Emotional Regulation Difficulties, Distress Tolerance and Psychopathological Symptoms

Macarena Verónica del-Valle; Eliana Vanesa Zamora; Sebastián Urquijo; Cintia Olsen; Hernán López-Morales; María Laura Andrés

doi:10.18290/rpsych2022.0013

Macarena Verónica del-Valle Institute of Basic and Applied Psychology and Technology (IPSIBAT-CONICET-UNMDP) https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3549-7224
Eliana Vanesa Zamora Institute of Basic and Applied Psychology and Technology (IPSIBAT-CONICET-UNMDP), Argentina https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6278-6665
Sebastián Urquijo Institute of Basic and Applied Psychology and Technology (IPSIBAT-CONICET-UNMDP), Argentina https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8315-9329
Cintia Olsen Institute of Basic and Applied Psychology and Technology (IPSIBAT-CONICET-UNMDP), Argentina https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5859-8282
Hernán López-Morales Institute of Basic and Applied Psychology and Technology (IPSIBAT-CONICET-UNMDP), Argentina https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7815-1584
María Laura Andrés Institute of Basic and Applied Psychology and Technology (IPSIBAT-CONICET-UNMDP), Argentina https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4398-2043

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18290/rpsych2022.0013

Keywords: psychopathology, distress, mental health, depression, anxiety, emotion

Abstract

Emotion Regulation (ER) has been identified as a factor that may be related to psychopathological symptoms. However, evidence about the relationship between ER and psychopathological symptoms is still unspecific. Moreover, although the ability of distress tolerance (DT) has gained increasing attention, it has not yet been sufficiently explored in relation to specific psychopathological symptoms. The aim of the study was to analyze the role of different specific ER mechanisms on various psychopathological symptoms, with particular emphasis on the role of DT. To do so, a correlational study was carried out. A total of 128 university students between 18 and 44 years old (mean age = 26.7, SD = 6.14) answered the Distress Tolerance Scale, the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale and the Symptom Check List 90-Revised. For each psychopathological symptom (and for general distress), linear regression were applied. All models were statistically significant with differences in the amount of explained variance and in the predictors. DT predicted symptoms of depression, anxiety, obsessions and compulsions and general distress. The study highlights the importance of the different mechanisms of ER in each specific psychopathological symptom and their implications for mental health.

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