Social Facilitation for Emotion Regulation

Age: < 65

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: University of California, Los Angeles

Disqualifiers: Auditory, visual, cognitive impairment, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 1

100 Participants Needed

Trial Summary

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment Social Facilitation for Emotion Regulation?

Research shows that cognitive reappraisal, a key part of this treatment, is generally effective in helping people change how they think about situations to manage their emotions better. Additionally, social emotion regulation strategies, which involve helping others manage their emotions, can be particularly helpful depending on the type of emotion being addressed, such as anxiety or sadness. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

How does the treatment 'Social Facilitation for Emotion Regulation' differ from other treatments for emotion regulation?

This treatment is unique because it combines cognitive reappraisal (changing how you think about emotional situations) with social support, enhancing emotion regulation by involving others in the process. Unlike traditional methods that focus on individual strategies, this approach leverages social interactions to improve emotional outcomes. ^{1 6 7 8 9}

What is the purpose of this trial?

The goal of this project is to test whether regulating emotions with help from a friend is more effective and long-lasting in adolescents than regulating alone, and to characterize age-related differences in the neural mechanisms supporting social versus cognitive emotion regulation. Participants will complete a psychology experiment while undergoing fMRI scanning.

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for adolescents aged 13-15 and adults aged 20-25 who are fluent in English. It's not suitable for those with auditory, visual, or cognitive impairments, or health conditions that make MRI scans unsafe.

Inclusion Criteria

I am between 13 and 15 years old.

Proficient in English

I am between 20 and 25 years old.

Exclusion Criteria

I have hearing, vision, or thinking problems.

Any health conditions that are contraindicated for MRI

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

1-2 weeks

Experiment

Participants complete a psychology experiment while undergoing fMRI scanning to test emotion regulation with and without a friend's help

1 day

1 visit (in-person)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for any immediate effects post-experiment

1 week

Treatment Details

Interventions

• Cognitive Regulation
• Social Regulation

Trial Overview The study examines if managing emotions with a friend's help works better and lasts longer than doing it alone in teenagers. It also looks at how this ability changes with age by comparing brain activity during the process using fMRI scans.

Participant Groups

Group I: Social regulation Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Participants will regulate emotion with the help of a friend

Group II: Cognitive regulation Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Participants will regulate emotion on their own

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of California, Los Angeles

Lead Sponsor

Trials

1,594

Recruited

10,430,000+

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

Collaborator

Trials

2,103

Recruited

2,760,000+

Findings from Research

The study explored how different emotion regulation strategies can be used to help others in distress, specifically focusing on anxiety and sadness, and found that modifying a person's situation is more effective for those experiencing anxiety, while modifying their appraisals and emotions is better for those feeling sadness.

Two studies demonstrated that individuals perceive different support strategies as more or less helpful depending on the emotion being experienced, confirming that tailored approaches to social emotion regulation can enhance the effectiveness of support provided to others.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Social emotion regulation strategies are differentially helpful for anxiety and sadness. Shu, J., Bolger, N., Ochsner, KN.[2021]

Cognitive reappraisal, a key emotion regulation strategy, involves changing one's thoughts about a situation to alter emotional responses and is generally effective and adaptive, but its success can vary based on individual and environmental factors.

The article discusses the importance of understanding the psychological and neurobiological mechanisms behind emotion regulation, as well as potential interventions to enhance the effectiveness and frequency of using these strategies.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Emotion regulation. McRae, K., Gross, JJ.[2020]

In a study of 108 cancer patients, those who successfully disengaged from unattainable goals and reengaged in meaningful goals reported higher levels of positive affect and lower levels of negative affect.

Cognitive emotion-regulation strategies, such as positive refocusing, were linked to better psychological well-being, while rumination and catastrophizing were associated with increased negative emotions, suggesting that mindfulness techniques could help patients manage their emotional responses.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

How do cancer patients manage unattainable personal goals and regulate their emotions? Schroevers, M., Kraaij, V., Garnefski, N.[2015]

A systematic review of 10 studies and a meta-analysis of 26 studies involving 84 clients showed that therapist methods for emotion regulation (ER) significantly improve patients' ability to manage their emotions, with a large effect size of 0.82 from pre- to post-treatment.

