title: Emotional Regulation and Depression: A Potential Mediator between Heart and Mind.
abstract: A narrative review of the major evidence concerning the relationship between emotional regulation and depression was conducted. The literature demonstrates a mediating role of emotional regulation in the development of depression and physical illness. Literature suggests in fact that the employment of adaptive emotional regulation strategies (e.g., reappraisal) causes a reduction of stress-elicited emotions leading to physical disorders. Conversely, dysfunctional emotional regulation strategies and, in particular, rumination and emotion suppression appear to be influential in the pathogenesis of depression and physiological disease. More specifically, the evidence suggests that depression and rumination affect both cognitive (e.g., impaired ability to process negative information) and neurobiological mechanisms (e.g., hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis overactivation and higher rates of cortisol production). Understanding the factors that govern the variety of health outcomes that different people experience following exposure to stress has important implications for the development of effective emotion-regulation interventional approaches (e.g., mindfulness-based therapy, emotion-focused therapy, and emotion regulation therapy).
authors: Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Bergamo, Piazza S. Agostino 2, 24124 Bergamo, Italy ; Human Factors and Technologies in Healthcare Centre, University of Bergamo, Italy.
authors: Angelo
authors: 0000-0002-3336-7920
authors: A
authors: Compare
authors: Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Bergamo, Piazza S. Agostino 2, 24124 Bergamo, Italy.
authors: Cristina
authors: 0000-0002-6613-4445
authors: C
authors: Zarbo
authors: Psychology Division, Nottingham Trent University, UK.
authors: Edo
authors: 0000-0002-7638-7956
authors: E
authors: Shonin
authors: Psychology Division, Nottingham Trent University, UK.
authors: William
authors: W
authors: Van Gordon
authors: Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Bergamo, Piazza S. Agostino 2, 24124 Bergamo, Italy.
authors: Chiara
authors: 0000-0002-2540-8235
authors: C
authors: Marconi