University of New Hampshire University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository Doctoral Dissertations Student Scholarship Spring 2020 The Effects Of Interpersonal Emotion Regulation During Conflict on Partner-Directed State Aggression Katherine Debra Marjorie Lee University of New Hampshire, Durham Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/dissertation Recommended Citation Lee, Katherine Debra Marjorie, "The Effects Of Interpersonal Emotion Regulation During Conflict on Partner-Directed State Aggression" (2020). Doctoral Dissertations. 2509. https://scholars.unh.edu/dissertation/2509 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Scholarship at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE EFFECTS OF INTERPERSONAL EMOTION REGULATION DURING CONFLICT ON PARTNER-DIRECTED STATE AGGRESSION BY KATHERINE D. M. LEE Bachelor of Arts, Salisbury University, 2013 Master of Arts, University of New Hampshire, 2017 DISSERTATION Submitted to The University of New Hampshire In Partial Fulfillment of The Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy In Psychology May, 2020 i DISSERTATION COMMITTEE PAGE This dissertation has been examined and approved in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology by: Dissertation Director, Ellen S. Cohn, Professor of Psychology and Justice Studies University of New Hampshire Katie M. Edwards, Associate Professor of Psychology and Women’s Studies, University of Nebraska – Lincoln Lindsey M. Rodriguez, Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of South Florida – St. Petersburg Jolie B. Wormwood, Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of New Hampshire Julie L. Peterson, Associate Professor of Psychology, University of New England On April 14, 2020 Original approval signatures are on file with the University of New Hampshire Graduate School. ii DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to my parents, who have provided me with their unwavering support, love, and encouragement. I would not be where I am today without you. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to acknowledge the following individuals that have provided me with their support and guidance throughout my graduate career, and the completion of my dissertation. First, I would like to thank my dissertation director, Ellen Cohn. Ellen, thank you for all the time you have invested in me over the past five years. You have provided me with the skills and confidence to be a successful researcher, mentor, and instructor. Thank you to the other members of my dissertation committee as well, Katie Edwards, Lindsey Rodriguez, Jolie Wormwood, and Julie Peterson. Your collective expertise and thoughtful feedback on my dissertation has been invaluable. I would also like to thank all of the graduate students that have made my time at UNH and life in New Hampshire truly memorable. Thank you all for your friendship, love, and support. A special thanks to Donovan Kelley for his help with my dissertation over the past year. I appreciate the way you always made time to discuss ideas with me, talk through research problems, and reassure me that I was capable of accomplishing my goals. Thank you to Princi Kovacs for first encouraging me to apply to graduate school, and then for being a constant source of support throughout the entire process. I can’t express how grateful I am for our friendship, and for the hundreds of phone calls we’ve had over the past five years. Thanks for always celebrating every milestone with me, whether big or small. I also acknowledge all of the undergraduate research assistants I have had the pleasure of working with on my dissertation. Thank you to Morgan Howard, Meredith Baker, Tracy Fister, Lauren Spooner, Matt Woodward, Rebecca Gowing, Eleonora Giovine, Molly O’Shea, Paxton iv Morley, and Alicia Guzman. I appreciate all your help with study development, data collection, and coding. I would not have been able to complete this research without all of you. Lastly, I would like to thank the Graduate School at the University of New Hampshire for the dissertation year fellowship award, and the Department of Psychology for providing funds for data collection. v TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION .................................................................................................................. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................................. iv LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ ix LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... x ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................... xi CHAPTER PAGE INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 1 II. EMOTION REGULATION ........................................................................................ 2 The Process Model of Emotion Regulation ............................................................. 3 Consequences of Emotion Regulation ..................................................................... 4 Social Baseline Theory ............................................................................................ 5 III. INTERPERSONAL EMOTION REGULATION ...................................................... 8 An Interpersonal Emotion Regulation Framework ................................................... 8 Interpersonal Emotion Regulation in Couples .......................................................... 9 Distinguishing Between Intra- and Inter- personal Regulation in Couples ............... 11 Interpersonal Regulation of Positive and Negative Emotions ................................... 12 IV. EMOTION REGULATION AND AGGRESSION .................................................... 15 The General Aggression Model ................................................................................ 15 The Effects of Over and Under Regulation of Emotion on Aggression ................... 16 Emotion Regulation and Intimate Partner Aggression ............................................. 17 I3 Model of Intimate Partner Aggression .................................................................. 19 Dyadic Samples ........................................................................................................ 22 V. INTERPERSONAL EMOTION REGULATION AND AGGRESSION .................... 25 Integrating Models of Emotion Regulation and Aggression .................................... 25 Proposing a Dyadic Model of Interpersonal Emotion Regulation and Aggression... 28 Gaps in Research ...................................................................................................... 31 VI. STUDY 1 .................................................................................................................... 33 Method ..................................................................................................................... 34 vi Participants ....................................................................................................... 34 Procedure .......................................................................................................... 35 Measures ........................................................................................................... 40 Results ...................................................................................................................... 43 Preliminary Results ........................................................................................... 43 Primary Results ................................................................................................. 46 Discussion ................................................................................................................ 49 VII. STUDY 2 .................................................................................................................. 53 Method ..................................................................................................................... 60 Participants ....................................................................................................... 60 Procedure ........................................................................................................... 61 Measures ........................................................................................................... 64 Data Analysis Plan ............................................................................................ 66 Results ...................................................................................................................... 70 Preliminary Results ........................................................................................... 70 Primary Results ................................................................................................. 75 Discussion ................................................................................................................ 90 VIII. GENERAL DISCUSSION .....................................................................................