The Effects of Repetitive Worry and Rumination on State-Based Emotion Regulation

Worry and rumination are associated with both anxiety and depression, which are turn associated with broad deficits in emotion regulation. However, the nature of the relationship between worry, rumination, and emotion regulation is unclear. In the current study, we examined the impact of repetitive periods of worry and rumination on self-reported, state-based emotion regulation. Although worry and rumination negatively impacted state-based emotion regulation strategies, there was no impact on the clarity of emotions. However, this effect was no longer significant after controlling for negative affect. Using bootstrapping procedures, we found that negative affect mediated the relationship between worry/rumination and deficits in emotion regulation strategies. Moreover, we found that worry and rumination did not differ from one another. These results suggest that some indices of state-based emotion regulation may be state-based and vulnerable to periods of negative affect, whereas other indices may be trait-based and stable. These results also suggest that worry and rumination share similar consequences in terms of affect and affect regulation. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.