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Title: Emotion Controllability Beliefs and Young People’s Anxiety and Depression Symptoms: A Systematic Review
Abstract Emotion regulation is a powerful predictor of youth mental health and a crucial ingredient of interventions. A growing body of evidence indicates that the beliefs individuals hold about the extent to which emotions are controllable (emotion controllability beliefs) influence both the degree and the ways in which they regulate emotions. A systematic review was conducted that investigated the associations between emotion controllability beliefs and youth anxiety and depression symptoms. The search identified 21 peer-reviewed publications that met the inclusion criteria. Believing that emotions are relatively controllable was associated with fewer anxiety and depression symptoms, in part because these beliefs were associated with more frequent use of adaptive emotion regulation strategies. These findings support theoretical models linking emotion controllability beliefs with anxiety and depression symptoms via emotion regulation strategies that target emotional experience, like reappraisal. Taken together, the review findings demonstrate that emotion controllability beliefs matter for youth mental health. Understanding emotion controllability beliefs is of prime importance for basic science and practice, as it will advance understanding of mental health and provide additional targets for managing symptoms of anxiety and depression in young people.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1941868
PAR ID:
10581927
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ;
Publisher / Repository:
Springer
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Adolescent Research Review
Volume:
9
Issue:
1
ISSN:
2363-8346
Page Range / eLocation ID:
33 to 51
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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