Disaster Mental Health
Use of DBT Emotion Regulation Skills and Momentary Positive and Negative Affect: First-Year College Students’ Daily Lives During COVID-19
Sarah Mann, B.A.
Lab Manager
Global Mental Health Lab, Pitzer College
Claremont, California
Marcus Rodriguez, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Psychology | Director, Global Mental Health Lab
Pitzer College
Claremont, California
Jaymes Paolo Rombaoa, M.A.
PhD Student
Claremont Graduate University
Claremont, California
Saida Heshmati, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Claremont Graduate University
Claremont, California
Sample: 76 first year students (Mage = 18.61, SD = 0.61) from the five Claremont Colleges took part in a study tracking their well-being for one week during COVID-19. Students represented diverse genders (71% female, 24% male, 4% non-binary) and ethnicity (46% White, 36% Asian or Pacific Islander, 14% Hispanic or Latinx, 13% Black or African-American, 14% mixed or other) Procedure: Ecological Momentary Assessments (EMA) were administered at random time points four times a day (morning, afternoon, late afternoon, evening) for seven consecutive days. Within-person measures: We assessed whether participants in the moment have recently (since last signal) engaged in behaviors or used ER skills that have been demonstrated to help coping and regulating emotions, ten items were createdon “Reducing Vulnerability to Emotion Mind” from the DBT Skills Training Manual. We used an EMA-adapted version of PANAS (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule) to measure momentary mood. Data Analysis: A multilevel linear modeling approach was used due to nested data. N = 1,796 momentary assessments were analyzed in R using packages for linear mixed effects (e.g., lme4). Momentary positive affect was predicted by usage of most ER skills. Accumulating Positives (short-term and long-term), Balanced Eating, Getting Exercise and Healthy Sleep Habits were all positively associated with momentary positive affect. Conversely, Avoiding Substances and Coping Ahead were negatively associated with momentary positive affect. Momentary negative affect was predicted by usage of certain ER skills. Accumulating Positives in the short and long-term were negatively associated with negative affect. Notably, maintaining a Balanced Diet and Healthy Sleep Habits were negatively predictive of momentary negative affect.
Background: The transition to early adulthood and first year of college is a pivotal transition period. Yet, the COVID-19 pandemic created a particularly challenging time for first-year students in Spring 2020. Given this unique new context, this study investigated the wellness of emerging adults in daily life during the early stages of quarantine in California (April 5 - May 20, 2020). In this study, we explored whether the usage of ABC and PLEASE emotion regulation skills would be associated with positive and negative affect in everyday life.
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