The Associations between Emotion Regulation Difficulties and Interpersonal Functioning during COVID-19

Individuals who have difficulties regulating emotions often experience difficulties in several parts of their lives, including in their interpersonal relationships (Cherbonsky & Hunt, 2017; Daros et al., 2021; Gratz et al., 2018; Holley et al., 2018; Marroquín et al., 2017). Specifically, individuals who experience emotion regulation (ER) difficulties are more likely to withdraw during conflict (Bloch et al., 2014). They also experience challenges resolving conflict, decreased relational closeness, minimized social support, diminished quality of interactions with others, and poorer social evaluations by peers (Daros et al., 2021; Gratz et al., 2018; Holley et al., 2018; Marroquín et al., 2017). However, most of the findings that have informed these conclusions stem from work conducted with clinical samples. Thus, the applicability of this research to non-clinical populations (i.e., “healthy” populations) is limited. The limited research that has been conducted with non-clinical samples on this topic suggests that improvements in ER can reduce the frequency and severity of interpersonal problems young people experience (Ahmady et al., 2020). In contrast, the inability to suppress emotion is associated with poorer social well-being (Chervonsky & Hunt, 2017). This research, however, is largely based on measures taken at one time point. Thus, it fails to address whether and how differences in ER affect day-to-day interpersonal functioning in non-clinical populations. This work could help researchers better understand the relationship between ER and interpersonal functioning, as research using daily measures gives more fine-grained data than data surveys administered at one time point (Beckers et al., 2015). Gathering daily data is especially useful to understand how interpersonal functioning is affected by personal characteristics, such as differences in ER (Beckers et al., 2015). Moreover, the association between ER difficulties and interpersonal functioning has not yet been investigated within the context of COVID-19 nor by the shift to remote interactions that increased due to the pandemic and its restrictions (Iqbal et al., 2021). Although ER and interpersonal functioning were seemingly independently influenced by the pandemic and its increase in remote interactions (Gioia et al., 2021; Goodwin et al., 2020; Panayiotu et al., 2021), novel research into the association between ER and interpersonal functioning would shed light on how individuals differentially respond in the face of future crises, and how the remote interactions might be affected differently by ER compared to in person interactions Present Study In the present study, we will explore these topics with three sets of research questions: Research Questions 1) a. Are ER difficulties associated with an increased likelihood of experiencing negative day-to-day interpersonal interactions (i.e., arguments, conflicts, disagreements) in a non-clinical sample? b. Does the association between ER difficulties and negative interpersonal interactions vary across the COVID-19 pandemic? 2) a. Are ER difficulties associated with a decreased likelihood of experiencing positive in person day-to-day interpersonal interactions in a non-clinical sample? b. Does the association between ER difficulties and positive in-person interpersonal interactions vary across the COVID-19 pandemic? 3) a. Are ER difficulties associated with a decreased likelihood of experiencing positive remote day-to-day interpersonal interactions in a non-clinical sample? b. Does the association between ER difficulties and positive remote interpersonal interactions vary across the COVID-19 pandemic? Hypotheses RQ1A and 2A. Previous research has revealed a positive association between ER difficulties and interpersonal functioning in clinical populations (e.g., Poole et al., 2018). Indeed, findings in clinical populations typically persist in non-clinical populations but tend to be less extreme (Lawlor et al., 2020). As such, we predict: 1A. There will be a positive association between difficulties in ER and negative day-to-day interpersonal interactions, such that there will be a greater likelihood of experiencing negative day-to-day interpersonal interactions as difficulties in ER increase. 2A. There will be a negative association between difficulties in ER and positive in person day-to-day interpersonal interactions, such that there will be a lower likelihood of experiencing positive interpersonal interactions as difficulties in ER increase. RQ1B and 2B. As was the case during previous disasters (e.g., tsunamis; Cavangh et al., 2014), the COVID-19 pandemic increased interpersonal problems (Goodwin et al., 2020). Fortunately, ER skills seemingly buffered many of the negative consequences of COVID-19, including social difficulties (Restubog et al., 2020). Thus, we predict: 1B. There will be a stronger positive association between ER difficulties and negative interpersonal events during the pandemic compared to once restrictions eased. 2B. There will be a stronger negative association between ER difficulties and positive in person interpersonal events during the pandemic compared to once restrictions eased. RQ3A and 3B. Usually, remote interactions hinder aspects of interpersonal exchanges (Bailenson, 2021), which are key to ER (Lopes et al., 2005). Nevertheless, as the pandemic progressed and people became more familiar with remote interactions, remote interactions reportedly became less aversive and increasingly preferred (Gioia et al., 2021). Therefore, we predict: 3A. There will be a negative association between difficulties in ER and positive remote interpersonal interactions. 3B. The negative association between ER difficulties and positive remote interpersonal interactions will weaken at later stages of the pandemic compared to earlier lockdowns.

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