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Adolescents’ regulatory emotional self-efficacy beliefs and daily affect intensity

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Abstract

Self-efficacy beliefs in emotion regulation were shown to foster well-being and psychosocial adaptation over time. In this study, we investigated their relationship with daily affect intensity among 199 adolescents aged 15–19. Participants completed the Regulatory Emotional Self-Efficacy Scale measuring perceived capability to manage the experience and expression of negative emotions (SE-NE) and positive emotions (SE-PO). Through Experience Sampling Method, for 1 week they also repeatedly rated their positive affect (happiness and contentment) and negative affect (anger, anxiety, sadness). Multilevel regression models revealed an additive intensifying predictive effect of SE-PO and SE-NE on happiness and contentment, and a single direct negative effect of SE-NE on sadness. Models also highlighted an interactive effect of SE-PO and SE-NE on all negative affect variables, such that only at low SE-PO levels did high SE-NE predict lower negative affect. Findings support the relation between adolescents’ regulatory emotional self-efficacy beliefs and their daily affect intensity, bringing forward suggestions for intervention.

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Notes

  1. In ESM forms participants were asked to indicate the time when they were beeped and the time when they filled in the form. This information allowed us to calculate the possible time gap between the two moments vis a vis the beep schedule that was generated for each electronic agenda and stored in a computer.

  2. According to Cohen (1988), correlational values ranging between ± .10 and ± .29 indicate a small-size effect, values between ± .30 and ± .49 a medium effect, and values ≥ .50 a large effect.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences Luigi Sacco, University of Milano, Via G.B. Grassi 74, 20157, Milan, Italy

    Marta Bassi

  2. Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milano, Milan, Italy

    Antonella Delle Fave

  3. Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy

    Patrizia Steca

  4. Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy

    Gian Vittorio Caprara

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  1. Marta Bassi
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  2. Antonella Delle Fave
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  4. Gian Vittorio Caprara
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Correspondence to Marta Bassi.

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Bassi, M., Delle Fave, A., Steca, P. et al. Adolescents’ regulatory emotional self-efficacy beliefs and daily affect intensity. Motiv Emot 42, 287–298 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-018-9669-3

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