| dc.description.abstract | Depression is currently the third leading contributor to the global disease burden, and it is expected that it will rise to the first place by 2030. Identifying underlying mechanisms in depression is specifically pressing and could lead to valuable implications for the development of effective psychological treatments. Most of the research on emotion regulation and depression has focused on negative affect (NA) regulation, but there is a growing interest in investigating positive affect (PA) regulation. The aim of the present study was to examine to what extent NA and PA regulation contribute to depression and to investigate whether gender was a moderator of the relationship between NA and PA regulation and depression. The study was conducted in a specialized mental health care facility in the Netherlands, with N = 374 participants. The Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (IDS-SR) determined depression. The Responses to Positive Affect Questionnaire (RPA-NL), consisted of the subscales dampening and positive rumination, determined PA regulation. The Ruminative Response Scale (RRS-NL), consisted of the subscales brooding and reflection, determined NA regulation. There was a significant correlation found between NA regulation and depression and PA regulation and depression. Results showed that NA regulation was a more important contributor to depression than PA regulation, but looking at NA and PA regulation simultaneously, brooding, dampening and positive rumination made a unique contribution to depression. Gender was not found as a moderator between NA and PA regulation and depression. Concluding, the current study gave insight into the extent to which NA and PA regulation contributes to depression and suggested that NA and PA regulation are important factors associated with depression, which may be relevant to consider in treating depression. Suggestions for further research, limitations of the present study and implications for clinical practice were discussed. | |
