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Depression and interpersonal stress: The mediating role of emotion regulation

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Abstract

Maladaptive emotion regulation is a risk factor for depression when an individual is experiencing stressful interpersonal events. Although emotion regulation has several different dimensions, little is known about which of these mediate the relationship between interpersonal stress and depressive symptoms. The current study examined self-ratings of emotion regulation, interpersonal stress, and depression in a sample of non-clinical undergraduate students (N = 152). Our results indicated that two facets of emotion regulation (i.e., lack of emotional clarity and limited access to emotion regulation strategies) fully mediate the relationship between interpersonal stress and depression. Hence, to minimize depressive symptoms when experiencing interpersonal stress, our findings suggest that it is important for individuals to be clear about their feelings and to attempt to transition from negative feelings to alternative feelings.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ghent University, Henri Dunantlaan 2, 9000, Ghent, Belgium

    Jun Moriya

  2. Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan

    Jun Moriya

  3. Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan

    Jun Moriya

  4. Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan

    Yusuke Takahashi

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  1. Jun Moriya
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  2. Yusuke Takahashi
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Correspondence to Jun Moriya.

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Moriya, J., Takahashi, Y. Depression and interpersonal stress: The mediating role of emotion regulation. Motiv Emot 37, 600–608 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-012-9323-4

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