Emotion socialization and psychological distress - The mediating roles of emotion recognition and emotion regulation

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and

Dissertations

2019

Emotion socialization and psychological distress:

The mediating roles of emotion recognition and

emotion regulation

Madelyne Losby

Iowa State University

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Recommended Citation

Losby, Madelyne, "Emotion socialization and psychological distress: The mediating roles of emotion recognition and emotion

regulation" (2019). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 17045.

https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd/17045

Emotion socialization and psychological distress: The mediating roles of emotion

recognition and emotion regulation

by

Madelyne M. Losby

A thesis submitted to the graduate faculty

in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

MASTER OF SCIENCE

Major: Psychology

Program of Study Committee:

Monica Marsee, Co-major Professor

David Vogel, Co-major Professor

Douglas Gentile

The student author, whose presentation of the scholarship herein was approved by the

program of study committee, is solely responsible for the content of this thesis. The

Graduate College will ensure this thesis is globally accessible and will not permit

alterations after a degree is conferred.

Iowa State University

Ames, Iowa

2019

Copyright © Madelyne M. Losby, 2019. All rights reserved.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... iv

LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................. v

ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... vi

CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 1

Emotion Socialization, Emotional Intelligence, and Distress ....................................... 2

CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................ 4

Emotion Socialization .................................................................................................... 4

Socialization Strategies ............................................................................................ 7

Supportive Strategies. ......................................................................................... 7

Non-Supportive Strategies. ................................................................................. 8

Socialization and Distress .............................................................................................. 9

Emotional Intelligence ................................................................................................. 11

Functions. .......................................................................................................... 13

Forms. ............................................................................................................... 14

Emotion Recognition. ....................................................................................... 15

Emotion Recognition and Distress. ................................................................... 17

Emotion Regulation. ......................................................................................... 18

Emotion Regulation and Distress. ..................................................................... 21

Emotion Socialization and Emotional Intelligence ..................................................... 22

Emerging Adults..................................................................................................... 24

Current Study ............................................................................................................... 25

Hypotheses ............................................................................................................. 25

Directional Hypothesis. ..................................................................................... 25

Mediation Hypothesis. ...................................................................................... 26

CHAPTER 3. METHODS ................................................................................................ 27

Participants .................................................................................................................. 27

Procedures ................................................................................................................... 28

Measures ...................................................................................................................... 30

Emotion Socialization ............................................................................................ 30

Emotional Intelligence ........................................................................................... 31

Emotion Recognition. ....................................................................................... 32

Emotion Regulation. ......................................................................................... 33

Psychological Distress ............................................................................................ 34

iii

CHAPTER 4. RESULTS .................................................................................................. 35

Data Preparation and Cleaning .................................................................................... 35

Preliminary Analyses ................................................................................................... 36

Descriptive Statistics .............................................................................................. 36

Model Analyses ........................................................................................................... 37

CHAPTER 5. DISCUSSION ............................................................................................ 42

Limitations and Future Directions ............................................................................... 46

Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 51

REFERENCES ................................................................................................................. 52

iv

LIST OF FIGURES

Page

Figure 1.1 Conceptual Model of variables ....................................................................... 3

Figure 2.1 Supportive Strategies Model. ....................................................................... 26

Figure 2.2 Non-Supportive Strategies Model. ............................................................... 26

Figure 3.1 Supportive Strategies Model. ....................................................................... 38

Figure 3.2 Non-Supportive Strategies Model. ............................................................... 40

v

LIST OF TABLES

Page

Table 1 Racial and Ethnic Group Identification ........................................................ 28

Table 2 Sample Means, Standard Deviations, and Ranges of Study Measures. ....... 26

Table 3 Zero-Order Correlations and Alpha Coefficients of Study Measures. ......... 26

Table 4 Mediation Model of Supportive Strategies. .................................................. 38

Table 5 Mediation Model of Non-Supportive Strategies. ......................................... 40