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Emotion regulation processes as mediators of the impact of past life events on older adults’ psychological distress

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 January 2020

Virginia Fernández-Fernández ,
Andrés Losada-Baltar ,
María Márquez-González ,
Teresa Paniagua-Granados ,
Carlos Vara-García  and
Octavio Luque-Reca
Virginia Fernández-Fernández*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology of the Personality, Evaluation and Psychological Treatment, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), Madrid, Spain
Andrés Losada-Baltar
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain
María Márquez-González
Affiliation:
Department of Biological and Health Psychology, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Teresa Paniagua-Granados
Affiliation:
Faculty of Education and Psychology, Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, Madrid, Spain
Carlos Vara-García
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain
Octavio Luque-Reca
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Virginia Fernández-Fernández, Department of Psychology of the Personality, Evaluation and Psychological Treatment, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), Madrid 28040, Spain. Phone: +34913986292. Email: vfernandez@psi.uned.es.
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Abstract

Objective:

Although it is known that certain emotion regulation processes produce a buffering effect on the relationship between life events and well-being, this issue has been poorly studied in the elderly population. Thus, the aim of the present study is to test and confirm a comprehensive model of the impact that past life events have on older adults’ psychological distress, exploring the possible mediating roles of emotion regulation processes. These include rumination, experiential avoidance, and personal growth.

Methods:

In this cross-sectional study, 387 people over 60 years old residing in the community were assessed on life events, physical functioning, emotion regulation variables, psychological well-being, as well as symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Results:

The structural model tested achieved a satisfactory fit to the data, explaining 73% of the variance of older adults’ psychological distress. In addition, the main results suggest possible mediation effects of both the physical functioning and the emotional variables: rumination, experiential avoidance, and personal growth in the face of hardship.

Conclusions:

These findings confirm the importance of emotion regulation processes in the final stages of life. They reveal the various adaptive and maladaptive mechanisms that underlie the relationship between life events and psychological distress. The findings suggest – both in the explanatory models of psychological well-being and in psychotherapeutic interventions – the importance of emotion regulation in the elderly population’s health.

Keywords

psychological well-beingpersonal growthdepressive symptomsvital events or adverse eventsruminationexperiential avoidanceelderly
Type
Original Research Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 32 , Issue 2: Issue Theme: Psychological Promoters of Well-Being in Older Adults , February 2020 , pp. 199 - 209
Copyright
© International Psychogeriatric Association 2020 

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