Relation between Emotion Regulation, Psychological Inflexibility, Dispositional Mindfulness, and Emotional Symptoms in a Portuguese Sample

Background: Mental health is a central component of an individual´s holistic health status. Various factors affect mental health, leading to different emotional symptoms. This study aimed to explore the relationship between emotional symptoms and emotion regulation, psychological inflexibility, and dispositional mindfulness, as well as age, sex, marital status, education, and professional situation.

Methods: A total of 390 clinical patients (Mage=34.33, SD=9.99, 66.4% female) filled in the Philadelphia Mindfulness Scale (PHLMS), the Emotion Regulation of Others and Self (EROS) scale, the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire II (AAQ-II) and the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI).

Results: We found a significant relationship between emotional symptoms and sex (women reporting more symptoms), and a trend toward a negative relationship between emotional symptoms and age (older participants reporting fewer symptoms). Emotional symptoms showed a significant negative association with mindfulness (PHLMS total score and Acceptance subscale), and with emotion regulation (EROS Intrinsic affect-improving subscale). Conversely, higher scores on the EROS Extrinsic affect-worsening and Intrinsic affect-worsening subscales, as well as greater psychological inflexibility, were associated with more emotional symptoms.

Conclusions: Mindfulness and emotion regulation appear to act as protective factors against emotional symptoms, whereas psychological inflexibility is associated with greater vulnerability to such symptoms.