Regulating Discrimination: The Effects of Emotion Regulation on Experiences of Pride and Shame, and Subsequent Self-Disclosure among Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Adults THESIS Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Ilana Seager, B.A. Graduate Program in Psychology The Ohio State University 2016 Master's Examination Committee: Amelia Aldao, Ph.D., Advisor Jennifer Cheavens, Ph.D. Jennifer Crocker, Ph.D. Copyrighted by Ilana Seager 2016 Abstract A growing number of epidemiological studies have highlighted the disproportionately high rates of mental illness that lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals experience relative to their heterosexual peers (e.g., Gilman et al., 2001). One explanation for these alarming statistics may lay with the sexual orientation-related discrimination that LGB individuals experience in almost all aspects of their lives (e.g., Bostwick et al., 2014; Hatzenbuehler et al., 2010). Such discrimination may alter LGB individuals’ sense of self and of group and may interfere with behavioral expressions of their sexuality, eventually leading to the development of mental health problems (Bostwick et al., 2014; McCabe et al., 2010). However, very few studies to date have experimentally examined how discriminatory events influence the decision to self-disclose one’s sexual orientation and the role emotion regulation might play in buffering against some of the negative mental health outcomes associated with discrimination. With the present studies, I sought to answer this question by using an affective science framework. In Study 1, I validated four two-minute film clips as valid procedures for inducing group-based emotions (including pride and shame) in LGB Americans (N = 80) in an online study. I used two of these clips in a second online study (Study 2; N = 148) and found that participants who viewed the discriminatory clip were significantly less likely to spontaneously disclose their sexual orientation in a written reflection task than those who viewed the affirming clip. ii However, I found no differences in sexual orientation disclosure between participants instructed to immerse themselves in the content of the film and those instructed to distance themselves. These studies comprise a first step towards understanding the affective and cognitive mechanisms underlying discrimination’s immense effects on LGB mental health and thus provide future directions for interventions with this population. iii Acknowledgments I would first like to sincerely thank my advisor, Amelia Aldao, as well as my colleagues, Kara Christensen, Emily Dunn, Andre Plate, and Anne Wilson, for all of their guidance and support throughout this project. In addition, I am much indebted to our hardworking undergraduate research assistants who allowed us to collect these data, in particular Thomas Parsons and Sarah Gobrial. I would like to gratefully acknowledge my committee members, Jennifer Cheavens and Jennifer Crocker, and also Lisa Cravens- Brown, for their thoughtful feedback and advice on this thesis. Finally, I must express my profound gratitude to my partner and family for their unwavering support throughout the process of designing, executing, and writing this thesis. iv Vita 2007................................................................Westlake Girls High School 2012................................................................B.A., Psychology & History of Science, History of Medicine, Yale University 2014 to present ...............................................University Fellow, Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University 2015 to present ..............................................Graduate Teaching Associate, Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University Publications Seager, I., Rowley, A., & Ehrenreich-May, J. (2014). Targeting Common Factors across Anxiety and Depression using the Unified Protocol for the Treatment of Emotional Disorders in Adolescents. Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive- Behavioral Therapy, online. DOI: 10.1007/s10942-014-0185-4. Britton, J., Kennedy, S., Seager, I., Queen, A. H., Hernandez, M. V., Spiro, C., & Ehrenreich-May, J. (2015). Pediatric Depression: Neurocognitive Function and Treatment Implications. In J. Mohlman, T. Deckersbach, & A. Weissman (Eds.), v From Symptom to Synapse: A Neurocognitive Perspective on Clinical Psychology (pp. 211-246). New York, NY: Routledge. Fields of Study Major Field: Psychology vi Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgments .............................................................................................................. iv Vita ...................................................................................................................................... v Publications ......................................................................................................................... v Fields of Study ................................................................................................................... vi List of Tables ...................................................................................................................... x List of Figures .................................................................................................................... xi Chapter 1: Introduction ...................................................................................................... 1 The Present Thesis .......................................................................................................... 9 Chapter 2: Study 1 ............................................................................................................ 13 Methods ......................................................................................................................... 13 Participants ................................................................................................................ 13 Procedure ................................................................................................................... 15 Discrimination and Affirmation Film Clips .............................................................. 16 vii Mood Ratings ............................................................................................................ 18 Attention Questions ................................................................................................... 18 Distraction Task ......................................................................................................... 18 Statistical Analyses .................................................................................................... 19 Results ........................................................................................................................... 20 Positive Affective Reactivity ..................................................................................... 20 Pride Reactivity ......................................................................................................... 22 Negative Affective Reactivity ................................................................................... 23 Shame Reactivity ....................................................................................................... 24 Discussion ..................................................................................................................... 25 Chapter 3: Study 2 ............................................................................................................ 28 Methods ......................................................................................................................... 28 Participants ................................................................................................................ 28 Procedure ................................................................................................................... 29 Emotion Regulation Instructions ............................................................................... 30 Written Reflection Task ............................................................................................. 32 Decision-Making Task .............................................................................................. 32 Statistical Analyses .................................................................................................... 33 viii Results ........................................................................................................................... 34 Manipulation Checks ................................................................................................. 34 Main Analyses Predicting Affect with Film and Emotion Regulation Conditions ... 38 Main Analyses Predicting Disclosure with Film and Emotion Regulation Conditions ................................................................................................................................... 40 Discussion ..................................................................................................................... 42 Chapter 4: General Discussion .......................................................................................... 47 References ........................................................................................................................