Examining the Unique Predictive Value of Emotion Crafting on Psychological Well-Being when Controlling for Positive Rumination

Abstract

Based on previous findings demonstrating that emotion regulation strategies enhance psychological well-being, this research sought to extend this line of research by examining how proactive and reactive strategies uniquely contribute to fostering positive emotional states. Specifically, the present study examined the predictive value of emotion crafting awareness and action, categorized as proactive strategies, controlling for reactive emotion regulation strategies, self- and emotion-focused positive rumination, on psychological well-being. Participants were 327 young adults (76.8% female, 23.2% male) between the ages of 18 and 35 (M_age=24.26; 〖SD〗_age=3.94). Participants filled out online surveys at eight time points across four weeks. Results showed that reactive and proactive emotion regulation strategies uniquely predicted psychological well-being. Additionally, while the awareness component of emotion crafting was positively related to psychological well-being, the action component was not. This can be understood considering their strong positive correlation, indicating partially overlapping constructs. Similarly, emotion- but not self-focused positive rumination was uniquely associated with psychological well-being. These results suggest the foundational role of EC awareness in fostering well-being, indicating that awareness may be a prerequisite for action to be intentional and impactful. Lastly, current findings add to the literature by emphasizing the distinct roles of proactive and reactive strategies in the emotion regulation process.