Negative emotion differentiation in adolescents: unpacking linkages with emotion regulation traits and behaviours, rumination, and depression

Negative emotion differentiation (NED), or the ability to parse negative emotions (NEs) with precision, is theorised to facilitate emotion regulation (ER), but research examining the link between NED and the development of ER skills in adolescence has been surprisingly sparse and inconsistent. Brooding rumination may help explain heterogeneity in the relationship between NED and ER, as high brooders may continue to negatively perseverate on their NEs even if they are well-differentiated. In this preregistered longitudinal study of adolescents (N = 241, ages 14-17), participants completed self-report measures, interviews, and a seven-day ecological momentary assessment (EMA), with a longitudinal follow up 1.5-years later. NED was linked to lower global emotion dysregulation but not to momentary reappraisal use. NED predicted decreased global emotion dysregulation over time. Brooding predicted stronger associations between low NED and concurrent depression but did not moderate associations between NED and other outcomes (i.e. momentary reappraisal use, concurrent/longitudinal global emotion dysregulation, or longitudinal depression). Results support a complex relationship between NED, brooding, and mental health, and suggest that poor differentiation in youth may contribute to the consolidation of maladaptive regulatory habits.