Emotion Regulation Strategies for Emotional Regulation Issues

Overseen By Matthew W Southward, Ph.D.

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Matthew Southward

Disqualifiers: Non-English, No smartphone, others

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

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 8

Duration: 6 weeks

390 Participants Needed

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial tests different methods to help people manage their emotions more effectively. Some participants will learn emotion regulation skills tailored to their personal strengths, while others will learn a standard set of skills, including mindfulness, cognitive restructuring (changing thought patterns), and opposite to emotion action (doing the opposite of what a strong emotion urges). The study aims to determine which approach more effectively reduces daily negative emotions. Ideal candidates have ongoing issues with managing their emotions, can speak English, and have access to a smartphone. As an unphased trial, this study provides a unique opportunity to explore personalized strategies for improved emotional well-being.

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 prior data suggests that these emotion regulation strategies are safe?

Research has shown that the emotion regulation strategies tested in this study are generally safe. Here is a closer look at each one:

1. **Checking the Facts**: This technique helps individuals view situations more clearly and question their initial reactions. It is part of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), which is widely used and well-accepted. No serious side effects are known from using this method.

2. **Mindfulness of Current Emotions**: Studies indicate that being mindful, which involves noticing emotions without judgment, can improve emotional management. Mindfulness practices are known to be safe and are used in many therapy settings without major negative effects.

3. **Opposite to Emotion Action**: This approach involves doing the opposite of what emotions urge, which can reduce their intensity. Like the other techniques, it is part of DBT and is considered safe with no known serious side effects.

Overall, these strategies have been used successfully in other settings and are known to be safe. They focus on changing thought and behavior patterns, which typically do not lead to harmful physical effects. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about these emotion regulation strategies because they tailor emotional skills to individuals’ strengths, which is a new approach compared to traditional therapies like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR). The Personalized Condition leverages personal strengths by teaching a single, customized skill, potentially increasing engagement and effectiveness. Meanwhile, the Standardized Condition offers a comprehensive overview of three skills, resembling real-world clinical settings, and allows exploration of whether broader skill coverage offers additional benefits. These strategies aim to enhance emotional regulation more effectively and personally than traditional one-size-fits-all methods.

What evidence suggests that this trial's treatments could be effective for emotional regulation issues?

Research shows that certain techniques can help people manage their emotions more effectively. In this trial, participants in the Personalized Condition will learn one of three emotion regulation skills based on their personal strengths. One such skill, "Checking the Facts," encourages questioning initial thoughts to see if they align with reality, thereby reducing negative feelings. Meanwhile, participants in the Standardized Condition will learn all three skills, including mindfulness, which involves focusing on the present moment to decrease negative emotional reactions and aid in emotional recovery. Additionally, the "Opposite to Emotion Action" technique, taught in both conditions, involves doing the opposite of what emotions urge, gradually lessening their strength. These strategies have shown promise in helping people better control their emotions. ^{1 2 3 6 7}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Matthew W Southward, Ph.D.

Principal Investigator

University of Kentucky

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for individuals with conditions like PTSD, OCD, depression, eating disorders, and anxiety who struggle with regulating their emotions. Participants must be proficient in English and have access to a smartphone. It's not suitable for those needing more than outpatient care.

Inclusion Criteria

Elevated emotion dysregulation

Exclusion Criteria

Lack of proficiency in English

My condition does not require hospitalization.

No access to smartphone

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Treatment

Participants are taught personalized or standardized emotion regulation skills to decrease daily negative emotion intensity

6 weeks

4 visits (in-person or virtual)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in emotion regulation effectiveness and other psychological measures

6 weeks

4 visits (in-person or virtual)

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Checking the Facts
• Mindfulness of Current Emotions
• Opposite to Emotion Action

Trial Overview The study tests whether personalized or standardized emotion regulation skills can reduce negative emotions daily. It will also try matching participants to the best skill training based on initial data to see if this approach is effective and practical.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Personalized Condition Active Control 3 Interventions

Participants will learn one of three emotion regulation skills (i.e., cognitive restructuring, opposite to emotion action, mindfulness) that is their personal strength, based on pre-Baseline emotion regulation capacities. They will watch an interactive video, created for the current study, in which they are taught the skill that is their personal strength. They will also be asked to complete a survey during the video in which they will input their own examples to practice the skill and to ensure attention to and comprehension of the material.

Group II: Standardized Condition Active Control 3 Interventions

Participants will learn all three ER skills: cognitive restructuring, opposite to emotion action, and mindfulness. Participants will be asked to watch three interactive videos that cover each skill to provide an analogue to clinical practice in which clinicians must choose whether to provide greater breadth or depth of skill coverage. These videos will be presented in a randomized order and will include the same surveys for attention and comprehension used in the Personalized Condition.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Matthew Southward

Lead Sponsor

Trials

1

Recruited

390+

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Collaborator

Trials

3,007

Recruited

2,852,000+

Published Research Related to This Trial

In a 9-month study with 332 participants, two specific mental training modules—Perspective and Affect—were found to significantly enhance the use of adaptive emotion regulation strategies, particularly acceptance and cognitive reappraisal.

