Emotion regulation and physical health in adulthood : a longitudinal, personality-oriented approach

Abstract

This longitudinal study investigated the relations between prior personality characteristics, later cognitive and social emotion regulation, and dysregulation, and self-reported physical health. Firstly, the thesis examined whether childhood personality characteristics reflecting self-control of emotions account for the use of the emotion regulation strategies of Repair, Dampening, and Maintenance in adulthood. In addition, heterotypic continuity in the personality characteristics reflecting self-control of emotions, and the role of emotion regulation strategies in this continuity, was examined. Secondly, the mediational model linking the prior Big Five personality traits to the later use of Repair, Dampening, and Maintenance via current mood and its cognitive evaluation was tested. Thirdly, the explanatory role of the prior Big Two personality traits for later emotion regulation and dysregulation was investigated. Fourthly, the role of prior personality characteristics indicating low self-control of emotions in explaining self-reported physical symptoms in adulthood, and the mediating role of Repair were examined. Finally, the mediational model connecting the personality characteristics of low self-control of emotions and behavioural expression in adolescence to various self-reported health outcomes in adulthood through self-reported health-related behaviours was tested. The study was part of the ongoing Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social Development. The data were obtained from the original sample of 196 males and 173 females at ages 8, 14, 27, 33, and 36 by teacher-ratings or self-reports. The findings indicated that prior personality characteristics indicating low self-control of emotions accounted for the lowered use of Repair, Dampening, and Maintenance. Additionally, heterotypic continuity in the self-control of emotions in men was partially explained by the mediating role of Repair and Dampening. Furthermore, the impact of the prior Big Five personality traits on the later use of the strategies studied was mostly indirect via current mood and its cognitive evaluation. In general, Extraversion led to high social emotion regulation and low emotion dysregulation, whereas Neuroticism led to low cognitive emotion regulation and high emotion dysregulation. Prior personality characteristics reflecting low self-control of emotions further accounted for self-reported poor physical health in adulthood. The negative impact of low self-control of emotions on self-reported physical health was mostly indirect, via lowered use of Repair and health-risk behaviours. Overall, the effects of prior personality characteristics on both emotion regulation and dysregulation, as well as on self-reported physical health, varied considerably by sex.