MOOD REGULATION EXPECTANCIES, ANXIETY SENSITIVITY, AND EMOTIONAL DISTRESS

Mood regulation expectancy is a behavior-outcome response expectancy; anxiety sensitivity can be conceptualized as a stimulus-outcome respon se expectancy. Current expectancy models of emotion and distress focus on stimulus-outcome expectancies, potentially neglecting behavior-out come expectancies. In a sample of 502 college students, measures of ea ch expectancy were independently related to distress, measured by the Beck Depression Inventory and Trait Anxiety Inventory: Those with weak beliefs about their ability to regulate negative moods and strong bel iefs that the experience of anxiety causes further negative consequenc es reported the highest levels of distress. Implications for integrati ng behavior-outcome and stimulus-outcome response expectancies in mode ls of emotion are discussed.