University of Central Florida STARS Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 2015 Temperament, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance as related correlates of psychological symptoms Catherine Pearte University of Central Florida Part of the Clinical Psychology Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access) is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STARS Citation Pearte, Catherine, "Temperament, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance as related correlates of psychological symptoms" (2015). Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019. 1166. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/1166 TEMPERAMENT, EMOTION REGULATION, AND DISTRESS TOLERANCE AS RELATED CORRELATES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS by CATHERINE PEARTE, M.S. B.A. Hollins University, 2004 M.S. University of Central Florida, 2009 A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Psychology in the College of Sciences at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Spring Term 2015 Major Professor: Kimberly Renk ABSTRACT Researchers have postulated that those with difficult temperament are at risk for difficulties with regulating emotions, are less tolerant of distressing stimuli, have characteristic difficulty coping with distress, and are (at some periods of development) more apt to experience clinically significant psychological symptoms. This study used exploratory factor analyses and structural equation modeling to compose and test a model that explained how emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and coping skills interact to explain how certain temperament features translate into psychological symptoms. Because those with difficult temperament were thought to be at a unique risk for psychological maladjustment, mean-based criterion were used to identify those with relatively difficult, typical, or easy temperament and then test whether the degree of between-group differences on study variables was statistically significant. Results of correlational and EFA analyses suggested that there were statistically significant differences between constructs that were correlated highly (i.e., distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and emotion dysregulation). Results of SEM analyses indicated that the relationship between difficult temperament and psychological maladjustment was explained partially by the way in which emotion regulation, emotion dysregulation, distress tolerance, and coping skills interact, with the strength of each mediating variable differing considerably. There were also differences in the power of the relationship between variables when correlational power was considered alone rather than in the context of the larger measurement and structural models. Future directions and implications are discussed. ii Dedicated to my father, George Pearte, for his unwavering love and support throughout my graduate school education and the course of my life. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS A few heartfelt thank yous to: My major professor and mentor: Dr. Kimberly Renk My Committee Members: Dr. Valerie Sims Dr. Jeffrey Cassisi Dr. Anne Culp My Labmates in the Young Children and Family Research Clinic (YCFRC): Rachel, Brea, Jayme, Analeise, Meagan, Amanda, Ellen The YCFRC’s Team of Research Assistants My four-legged children: London and Maggie iv TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................. vi LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................... vii CHAPTER ONE: TEMPERAMENT, EMOTION REGULATION, AND DISTRESS TOLERANCE AS CORRELATES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS ................................1 CHAPTER TWO: TEMPERAMENT .........................................................................................4 CHAPTER THREE: EMOTION REGULATION .......................................................................7 CHAPTER FOUR: COPING PROCESSES .............................................................................. 16 CHAPTER FIVE: DISTRESS TOLERANCE ........................................................................... 19 CHAPTER SIX: THE CURRENT STUDY ............................................................................... 23 CHAPTER SEVEN: METHOD ................................................................................................ 25 Participants ........................................................................................................................... 25 Measures ............................................................................................................................... 27 Temperament .................................................................................................................... 27 Emotion Regulation ........................................................................................................... 28 Coping Behavior ............................................................................................................... 30 Distress Tolerance ............................................................................................................. 31 Psychological Symptoms ................................................................................................... 36 Procedure .............................................................................................................................. 37 CHAPTER EIGHT: RESULTS ................................................................................................. 38 Descriptive Statistics ............................................................................................................. 38 Correlation Analyses ............................................................................................................. 38 Structural Analysis Procedure ............................................................................................... 40 Measuring and Representing Dimensions of Temperament .................................................... 41 Measuring and Representing Emotion Regulation and Emotion Dysregulation ...................... 41 Measuring and Representing Distress Tolerance .................................................................... 42 Measuring and Representing Coping Behaviors..................................................................... 43 Measuring and Representing Psychological Symptoms ......................................................... 44 Constructing and Testing the Measurement and Structural Models ........................................ 45 Mean-Based Exploratory Between-Group Comparisons: Understanding the Model Further.. 48 CHAPTER NINE: DISCUSSION ............................................................................................. 55 APPENDIX A: IRB APPROVAL LETTER .............................................................................. 67 APPENDIX B: DEFENSE ANNOUNCEMENT ....................................................................... 69 APPENDIX C: BATTERY OF MEASURES ............................................................................ 71 APPENDIX D: FIGURES 1-11 ................................................................................................. 93 APPENDIX E: TABLES 1-4 .................................................................................................. 105 REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................... 110 v LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Graphical Representation of Hypothesized Model .................................94 Figure 2 Graphical Representation of Emotion Regulation and Emotion Dysregulation .................................................................................................95 Figure 3 Graphical Representation of Distress Tolerance ......................................96 Figure 4 Graphical Representation of Coping Behaviors (Underidentified within all Full Models) ...................................................................................................97 Figure 5 Graphical Representation of Coping Behaviors (Initial Full Models) ......98 Figure 6 Graphical Representation of Coping Behaviors (Final Models ................99 Figure 7 Graphical Representation of Clinical Symptoms (Final Model ............. 100 Figure 8 Initial Measurement Model ................................................................... 101 Figure 9 Initial Structural Model ......................................................................... 102 Figure 10 Revised Measurement Model .............................................................. 103 Figure 11 Final Structural Model ........................................................................ 104 vi LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Means, Standard Deviations, and Ranges for All Variables of Interest ... 106 Table 2 Pearson’s Product Moment Correlations Among All Variables .............. 107 Table 3 Factor Loadings for Emotion Regulation and Emotion Dysregulation .... 108 Table 4 Correlations Among Latent Constructs .................................................. 109 vii CHAPTER