulthood. For some, these SLEs lead to debilitating and long-lasting outcomes such as depression and anxiety disorders. Others, however, exhibit impressive resilience in the face of SLEs. What factors govern this vast individual variation in outcomes? One possible answer to this question is suggested by emerging research on reappraisal, a type of emotion regulation that involves cognitive reframing emotional events so as to render them less emotional. This research strongly implies reappraisal in mental health and well-being. Individuals' ability to use reappraisal might thus be a key psychological factor that predicts individual variation in outcomes in the face of SLEs. In addition, because reappraisal has powerful effects on the intensity of affective responses, and because the intensity of affective responses is an important risk factor for negative adjustment to SLEs, reappraisal ability points us to a key mediating mechanism in these links, namely decreased intensity of affective responses (affective reactivity). These observations suggest that understanding reappraisal ability can provide a key to forming a scientific model of individual variation in adjustment to SLEs. This knowledge is additionally of crucial applied importance because it could effectively guide interventions and thus help prevent severe mental-health outcomes in many individuals. However, large gaps exist in what we know about (1) the precise psychological processes involved in reappraisal ability, particularly in adults, (2) the role individual differences in reappraisal ability play in adjustment to SLEs, and (3) the mechanisms by which they affect adjustment to SLEs. In order to address the most pressing questions surrounding reappraisal and its role in individuals' adjustment to SLEs, we propose to recruit a community sample of individuals aged 21 to 60 who have recently experienced SLEs. In this sample, we will (1) examine reappraisal ability in a laboratory paradigm, with a particular focus on understanding the cognitive-control processes that might support reappraisal ability, (2) examine, in a longitudinal design, the prospective role that individual differences in reappraisal ability play in adjustment to SLEs, and (3) examine whether these effects are mediated by negative affective reactivity. Together, the proposed studies should advance our understanding of a lynchpin process in individuals' adjustment to SLEs, and thereby make a significant contribution to our understanding of individuals' mental health and well-being. Because we will examine a diverse group of individuals across a large range of ages (21-60) exposed to a variety of SLEs, we will be able to extensively test the specificity and generalizability of the proposed links. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The objective of this research program is to contribute to understanding the vast individual variation in health outcomes in the face of stressful life events. It focuses on a psychological process that theoretical and empirical considerations suggest as crucial, namely individuals' ability to use reappraisal, or, cognitively reframe stressful events so as to render them less emotional. In the longer term, findings from this project will be critical for the development of effective, empirically-based early identification and prevention programs.