The Presence module, which focused on attentional skills, did not lead to any notable changes in emotion regulation, suggesting that different types of mental training have distinct effects on how individuals manage difficult emotions.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Socioaffective versus sociocognitive mental trainings differentially affect emotion regulation strategies. Hildebrandt, LK., McCall, C., Singer, T.[2020]

The Dual-mode Model of Mindful Emotion Regulation (D-MER) integrates mindfulness and emotion regulation by proposing two modes: Implementation, where mindfulness skills are actively used as strategies, and Facilitation, where mindfulness influences emotional processes over time.

This model suggests that mindfulness can enhance the effectiveness of emotion regulation strategies and that its benefits may become more automatic as individuals develop mindfulness as a trait, providing a framework for future research and clinical applications.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Integrating mindfulness into the extended process model of emotion regulation: The dual-mode model of mindful emotion regulation. Raugh, IM., Strauss, GP.[2023]

A study with 45 participants showed that brief mindfulness induction can effectively reduce positive emotions, similar to reappraisal, compared to expressive suppression and a control condition.

Participants using mindfulness exhibited less positive affect and different facial expressions, indicating that mindfulness can influence emotional regulation even in those without prior meditation experience.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Mindful regulation of positive emotions: a comparison with reappraisal and expressive suppression. Lalot, F., Delplanque, S., Sander, D.[2021]

The group intervention 'Managing Emotions: Emotions under control' effectively teaches emotion regulation strategies, showing large effect sizes in increasing reappraisal and acceptance while reducing rumination among 18 participants.

Participants with higher levels of mental strain experienced a significant reduction in overall psychopathology, with an effect size of 0.63, indicating the intervention's potential benefits for those struggling with severe emotional challenges.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

[Managing emotions--emotions under control]. Barnow, S., Löw, CA., Dodek, A., et al.[2014]

Mindfulness, particularly the facet of nonjudgmental acceptance, is linked to reduced rumination, which can help decrease negative emotions and maintain positive emotions in daily life, as shown in studies with 70 students and 179 middle-aged adults.

The study suggests that mindfulness can enhance the effectiveness of emotion regulation strategies, indicating that being more mindful can inhibit maladaptive strategies like rumination and influence overall emotional well-being.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Thinking mindfully: How mindfulness relates to rumination and reflection in daily life. Blanke, ES., Schmidt, MJ., Riediger, M., et al.[2021]

The Hindi version of the Behavioural Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (BERQ-H) has been validated in a sample of 358 individuals, confirming its reliability and the replicability of its five-factor structure for assessing emotion regulation strategies.

Specific subscales of the BERQ-H, such as Withdrawal and Actively Approaching, were found to have negative correlations with depression and anxiety, indicating their potential role in emotional well-being, while Seeking social support showed unexpected associations with psychological distress.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Adaptation and psychometric validation of Hindi version of the Behavioural Emotion Regulation Questionnaire. Bhat, NA., Devdutt, J., Johnson, JA., et al.[2021]

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 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]

This review highlights the differences between traditional emotion regulation models, like cognitive behavior therapy, and mindfulness-based approaches, emphasizing that they address different underlying processes.

The authors propose a new model for 'mindful emotion regulation' that outlines critical processes and mechanisms, aiming to better integrate mindfulness with emotion regulation strategies.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Mindful emotion regulation: An integrative review. Chambers, R., Gullone, E., Allen, NB.[2022]

Mindfulness practices have been shown to have beneficial clinical effects, but the underlying neural mechanisms are still not fully understood, leading to differing views on whether mindfulness acts as a 'top-down' or 'bottom-up' emotion regulation strategy.

The review suggests that short-term mindfulness practitioners primarily utilize 'top-down' emotion regulation, while long-term practitioners engage in 'bottom-up' regulation, indicating that the effects of mindfulness may evolve with practice duration.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Mindfulness: top-down or bottom-up emotion regulation strategy? Chiesa, A., Serretti, A., Jakobsen, JC.[2012]

Citations

1. in.nau.edu in.nau.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/202/Check-the-Facts.pdf

EMOTION REGULATION HANDOUT 8 check the facts If you are unsure whether your emotion or your emotional intensity fits the facts (for example, you give a score of 2, 3, or 4), keep checking the facts. Be as ...

2. charliehealth.com charliehealth.com/post/check-the-facts-dbt

Check the Facts DBT The check the facts DBT skill guides people to identify what triggered their emotion, describe what they observed with their senses, and challenge judgments ...

3. dbtselfhelp.com dbtselfhelp.com/check-the-facts/

Check the Facts It provides skills to help manage emotions instead of being managed by them, reduce vulnerability to negative emotions, and build positive emotional experiences ...

4. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5021701/

Emotion Regulation in Schema Therapy and Dialectical ... This article gives an overview of the major therapeutic techniques used in ST and DBT with respect to emotion regulation.

5. gladstonepsych.com gladstonepsych.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/check-the-facts-handout.pdf

check-the-facts-handout.pdf FACTS. Many emotions and actions are set off by our thoughts and interpretations of events, not by the events themselves. Event → Thoughts → Emotions.

6. paloaltou.edu paloaltou.edu/resources/business-of-practice-blog/managing-countertransference-with-dbt-skills-mindfulness-and-emotion-regulation

Managing Countertransference with DBT Skills Check the Facts. In DBT, checking the facts refers to objectively examining the basic facts of an event or situation and whether a particular reaction is ...

7. choosingtherapy.com choosingtherapy.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Check-the-Facts-Blank-Template.pdf

DBT Emotion Regulation When an emotion fits the facts, it means that the emotion makes sense for the situation. This worksheet will review the facts that prompt a matching emotion ...