Professional Issues in Psychology

With clinical psychology being an area that I would like to pursue in the future, it is vital then to review an article named ‘'Emotion Regulation in Adolescents with Mental Health Problems.'' The purpose of the article is to assess the relationship that exists between poor emotional control and mental health problems among the adolescents. The article begins by defining what emotional regulation is. It is a process whereby an individual's inward and outward emotional expressions are kept in check. The opposite is emotional dysregulation which means the inappropriate, extreme, or excessive depiction of emotion. Therefore, the article further attempts to analyze the correlation between emotional dysregulation and psychopathology, especially in adolescents. The adolescents are chosen for the research experimentation because they represent a critical area in the maturation which also relates to the processes associated with emotional regulation. As such, the research tends to focus on the broader correlation between mental health and the development of an individual. 

Hypothesis 

The researcher attempts to find how emotion is dysregulated in adolescents having mental disorders. Therefore in framing the hypothesis, it could appear as ‘’how is emotion dysregulated in patients with mental illnesses?’’ In an attempt to achieve this goal, the research utilizes experimental methods to manipulate and hence assess emotion regulation in response positive or negative images in the affective content. Henry et al . (2016) asserted that the experiment also uses the case-control design where the participant’s ability to suppress or amplify emotion was monitored with regards to experience and the outward display of emotion. 

Methodology 

Participants 

The research used 41 participants where 33 were females and eight males. The participants were aged between 14 and 17 years of age, and their area of recruitment was the Adolescent Inpatient Unit of the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital (Henry et al . 2016). The subjects were picked from a pool of 109 who had been admitted to the hospital at the particular time. The treating team members made the identification of the potential subjects. Some of the patients that did not meet the criteria included those who were cognitively impaired below an IQ of 70, those who showed acute psychosis, or in cases where consent could not be obtained. Some of the reasons given for nonparticipation included severity of illness (34), lack of enough time (33), lack of parental consent (6), and lastly refusal (3). The mean illness duration for the participants in the experiment was 17.6 months while approximately 58.8% of the sample presented with signs of comorbid mental illness (Henry et al . 2016).38 of the subjects used were under a consistent psychotropic medication with another 20 taking two or more different types of medication. The final 41 participants were arrived at using a number of processes including community advertisements and the referral of participants. Some of the factors used for exclusion included previous mental illness, treatment by a psychologist or a counselor, cognitive impairment, or the use of psychotropic medication. 

Procedure 

The study received approval from the ethics committee of the Royal Brisbane Women's Hospital. All the subjects were quietly tested individually in a room. They further went on and provided their background information by completing a short cognitive assessment which was then followed an experimental measure of several self-report scales chief among them being emotion regulation. The completion of the procedure saw all the participants receive $15 as reimbursement. 

Measures 

The first thing to be measured was the cognitive function. The measurement of this critical tenet was done using the ‘’Vocabulary subtest of the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence.’’ The second vital tenet to be measured was the self-report. In this case, the tool that was employed was ‘’The Difficulties in Emotions Regulated Scale.’’ The main function of the tool is to measure the extent of self-rated emotion regulation (Henry et al. 2016). Thirdly, emotion regulation task was also measured. In this aspect, the participants were initially required to watch simple pictures which would provide the researchers with a level baseline of behavioral responding. It was then followed by the provision of instructions measuring emotion regulation both suppression and amplification. In suppression, subjects were instructed to hide any form of emotion that would arise from the process. On the other hand, in expressive amplifications, the participants were required to show any emotion that would arise in the process. 

Results and Discussion 

One of the results sought of the experiment was whether emotion regulation difficulties is a feature associated with individuals having a mental illness. One of the main results that become more apparent is that the clinical participants just like the controls had the ability to regulate the way they depicted their emotions. Regardless of the nature of the stimuli, an outward expression of the emotion was more on the amplification as opposed to suppression. The results further show that mental illness among the adolescents is not a reason to impair them from controlling their emotions. The research also revealed that some of the indicators that show emotion especially in the public places include nonverbal and facial expression. Therefore when a discrepancy occurs between expressive and experienced emotions, there is a high likelihood that a communicative misunderstanding will occur during social interaction. 

Another major outcome found out in the study was that the probability of the clinical participants to display their emotion outwardly reduced when they attempted to show more control. Amplification of emotions is related to the theory of mind which assesses how the behavior of an individual will be interpreted and perceived by others. Adolescents with mental health conditions have a problem in understanding the mental state of other people. Finally, it is critical to appreciate that failure to regulate the negative impulsivity among the participants greatly depended on the quality of life. Therefore, this shows that the ability to manage both the negative and positive emotions relies more on the subject’s level of distress. As such, it would be correct to assert that the capacity to either up-regulate or down-regulate the display of emotions is closely associated with meaningful indices that define the wellbeing of a person in their everyday life (Henry et al . 2016). 

Limitations of the Study 

One of the greatest limitations showed in the study is the use of a mixed clinical sample. As such, it is obviously difficult to generalize certain disorders. However, the imitation can also be regarded as a strength given that emotional dysregulation is now considered a transdiagnostic aspect. Another critical limitation depicted in the study is with regards to how the participants were required to either express or suppress their emotions. The various stimuli that the participants were required to respond to showed excessive limitation especially with regards to their ecological validity. As such, there is an increased need for researchers to understand how people can regulate their emotions spontaneously in response to the altered situational demands. In an attempt to resolve such limitations, the researchers can focus more on finding better ways of collecting their sample population which would reduce the prospect of ending up with a mixed clinical sample. It is also vital to focus on better procedures and measurement techniques that depict the most naturally desirable outcome. One of the measures to achieve this is to employ stimuli techniques that reflect the true ecological validity of the natural and social environment. Such a move would ensure that appropriate behavioral reactions are achieved. 

Personal Thoughts 

I believe that the research conducted was comprehensive and draws a closer relationship between emotional regulation and the behavioral tendencies of adolescents. It, therefore, gives a broader perception of how people depict their emotion especially when they grow up and how this can be used as a measure of mental health. It is a comprehensive research that gives a definitive conclusion and thus does not need repetition. The only areas of improvement include the sampling procedures here disorders were mixed and on giving instructions where they did not conform to the tenets of ecological viability. My overall impression of the work is that it was commendable and helps in enlightening the readers on the relationship between emotional regulation and psychosis among the adolescents. It also impressive to me because it has a strict criterion for choosing the subjects hence making ensuring that only the right participants are chosen for the study. The research also adheres to strict ethical standards with no potential conflict of interest having been reported. 

Finally, the study has immense implications for the study of psychology especially clinical psychology which assesses the mental well-being and development of an individual. Emotional regulation is a critical human aspect that dictates the way humans associate with others. Because emotion regulation is relatively fair in mentally healthy individual, the study attempts to assess the same among the psychotics and establish any notable differences. Also, psychology is concerned with the development of an individual throughout their life. Given that the study analyzes the emotional regulation among adolescents depicts the fact that it appreciates the psychological changes that occur as one develops. 

References  

Henry, J. D., Castellini, J., Moses, E., & Scott, J. G. (2016). Emotion regulation in adolescents with mental health problems.  Journal of Clinical & Experimental Neuropsychology ,  38 (2), 197-207. doi:10.1080/13803395.2015.1100276