Both affect-focused methods and structured skills training are effective in enhancing emotion regulation, highlighting the importance of considering cultural backgrounds in therapy to tailor approaches for individual patients.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Enhancing emotion regulation. Iwakabe, S., Nakamura, K., Thoma, NC.[2023]

The meta-analysis of 306 experimental comparisons found that different emotion regulation strategies vary in effectiveness, with cognitive change strategies showing the most promise (small-to-medium effect size of d(+) = 0.36), while attentional deployment had no effect (d(+) = 0.00).

Specific techniques within these strategies also differed significantly; for example, distraction was effective (d(+) = 0.27), while concentration was not (d(+) = -0.26), highlighting the importance of choosing the right method for regulating emotions.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Dealing with feeling: a meta-analysis of the effectiveness of strategies derived from the process model of emotion regulation. Webb, TL., Miles, E., Sheeran, P.[2019]

Social help significantly enhances the effectiveness of reappraisal, an emotion regulation strategy, compared to managing emotions alone, as shown in a study with 40 friend pairs.

The research indicates that social support does not just buffer negative emotions but actively improves the implementation of reappraisal strategies, highlighting the importance of social relationships in emotional well-being.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

With a little help from my friends: Selective social potentiation of emotion regulation. Sahi, RS., Ninova, E., Silvers, JA.[2021]

Individuals with high social anxiety (HSA) who practiced cognitive reappraisal for one week reported lower symptom severity and greater self-efficacy in using reappraisal compared to those who only monitored their emotions.

Despite improvements in self-efficacy for reappraisal, HSAs still combined reappraisal with suppression in most situations, indicating a need for further research on effective emotion regulation strategies in social anxiety.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Does cognitive reappraisal reduce anxiety? A daily diary study of a micro-intervention with individuals with high social anxiety. Kivity, Y., Huppert, JD.[2018]

A study of 544 young adult university students found that regularly using cognitive reappraisal (a strategy to change how we think about negative emotions) is linked to lower future levels of depression and anxiety, mainly because it enhances perceived social support.

On the other hand, using expressive suppression (holding back emotions) is associated with higher future depression and anxiety, likely due to a decrease in perceived social support, highlighting the critical role of social interactions in managing emotions.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Emotion Regulation and the Experience of Future Negative Mood: The Importance of Assessing Social Support. d'Arbeloff, TC., Freedy, KR., Knodt, AR., et al.[2020]

The 18-item version of the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ-18) demonstrated better internal structure and reliability compared to the 27-item version (CERQ-27) in a study involving the Argentinean population.

Both versions of the CERQ showed similar associations with the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), but the CERQ-18 is recommended for use due to its more consistent psychometric properties.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Psychometric Analysis of Two Brief Versions of the CERQ in the Argentinean Population: CERQ-18 and CERQ-27. Dominguez-Lara, S., Moretti, L., Ezequiel Flores-Kanter, P., et al.[2023]

References

1. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Social emotion regulation strategies are differentially helpful for anxiety and sadness. [2021]

2. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Emotion regulation. [2020]

3. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

How do cancer patients manage unattainable personal goals and regulate their emotions? [2015]

4. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Enhancing emotion regulation. [2023]

5. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Dealing with feeling: a meta-analysis of the effectiveness of strategies derived from the process model of emotion regulation. [2019]

6. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

With a little help from my friends: Selective social potentiation of emotion regulation. [2021]

7. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Does cognitive reappraisal reduce anxiety? A daily diary study of a micro-intervention with individuals with high social anxiety. [2018]

8. Switzerland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Emotion Regulation and the Experience of Future Negative Mood: The Importance of Assessing Social Support. [2020]

9. Russia (Federation) pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Psychometric Analysis of Two Brief Versions of the CERQ in the Argentinean Population: CERQ-18 and CERQ-27. [2023]