The regulation of induced depression during a frustrating situation: benefits of expressive suppression in Chinese individuals.
BACKGROUND
Studies from European-American cultures consistently reported that expressive suppression was associated with worse emotional consequence (e.g. depression) in comparison with acceptance. However, this conclusion may not apply to Chinese, as suppressing emotional displays to maintain relational harmony is culturally valued in East Asian countries. Thus, the present study examined the effects of suppression and acceptance on the depressive mood induced by a frustrating task in a Chinese sample.


METHODS
Sixty-four subjects were randomly assigned to one of three instructions: suppression, acceptance or no-regulation during a frustrating arithmetic task. The experience of depressive emotion and skin conductance response (SCR) were recorded during pre-frustration baseline, frustration induction and post-frustration recovery phases, respectively.


RESULTS
Compared with the control and acceptance instructions, suppression instruction was associated with decreased depressive experiences and smaller SCR activity during frustration. There were no significant differences between acceptance and control groups in both subjective depression and SCR activity during frustration. Moreover, the suppression group showed a better emotional recovery after the frustrating task, in comparison with the acceptance and control groups. Correlation analyses verified that SCR reactivity was a reliable index of experienced depression during the frustration.


CONCLUSIONS
Expressive suppression is effective in reducing depressive experiences and depression-related physiological activity (SCR) when Chinese people are involved. By contrast, the acceptance of depressive emotion in Chinese people does not produce a similar regulation effect. These findings suggest that cultural context should be considered in understanding the emotional consequences of suppression and acceptance strategies.
Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU), Ministry of Education, and School of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.
Jiajin
J
Yuan
Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU), Ministry of Education, and School of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.
Yingying
Y
Liu
Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU), Ministry of Education, and School of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.
Nanxiang
N
Ding
Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU), Ministry of Education, and School of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.
Jiemin
J
Yang
D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People / Q000523:psychology*; D003469:Culture; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005639:Frustration; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D012929:Psychological Distance; D055815:Young Adult